Solveig Lovseth won the individual
women’s title on Tuesday, Vetle Bergsvik Thorn the men’s on Wednesday, and on
Saturday the Team Norway train powered on in Krakow when the pair joined forces
with Lotte Miller and Casper Stornes to earn a brilliant Mixed Relay title at
the 2023 European Games.
Thorn had taken the first leg on and
was once again carving through the Krakow streets with Adrien Briffod, but an
equipment penalty would see the Swiss out of contention later on. Miller kept
the Norwegians in the hunt before an outstanding Stornes leg saw him hand over
to Lovseth and despite being caught in the water, the women’s champion was able
to dig in on the bike and again on the run to hold off the attentions of GB’s
Sian Rainsley.
Great Britain would take the silver,
Marta Kropko steering the Hungarian team safely home for bronze.
Thorn on point once again
With the likes of the Swiss Briffod,
Italy’s Michelle Sarzilla and Thorn lining up and tackling the first leg, that
opening 300m swim was always going to be a good test of pure power as the
athletes looked to set their teams off on the right foot.
Gergely Kiss had the advantage out of
the water and into T1, however, Sarzilla and Poland’s own Michal Oliwa for
close company, the likes of Spain’s David Cantero del Campo and Yanis Seguin
for France among four athletes already 18 seconds off the front.
Eleven men were riding together up
ahead through the wet streets focussed on both keeping the pace and making no
mistakes, and into T2 GB’s Barclay Izzard took a tumble, leaving Briffod, Thorn
and Germany’s Jonas Osterholt to pull clear.
Briffod and Thorn were in the box
seat, Ireland’s James Edgar handing to Erin McConnell in third 8 seconds back,
Germany 9 seconds, while the likes of GB, France and Spain were north of 20
seconds adrift after leg one.
Crash breaks up rhythm
Miller maintained the advantage for
Norway, chased hard by Switzerland’s Alissa Konig the flying Jeanne Lehair for
Luxembourg and Zsanett Bragmayer for Hungary and now there were seven women riding
together – Norway, Hungary, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg and GB’s
Sophie Allen after an outstanding swim, just Matilde Gauthier for France
chasing hard and alone behind.
That group broke up when Selina Klamt
and Konig came off, also drastically slowing Lehair and co behind them while
Miller, Bragmayer and Alden were able to take full advantage and pull away,
each corner even more carefully navigated than the last.
Onto the run, that trio had six
seconds over Italy’s Verena Steinhauser and 8 seconds over Lehair, but
Bragmayer was onto the gas and away fastest over the 1km run. Lehair was soon
picking off those ahead and pulled alongside the Hungarian by the end of the
run, handing over to Lucas Cambresy.
Italy turn up the heat
Gianluca Pozzatti took over for Italy
10 seconds off the front, Norway’s Stornes 11 seconds back, GB, Spain and
France +25 seconds. Once again Hungary’s strong swimmers put them back in
control, this time Gergo Dobi pulling away out front.
Stornes then powered his way to the
front early on the bike, Pozzatti joining him in dropping Dobi, Denmark’s Emil
Holm now into fourth and Alberto Gonzalo Garcia hauling the Spanish into
contention along with GB’s Connor Bentley, Valentin Morlec of France and the
Swiss Sylvain Fridelance.
Stornes storms Norway into lead
The Italian and Norwegian were out
onto the run first, Gonzalez in hot pursuit, but it was Stornes pulling away up
ahead to give Tuesday’s women’s champion Solveig Lovseth a very useful 8-second
advantage over Spain and Italy picking up the final leg.
Denmark, GB and Hungary were just 13
seconds back and there were seven teams still in thunt with only 20 seconds
separating them.
An incredible Cecilia Santamaria
Surroca swim put Spain into the lead by the final buoy and she stretched the
gap up to an impressive 5 seconds, Rainsley going well in second for GB, Kropko
and Hungary third heading onto the bike.
The title was still anyone’s to call
between seven nations as Lovseth put Norway back into the lead on the bike,
GBR, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Spain and Denmark all hanging tough, but it
was Lovseth driving the pace and looking to shake off the Italian Prestia.
Only Rainsley was able to stay on her
back wheel, the remaining five coming together now six seconds back into the
last T2 of the day.
Lovseth was out first, Rainsley
losing time in transition and caught by Kropko and Gmur for Switzerland and
soon all four were shoulder-to-shoulder. Lovseth and Rainsley pulled away again
at the halfway and Gmur had to serve a time penalty for Adrien Briffod’s
earlier infraction in transition, and suddenly it was between Norway, GBR and
Hungary with 200m to go.
Solveig Lovseth dug in hard over the
closing stages and it was all smiles for Team Norway at the line as they took
their third title of a brilliant European Games campaign, Rainsley and GBR over
the line for silver, Marta Kropko’s Hungary with the bronze.
For the full results, click here.
Results: Mixed Relay
1. Team
I Norway NOR 01:07:29
2. Team
I Great Britain GBR 01:07:33
3. Team
I Hungary HUN 01:07:40
4. Team
I Switzerland SUI 01:07:47
5. Team
I Spain ESP 01:07:54
No comments:
Post a Comment