The Abut Dhabi International Triathlon not only attracted numerous well-known long-distance athletes this Saturday, but also the who-is-who of the short-distance specialists.
In the men's race, the British Brownlee brothers put their stamp on the race from the start. True to the motto: If you train together, you can also compete in races together, they dominated the competition and in the end confidently took first and second place. Third place went to Ruedi Wild from Switzerland, who, after a slow start, managed to get past Bart Aernouts and Ronnie Schildknecht on the final running distance.
Svenja Bazlen was just as dominant as the Brownlee brothers. After she managed to swim at the pace of favorite Annabel Luxford, she gave the otherwise strong Australian a lesson in her favorite discipline. With a lead of over eight minutes, Bazlen slipped into her running shoes and seemed visibly pleased with her performance. Because unlike what some might have expected, she increased her cushion on her competitors. In the end, her cushion was more than eleven minutes. Luxford had to settle for second, just seconds ahead of her compatriot Lisa Marangon.
The reigning Hawaii winner Frederik van Lierde celebrated his season start in the long distance. However, he would probably have imagined this a little differently. Because in the end the Belgian had to settle for the thankless fourth place. Although he had dominated the race up to the second change and proved his class, especially on the bike, Tyler Butterfield's hour came after that. Already on the first kilometers he attacked Van Lierde, who was later overtaken by Dutchman Bas Diederen and Frenchman Sylvain Sudrie. However, Butterfield, who lives in Bermuda, was undeterred.
The women's long distance was just as exciting. Here, too, the decision was only made on the running course, with the three first-placed winners giving nothing away until the end. After the swim, Britain's Jodie Swallow initially led the competition. However, Melissa Hauschildt and Yvonne van Vlerken managed to make up for their deficit on the bike relatively quickly. At the end of the bike course, the two were joined by the Danish Michelle Vesterby, who followed Hauschildt together with Van Vlerken on the running course. However, she was not able to keep up with the pace of the Dutchwoman. This was more successful and attacked Hauschildt a few kilometers from the finish. However, the Australian fought back again and finally won by a narrow margin.
men short distance
1. Alistair Brownlee (Great Britain) 3:12:21
2. Jonathan Brownlee (Great Britain) 3:12:21
3. Ruedi Wild (Switzerland) 3:16:59
4. Bart Aernouts (Belgium) 3:17:11
5. Ronnie Schildknecht (Switzerland) 3:17:54
women short distance
1. Svenja Bazlen (Germany) 3:34:51
2. Annabel Luxford (Australia) 3:46:02
3. Lisa Marangon (Australia) 3:46:49
4.Jessica Harrison (France) 3:54:43
5. Georgie Rutherford (Great Britain) 3:58:41
men long distance
1. Tyler Butterfield (Bermuda) 6:43:00
2. Bas Diederen (Netherlands) 6:43:47
3. Sylvain Sudrie (France) 6:45:06
4. Frederik van Lierde (Belgium) 6:46:11
5. Bert Jammaer (Belgium) 6:50:48
women long distance
1. Melissa Hauschildt (Australia) 7:24:50
2. Yvonne Van Vlerken (Netherlands) 7:25:12
3. Michelle Vesterby (Denmark) 7:31:39
4. Jodie Swallow (UK) 7:45:35
5. Svetlana Blazevic (Serbia) 8:31:19