David Castro sprints to bronze in Hong Kong

David Castro won the bronze medal at the Hong Kong Triathlon World Cup on Saturday 7 November, beating Max Studer in the final sprint to finish in 50:20. In the individual races held in the Lung Wo Road area, Izan Edo finished fifth and María Casals came eighth in the women’s race.

France’s Nils Serre beat Australia’s Callum McClusky in the men’s race, with both recording 50:14, while Diana Isakova won the women’s race. Both elite races were held over the sprint distance.

Rough water and a large group on the bike

The men’s race began with a 750-metre swim in Victoria Harbour, where the triathletes faced rough water. Portugal’s Miguel Thiago Silva was first out, accompanied by American Chase McQueen and Australian Oscar Wootton.

On the bike, Joao Batista, Simon Westermann and Darr Smith were among those pushing to close the gaps. A group of more than 50 athletes eventually formed, completing the five laps together and arriving at the second transition as a compact pack.

Australia’s Jayden Schofield was quickest through the transition from bike to run, immediately followed by Nathan Grayel and Aram Penaflor. 5 kilometres of running remained to decide the finishing positions.

Serre and McClusky battle for victory

Studer took the lead at the start of the run, with McClusky just behind and Castro, Serre and Batista following the leading group. Serre also moved into the lead, while Edo and Hungary’s Bence Bicsák impressed during the first lap.

The Swiss athlete attacked again at the start of the second and final lap and held the lead for much of it. On the final descent, Serre accelerated and McClusky responded: the Australian moved into first place as he entered the blue carpet, but the Frenchman regained the lead before the finish.

For Serre, the under-23 world champion in Pontevedra, it was his first World Cup gold in his fifth start on the circuit. Earlier that year, he had finished fourth on his World Series debut in Hamburg.

The Frenchman explained that he had not had his best second transition and had to catch the leaders at the start of the run before waiting for the finish. McClusky, meanwhile, said that the finish straight was very long and that he might have made a tactical mistake, allowing Serre to pass him again.

Castro wins the battle for the podium

Behind the first two, Castro seized his opportunity in the closing metres and beat Studer to third place. The bronze came after the Spaniard finished fourth at the Tongyeong World Cup on 24 October, when he was nine seconds off the podium.

After the race, Castro described how he experienced the finish: “The race was very tough, and the first kilometre of the run was incredibly fast. Then my friends attacked on the final descent, and I had to sprint to stay at the front. I was just thinking ‘podium, podium, podium’ and I passed Studer in the final sprint. The swim was intense, the sea was rough, the bike leg was tactical, and my focus was on the run. My biggest rival is my mind, but I’m glad to fight against myself, and this sport is simply incredible.”

The Spanish performance included Edo among the leading finishers and three other representatives who completed the race. These were the men’s results from fourth place onwards:

• 4th Max Studer: 50:24.
• 5th Izan Edo: 50:26.
• 6th Nathan Grayel: 50:30.
• 7th Bence Bicsák: 50:39.
• 8th Mitch Kolkman: 50:45.
• 9th John Reed: 50:47.
• 10th Aoba Yasumatsu: 50:54.
• 13th Andrés Prieto: 50:57.
• 20th Andrés Hilario Morales: 51:14.
• 32nd Eloy Canales: 51:41.

Casals is the leading Spaniard in the women’s race

The women’s race also saw very close times at the front. Isakova won in 55:39, the same time as Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair. China’s Anqi Huang completed the podium in 55:40.

María Casals was the leading Spaniard in the race. Cecilia Santamaría and Alejandra Seguí also represented Spain. The positions and times of the finishers behind the podium were:

• 4th Valentina Riasova: 55:42.
• 5th Bethany Cook: 55:57.
• 8th María Casals: 56:09.
• 25th Cecilia Santamaría: 57:12.
• 30th Alejandra Seguí: 57:45.

The mixed relay and the next event in Japan

The competition in Hong Kong will continue with the Mixed Relay Cup, scheduled for Sunday 8 November at 7:00, mainland Spanish time.

The next announced World Cup event will be in Miyazaki, Japan, on Saturday 14 November.