Triathlon: This weekend in Kitzbühel, the European title winners were sought on the short distance. The big favorite for the men was Alistair Brownlee from Britain.
The Briton has already won two European titles in the past, but so far this year things have not gone really well for the Olympic champion in London. The success in Kitzbühel was all the more important for him. Brownlee acted shrewdly in the absence of some of the sport's big-name stars. Neither when swimming nor on the bike did he reveal his weaknesses. Only on the final ten kilometers did he show why he is considered one of the best short-distance athletes in the world.
More than 50 athletes completed the second change together. And then Brownlee's hour struck. He continuously set himself apart from his companions and in the end won clearly ahead of the Russian Dmitry Polyanskiy, who finished almost 30 seconds behind. Spaniard Vicente Hernandez came in third. The best German was Justus Nieschlag in ninth place, about one and a half minutes behind.
The favorite also prevailed among the women. The Swiss Nicola Spirig was up to date right from the start and left nothing to be desired in the end. The Olympic champion in London celebrated her fourth European title with a lead of 16 seconds over the surprisingly strong Sophia Saller. The DTU could almost have even celebrated two athletes on the podium. After a strong race to catch up, Hanna Philippin finished fourth, just behind the Italian Annamaria Mazzetti.