There was
an almighty denouement to the four-day Paris Test Event action as Laura
Lindemann and Mixed Relay World Champions Germany brought home a stunning gold
on Sunday morning. It had been the familiar sight of Team France out front for
much of the race before Lindemann and GB’s Beth Potter finally reeled in Emma
Lombardi, and Claire Michel was able to dig deep down the blue carpet and
ensure bronze for Belgium.
Laura
Lindemann; “It was very tough and I know Beth Potter is a great runner so I was
scared and I tried so hard. I gave it my all and it came out perfectly.”
Tim
Hellwig; “My legs were so smashed from two days ago, the running on the cobbles
is so tough for the quads. I tried to stay in contact with the leaders, but I
didn’t have the best run. We just had to get Laura in the position to do the
job and she did amazing today.”
The
format had to be switched to duathlon after discrepancies in the water quality
tests in the Seine, but that didn’t dampen the atmosphere on the course as
thousands lined the streets to cheer on the action. A run lap over the
Alexandre III and Invalides bridges, two 2.9km bike laps down the Champs
Elysees and then two more 900m run laps was the challenge, and the athletes
rose to the occasion and the setting with a breathless pace.
LEG ONE –
HIDALGO DIGS DEEP
Twenty
men stayed together over the first run lap, only Mexico dropping off, and it
was Spain’s Roberto Sanchez Mantecon quickest out onto the bike, France and
Dorian Coninx +3s, Tayler Reid +7s for New Zealand, but the Frenchman was soon
on the front, Miguel Hidalgo (BRA), Barclay Izzard (GBR), Tyler Mislawchuk
(CAN) and Gabor Faldum (HUN) all well set.
Back out
onto the run Coninx looked in control until the closing stages when Hidalgo
burst past to tag Djenyfer Arnold first and get Brazil’s second leg underway
with a useful lead from Beaugrand, Belgium’s late-addition duathlon specialist
Arnaud Mengal leaving the Hammers well placed just ahead of Izzard and GB.
LEG TWO –
BEAUGRAND GOES BIG
Arnold’s
lead was over in the blink of an eye, Beaugrand flying up the short ramp from
the handover zone and out onto the course into the lead, Jolien Vermeylen
giving chase for Belgium along with Zsanett Kuttor-Bragmayer (HUN), Lisa
Tertsch looking to move through for Germany, Taylor Spivey (USA) and Nicole Van
Der Kaay (NZL) a way off the pace at this stage.
The
French star was on her bike 10s ahead of Tertsch and GB’s Kate Waugh after they
put together a strong lap, New Zealand +25s, USA +30s, Norway +45s. Beaugrand
eased off on the bike as she was caught and a five-deep lead group formed, only
for the home crowd favourite to once again tear up the run and carve out
another 12 second lead over Jolien Vermeylen, Bragmayer closing in too, and the
five took up bike lap two together.
Beaugrand
again had 12 seconds over Tertsch by the end of that run and the handover,
Waugh passed duties to Yee 27 seconds back, but it was Jelle Geens and Jonas
Schomburg together out onto their first run leg chasing France.
LEG THREE
– GEENS CLOSES GAP
World
Champion Leo Bergere took his leg onto the Paris streets out front, but Geens
was soon settling in to his rhythm and closing the gap with every step. By the
end of that first loop the Belgians were within 7 seconds of the front,
Schomburg now 14s, Alex Yee and GB still +25s off Bergere.
If
Portugal, Brazil and Australia looked out of contention at this stage, Vasco
Vilaca had other ideas, delivering the fastest leg by a full 20 seconds to haul
Portugal back into the mix, Jacob Birtwhistle for Australia and Richard Murray
for Netherlands also going well, Vilaca’s leg clocking in at 30 seconds faster
than Bergere’s as the field began to narrow once more.
LEG FOUR
– LINDEMANN AND POTTER TURN IT UP
As Emma
Lombardi took up the decisive final leg for France it was 8 seconds to Claire
Michel and Belgium and there were now five athletes together giving chase 30
seconds back; Lindemann and Germany, Marta Kropko for Hungary, Melanie Santos
for Portugal and Potter for GB.
Just like
Lombardi ahead, Michel had to ride solo for her 2 laps while Lindemann and
Potter drew closer. At the bell it was 15 seconds to the Belgian, the chasers
unable to make up significant ground, but as the final transition loomed
closer, Lombardi was feeling the heat and the chasers were within 17 seconds.
That was
down to less than five seconds after the first of two run laps and over the
closing kilometre the inevitable finally happened, Potter passed Lombardi, as
did Lindemann, and suddenly it was a shootout for the gold between Germany and
Britain.
Shoulder-to-shoulder
at the blue carpet, it was Lindemann with the sprint in the tank to pull clear
to the line for gold, individual champion Potter and GB the silver, Michel also
passing Lombardi late to seal a brilliant bronze.
Beth
Potter; “I had a bit of work to do but just stuck it on the first run. Then I
was stuck in one gear on the bike... I tried to stay as aero as possible and
then it was all in for the final run.”
Alex Yee;
“I was a little bit rusty through transitions. I did my best out there for the
team and wanted to handover to Beth in contention as best I could. I am so
happy for the team.”
Claire
Michel; “I was just saying to Jelle actually that I am not really known for my
sprint finish, but he told me that when he won his first World Series in
Montreal sometimes you just have to believe and I thought of that, just
believe, believe… and I also pretended the French cheers were for me!”
Jelle
Geens – “A bit of redemption for me, it’s not been my greatest season but to
get a podium with the Belgian Hammers and it was so close as well, I was almost
crying at the finish line!”
Full
results available at www.triathlon.org/results
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