In yet another close battle, it was again Pavel Andreev (RUS) who clinched the win in the men’s race, earning him his fifth consecutive winter triathlon title at the 2016 Zeltweg ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships.
In the women’s race, Yulia Surikova (RUS) captured her World Championship title and became the winter queen for the first time in her career.
Women’s Review
After taking second place at the Otepää ETU Winter Triathlon European Championships earlier this year, Surikova was able to trade in her silver medal for a gold and claim her first-ever World Champion title. Beating out the competition by over two minutes, she was able to control the race in the last two disciplines in order to capture the first-time victory.
Starting out on the run, Surikova ran stride for stride just behind compatriot and European Champion Olga Parfinenko (RUS). As the two headed out onto the bike with a lead over the remaining women by a healthy margin, Surikova wasted no time before breaking away and positioning herself as the leader. She was able to maintain her advantage for the remainder of the course, and while Parfinenko only trailed by a little over a minute going into the ski, she was never able to catch up to Yurikova and she was awarded the gold.
Parfinenko followed in to land the silver and the second time reaching the World Championship podium.
Guaranteeing that a spot on the podium was left open for the host nation, Austria’s Romana Slavinec seized the bronze medal on the day after holding a steady and consistent third-place position throughout the entirety of the race.
 The womens podium: Olga Parfinenko (2nd), Yulia Surikova (1st) and Romana Slavinec (3rd)(Photo: ITU; click to enlarge) |
Men’s Review
Capturing the gold after a close national battle with Evgeny Kirillov (RUS) throughout the whole race, Andreev secured his fifth winter triathlon World Title by just a small margin.
The run saw no individual heroes as a pack consisting of six strong stayed tight together throughout the majority of the first discipline. Norway’s Kristian Monsen entered the first transition with the split time, but with no advantage as the likes of Andreev was right on his coat tails.
As the first laps of the bike were underway, Andreev and Kirillov were able to grab a slight lead that eventually carried out for the remainder of the wheel course and would position themselves as the guaranteed one and two positions.
As the men traded their bikes for skis, the gap was only the length of a single stride between the two Russians. Although Andreev was able to keep an arm’s width lead going through each lap zone, it was a final push from Kirillov that left the winner to be determined in a dramatic sprint finish. Coming down to the finisher’s chute, Andreev ultimately was granted the gold by a small and close fraction, finishing at 1:34:07.40 to Kirillov ’s time of 1:34:07.44 to take silver.
Rounding off the podium was Italian Giuseppe Lamastra, who was able to find his first World Champion podium as an elite.
 The mens podium: Evgeny Kirillov (2nd), Pavel Andreev (1st) and Giuseppe Lamastra (3rd)(Photo: ITU; click to enlarge) |
Under 23 and Junior Review
In the women’s Under 23 event, Austrian Sina Hinteregger dominated the competition by taking home the gold with a finishing lead of over ten minutes. Silver was awarded to Russia’s Yulia Bayguzova and bronze to compatriot Karina Sakhno. In the Junior race, it was again an Austrian taking the top spot with Anna Swoboda seizing first. Silver and bronze were given after a close battle between Russia’s Iulia Skriabina and Lucia Michalickova (SVK).
In the men’s Under23 race, it was Russia who won the gold with Roman Vasin topping Italian Davide Vuerich who took home the silver and Fedor Golubev (RUS) with the bronze. In the junior event, a similar story unfolded as Russian Anton Matrusov grabbed the gold medal over Austrian Tjebbe Kaindl who took silver and Italian Marco Liporace who took bronze.
