Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Csongor Lehmann and Tilda Mansson reign supreme at Tiszaujvaros Triathlon World Cup



 

Fireworks over 5km as Tiszaujvaros World Cup returns with a bang, Lehmann and Mansson producing huge finishes to win the golds on Sunday afternoon in Hungary

Csongor Lehmann continued to tick off big targets on Sunday as he won his home World Cup in Tiszaujvaros and set a strong Olympic course with his form building with every race. Victory came after Sweden's Tilda Mansson had earlier produced a dramatic photo-finish win against Spain's Noelia Juan to seal her second title at World Cup level.

 

Women's Report

All the signs were there during the previous day’s qualifier of the 2023 Tiszaujvaros World Cup, when Sweden’s Tilda Mansson gritted her teeth and went shoulder-to-shoulder with Anna Godoy Contreras down the blue carpet even with her place in the finals already safe.

On Sunday afternoon, it was all on the line as Mansson and Noelia Juan came towards transition for the final time neck-and-neck after nearly an hour in the scorching Hungary heat, and this time the Swede’s late surge took her past the Spaniard right at the tape to secure her second World Cup gold in the most dramatic fashion.

It was a tough one to swallow for Juan but her delight at a first podium was clear, while Jolien Vermeylen hung tough for the bronze after a hective two-weeks of racing.

 

Seregni torpedos into lead

There was little surprise to see Italy’s Bianca Seregni out front in the 750m swim, more surprising was the fact the Italian was able to put a full 30 seconds into another dart, Hungary’s Zsanett Bragmayer.

Behind her Vermeylen was hanging in, and soon out onto the 20km bike chasing the home favourite while Seregni enjoyed clear air out ahead.

First the Belgian was hoovered up by the chasers, then Bragmayer likewise, collectively still some 40 seconds off Seregni as they merged with the second chasers, driven on by Norway’s Solveig Lovseth, after three of eight laps.

 

Norwegian train fired up again

The Norwegian then helped reel Seregni in as she gave way to the inevitable after soloing for half the bike, and then Lovseth forged another small break as athletes were shelled off the back unable to stay the pace.

Lovseth moved again on the final lap to hit transition first, but it was Bragmayer smoothest into her shoes and out for the 4-lap 5km run.

Vermeylen clicked into gear and was soon leading seven athletes snaking through the course in single file, Juan and Mansson off the back, Lovseth, Angelica Prestia, Bragmayer and Marta Pintanel Raymundo going well.

 

Juan vs Mansson down to the wire

The seven stuck together as Mansson made her way to the front and upped the pace, only Juan and Vermeylen able to match it, but just as it looked like the Swede was ready to take control, Juan found a kick and pulled ahead with 200m to go.

There she stayed as she hit the blue carpet, only for Mansson to come flying up the inside and burst past right at the tape to take the win by a fraction of a second, Juan the silver and a tiring Vermeylen safely home in third.

“I just thought I would go as hard as I can and just try to get rid of the others but they were so strong today,” said Mansson. “I thought I was second on the sprint but she slowed down a bit and I thought sprint it! Last year it was the same with Jolien. I tried to stay with her and then move up and keep the pace. It’s always nervy before the race but I wanted to do the best swim I could and trust in my body. Solveig is so strong on the bike and did some good pushes so I knew I had to stay with her!”

“Im so happy, I wanted to win but I’m so excited,” said Noelia Juan. “I swam well and stayed on the front on the bike and ran for all I could, I just didn’t see Tilda coming on my left! At the beginning of the run I felt strong and I wanted to get out ahead.”

“I think it’s my 4th race in 13 days,” said a tired but happy Vermeylen. “I didn’t know what I had left in my legs today so I went for it one kilometre out today because I didn’t want a sprint finish! I think it was a hard course to work together on the bike, but once Seregni was caught we were able to slow it down for the run. Now Hamburg in five days!”

The hometown hero’s destiny looked written, but Csongor Lehmann still had a huge amount of work to do as the final twists and turns of a dramatic 2023 Tiszaujvaros World Cup played out on Sunday afternoon. The local boy, born and raised in Tiszy, was clear with only Sergio Baxter Cabrera for company after the first few hundred metres of the 5km run, but the Spaniard was never going to make that gold easy to come by.

The pair became locked in an engrossing game of cat-and-mouse for four full laps until Lehmann picked his moment to try his major move and, with the elastic finally broken, he was finally able to soak up the crowd’s cheers as he hit the blue carpet with gold finally assured.

Baxter crossed for an excellent silver after a frustrating extended period sidelined through injury, behind it was another Hungary-Spain showdown, this time won by Alberto Gonzalez Garcia as he edged out Gabor Faldum to bronze.

 

Stapley and Devay power physical swim

With just 120m to the first buoy, it was always going to be a big race to see who could find clear water the quickest, Britain’s Max Stapley going well before Hungary’s Mark Devay patiently worked his way to the front.

There was no stringing out like in the women’s however, and ten seconds separated the top 12 up the ramp and onto the run into transition, Lehmann, Alessio Crociani (ITA) and Gergely Kiss (HUN) all on the chase.

They were joined by the likes of Darr Smith (USA) and Faldum as a front group if 20 slowly merged on the first lap, Casper Stornes (NOR) finding himself in no-man’s land between them and the Bence Bicsak-led chasers 30 seconds off the leaders.

 

20-deep pack pulls clear

Stornes was soon swallowed up as his chances of catching the front pack faded on lap three, but even with their collective firepower there was no closing down the gap to the front, up to 40 seconds at the bell.

Lehmann moved his way to the front as transition neared, but it was a hectic scene as the 20 men racked their bikes and tried to get away cleanest and set about the four-lap run.

Faldum and Lehmann were slick, Jannik Schaufler and Baxter right with them, but it was Lehmann who had a date with destiny and hit the hammer right from the outset, the Spaniard the only one able to stay the pace.

 

Tearaway twosome

From there, it was a two-man showdown, the lead ebbing and flowing as moves were made and answered, Baxter looking the more composed but Lehmann with the fire in his belly and the crowd in his ears.

Before the final turn back to the home straight, Lehmann went once more and this time there was no response, the Hungarian going flat-out all the way to the line, leaving nothing to chance and sending the crowds wild as he finally scored the home World Cup win he craved.

As Baxter took silver, he turned to see Gonzalez outsprinting Faldum to the bronze, Rostislav Pevtsov (AZE) in fifth.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Csongor Lehmann. “I’ve dreamt about winning a World Cup in my hometown and that last 100m was so emotional when I knew I had the win. Seeing my friends and the family watching, I put some pressure on myself but I knew things were working for me. Sergio was pushing such a hard pace on the run, I knew I had to put a magic move to drop him and left everything on the course. I started to feel more comfortable at the start of the third lap and knew I had something in me and I could play the attack card.”

“That was an amazing race, Csongor was really strong beginning to end,” said Sergio Baxter. “The heat was tough, it was full gas from the start of the race, an amazing crowd really pushed us through. Yesterday was my first ever time in a breakaway so I was new to being away on the bike, so I tried to make it a hard bike to tire out those legs around me. It’s been eight months since my last international race in Abu Dhabi, so I couldn’t aske for much more, I cant believe it to come back in such a way at such an iconic race.”

“I was just in fourth almost the whole time, catching Gabor, but I decided to push and got the bronze medal here in Tiszy so I can’t complain,” said Gonzalez. “This is one of the races I really enjoy, the city gets behind the sport and it makes us go faster and faster. It’s been a lot of races recently, and you cant always focus on the win, I’m improving step by step.”

 

Full results can be found here. https://triathlon.org/results/result/2023_world_triathlon_cup_tiszaujvaros/582173?mc_cid=4757a41683&mc_eid=6139649918

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