Vendula Frintova and Jurgen
Dereere took the European Title
Debrecen, Hungary May 16th
2005. The 2005 European Duathlon Championships was held in
Debrecen, the 2nd largest city of Hungary, and well known of the
huge support that this city gives to the sport. The Local Organizing Committee
gained experience with several European and World events in different sports
before.
The official
program of the Duathlon European Championships started with a coaching
conference organized by ETU (European Triathlon Union) and the Hungarian
Triathlon Union. Special thanks must be given to professor Neumann from Germany
and Bert de Cuyer from Belgium for their presentations.
The race was
planned going through the centre of the old city of Debrecen, with the start,
transition and finish areas on the Kossuth square. The Bigchurch – as the
locals call it - composed an excellent backdrop for the race.
The long Sunday
of races started early in the rainy morning with the Age-group races: In that
races competed more than 200 duathletes coming from the hole Europe and with
ages in between 20 and 78. Results are posted on ETU website www.etu-triathlon.org
Juniors (male
and female) competed on the Sprint distance (5km run, 20km bike and 2,5km run).
Both races have had a similar development with a “medium size” leading group
(in between 4 and 8 athletes) and chasing groups loosing time on the first 10km
bike and once organised, they began to decrease the gap without the ability to
catch the first groups, but maintaining the hopes to be on the podium. Half of
the fields were included in these groups. The final run made the race very
exciting and fast with only few seconds deciding between the best athletes. The
winners were Anastasiya Yatsenko (UKR) and Jose Estrangeiro (POR).
After the
junior races the huge field of the men elite and U-23 were prepared for the
most important European duathlon race of the year. After 2.5km on the run there
were more than 75 athletes still within 20 seconds from the lead. During the
first 10km run the field broke-up in small groups of athletes entering the
transition area one after each other. On the bike segment Javier Garcia (ESP)
managed to break away with other two athletes including Lino Barruncho (POR).
Due the no collaboration among the 3 athletes, Garcia tried to succeed alone.
The leader could maintain his lead while the chasing groups were divided in
three. Once these three joined together the whole Belgian team with the help of
some British worked very hard to catch the Spanish with success: the adventure
finished 2km before the second transition. A new race began with 5km of sprint
run. 50 athletes had the chance to take the gold, but Jurgen Dereere showed
from the first meter, that he is fastest runner and that no other has any
chance to follow him. The former Triathlon European Champion Filip Ospaly (CZE)
took the silver and Armand Van Der Smissen (NED) the bronze. Sergio Silva from
Portugal became the champion among the U23 athletes.
The women elite
and U-23 was the last race of the event. Duathlon specialists and triathletes –
including two Olympians: Ana Burgos from Spain and Lenka Radova from Czech
Republic - were alltoghether at the start line. The first run produced the
first selection and a group of 7 athletes – including all the favourites -
broke the field in the second of the four laps. Ana Burgos accelerated the
group sometimes, but the 7 reached the first transition together. On the bike,
the leading group grew with the presence of Catriona Morrison on the 3rd
lap. The difference against the chasing group was about one minute until the 4th
lap. After that the speed of the head pack decreased and the fusion with the
chasing group happened in the last lap. As in the men’s race most of the
field began the second run at the same
time. Vendula Frintova (CZE) did not leave the head from the first meter. Ana
Burgos (ESP) and Erika Csomor (HUN) completed the podium. The best U23 athletes
was - like in 2004 – Miek Vyncke from Belgium.
Full results
and pictures on www.etu-triathlon.org