The best athletes are expected for the EUROPE TRIATHLON CUP of May 2021 IN PORTO SANTA MARGHERITA

The best athletes are expected for the EUROPE TRIATHLON CUP IN MAY 2021 IN PORTO SANTA MARGHERITA
The best athletes are expected for the EUROPE TRIATHLON CUP of May 2021 IN PORTO SANTA MARGHERITA

An excellent cast is ready for the Europe Triathlon Cup scheduled for 15 and 16 May in Caorle (VE). Many European champions from different countries such as Russia, Holland, Ukraine, Switzerland, Austria, South Africa and Hungary will competing next May in Porto Santa Margherita for the European Triathlon
The international event, which already has the authorization to take place even in the case of a red zone, is slowly taking shape also in the competitive contents as pre-registrations proceed. Already on the list to contend for the victory in the Porto Santa Margherita test athletes, arriving from Russia, Holland, Ukraine, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and South Africa, who have already written important pages of the multidiscipline. The Elite race will be on Saturday 15 May at 16.00 for men and at 18.00 women, first stage of competition is a dive into the water for 750 meters, followed with 21 km of bike race and 5 km of running),. Part of the program if the weekend will also include the Europe Triathlon Cup for Juniors (with qualifying sessions on Saturday and the finals on Sunday) and the Sprint Rank Gold City of Caorle Triathlon (open to all from the Youth B categories to the Age Group) on Sunday.

Triathlon a Porto Santa Margherita
Triathlon a Porto Santa Margherita


In women, one the favorites for the podium is the Dutch Rani Å krabanja, the under 23 champion, who impressed all with a tactical race in the cycling stage during the national event of last September, then optimizing the best the race in the last stage. Once plunged into the waters of the Adriatic Sea, undoubtedly the strongest will try to stay as close to it as possible in the swimming fraction, then forcing them on their bikes and breaking the group to go and compete for the victory. Among these certainly the Russian Valentina Riasova, bronze at the European under 23 championships in 2019, who after a solid training in Sochi, will arrive in Caorle with her husband Anton Ponomarev (also in the race), in what besides being a “joke” hunting for podium positions, it could also be a second honeymoon in a location that is known as “little Venice”. Together they were part of the Russian mixed under 23 podium relay at the 2018 European Championships. She will probably find herself behind in the first swimming leg, but this will not mean she will be out of the games that matter, indeed. Ukrainian Yuliya Yelistratova, one of the most prolific athletes on the circuit, will certainly attack on her bike, and then launch into the last leg of the foot race, where she often sets the best part time. Austria, which comes from intense training sessions in Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, will lead to Caorle, Magdalena Früh and Pia Totschnig: as reported by Julius Skamen, vice president of the Austrian Triathlon Federation, the athletes trained well and are super motivated for the 2021 season. Among the top athletes, certainly the blue Costanza Arpinelli, who as a Junior collected an impressive haul of gold medals and international podiums, thanks to a “terrible” mix (for the opponents) of bike and running. Last year in Caorle she graduated under 23 duathlon sprint Italian champion (and absolute bronze).
For the men, as already mentioned, Anton Ponomarev is to keep an eye on, who will try to collect important points to improve his position in the European and world ranking. But on paper the strongest team seems to be the Swiss one, entered with Sasha Caterina, silver in the ETU Junior Cup in Tiszaújváros in 2019, the expert Andrea Salvisberg, bronze at the European Championships in Lisbon 2016 and Max Studer who in 2018 won the title individual and relay at the Under 23 European Championships, he won the European Cup in Alanya and the World Cup in Tongyeong. Studer closed 2020 with an intensive three-week training camp in Gran Canaria, after clinching the top ten at the Hamburg Wasser World Triathlon. After the first strokes in front of the beach of Porto Santa Margherita, the lead could be taken by the Hungarian Márk Dévay, who will have his younger brother, Zsombor, alongside him. Both could have the opportunity to “split” the group even on the sprint distance, especially in the second stage, with a flat but technical cycling route. From South Africa comes Wian Sullwald, who brings as a dowry a booty of podiums in various races of the World Triathlon circuit and was Junior World Champion in 2012. If African hopes are pinned on Sullwald, the Italian ones are all on Davide Ingrillì and Sergiy Polikarpenko. In particular for Ingrillì, the desire is to return to the Caorlotto podium: last October he was bronze at the Italian duathlon sprint championship, held in Caorle and boasts two Junior silver in the Winter Triathlon, in 2017 at the European Championships and in 2018 at the World Cup.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *