Elite Cross Triathlon Gold for Lesley Paterson headlines a week of success for British athletes in Fyn, Denmark

Ending on Saturday in Odense, the 2018 ITU Multisport World Championships Festival saw World Championship events contested over five disciplines.  With the Duathlon events already covered (See reports: ELITE | AG STANDARD | AG SPRINT), how did the second full week of competition play out?

Cross Triathlon

The Cross Triathlon (Tuesday) was the next event on the schedule and saw significant British success in the Women’s Elite race. Six years after winning the title, Lesley Paterson put almost five years of injury and illness behind her to secure an emotional victory.

The early stages of the race were lead by another Brit, Nicole Walters, perhaps better known for her Rio 2016 Paralympic Games Bronze medal as a guide to Melissa Reid in the visually impaired category.

Paterson and Walters were joined at the front of the race Eleonora Peroncini (ITA), and would reach T2 together, before Paterson soon hit the front on the run and never looked back, while Walters battled hard to hold off the Italian to secure a British one-two.

ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships – Tuesday 10^th July 2018 (1km / 27km / 10km)

Elite Men

1st – Ruben Ruzafa (ESP) – 2:06:04
2nd – Sam Osbourne (NZL) – 2:07:51
3rd – Brice Daubord (FRA) – 2:08:39

20th – Doug Hall (GBR) – 2:16:47
27th – Llewellyn Holmes (GBR) – 2:22:49

Elite Women

1st – Lesley Paterson (GBR) – 2:27:10
2nd – Nicole Walters (GBR) – 2:29:41
3rd – Eleonora Peroncini (ITA) – 2:29:57

GB Age-Group podium results – Cross Triathlon (9)

• Gold - 3: Hayley Down – F35-39, Robert Moore – M55-59, William Hammerton – M70-74
• Silver - 4: Kerry-Ann Upham – F25-29, Ruth Owen Evans – F35-39, Claire Hitchings – F45-49, Alex Rhodes – M30-34
• Bronze - 2: Ruben Villalain – M30-34, Guy Dunscombe – M35-39

Aquathlon

Two days after the Cross Triathlon it was the turn of the swim-run specialists to race over the 1km / 5km format at Middelfart Harbour.

Hannah Kitchen has won Elite medals at World and European Championships in recent years and she continued that trend finishing second to Edda Hannesdottir (ISL), to add to a previous Bronze medal from the 2014 Championships in Edmonton, Canada. There was another Silver too from Chloe Pollard, who came within 11 seconds of defending her 2017 title in the Elite Under-23 category.

The British Age-Group team secured their biggest haul of the week with 29 podium finishes, plus a further Gold and Silver in the Para divisions from Iain Dawson and Mark Conway, respectively.

ITU Aquathlon World Championships – Thursday 12^th July 2018 (1km / 5km)

Elite Women

1st – Edda Hannesdottir (ISL) – 31:15
2nd – Hannah Kitchen (GBR) – 32:03
3rd – Vida Medic (SRB) – 32:17

Elite Under-23 Women

1st – Sofiya Pryyma (UKR) – 32:37
2nd – Chloe Pollard (GBR) – 32:48
3rd – Maryna Sokolova (UKR) – 33:23

GB Age-Group podium results – Aquathlon (29)

• Gold - 5: Rachael Vatter – F20-24, Amy Skinnard – F30-34, Tina Wilson – F40-44, Ben Rhodes – M20-24, Glen Hall – M45-49
• Silver - 12: Niamh Perry – F16-19, Lara Langston – F25-29, Rebecca York – F30-34, Katie Nimmo – F40-44, Maria Powell – F50-54, Diane Kidd-Ferguson – F55-59, Kay Stokes – F60-64, Julia Hector – F65-69, Jack Trevail – M20-24, Timothy Wood – M25-29, Matthew Stone – M55-59, Douglas Wood – M70-74
• Bronze - 12: Lara Greggs – F16-19, Francesa Durbin – F20-24, Samantha Lake – F40-44, Sharon Perry – F45-49, Sharon Hill – F50-54, Elaine Callinan – F55-59, Christine Meek – F60-64, Rhys Davies – M16-19, Luke Roberts – M20-24, Jamie Oakey – M25-29, Shaun Challis – M30-34, Graham Le Good – M65-69

GB Paratri results – Aquathlon (2)

• Gold - 1: Iain Dawson – PTVI
• Silver - 1: Mark Conway – PTWC

Long Distance Triathlon

The Long Distance Triathlon, held alongside the Aquabike event, closed the championships on Saturday in Odense. There were no British starters in the Elite race, which saw Helle Frederiksen (DEN) and Pablo Dapena Gonzalez (ESP) become the new world champions.

British Age Group success included Gill Fullen, who we profiled ahead of the championships (HERE), who despite starting the bike more than 11 minutes in arrears after the opening 3km swim, went on to win her 50-54 category by 12 minutes, adding to her Gold medal from the Standard Distance Duathlon a week earlier.

Flora Colledge, Gold medallist in the 30-34 category, was the second fastest female Age-Group athlete across all divisions.

ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships – Saturday 14^th July 2018 (3km / 120km / 30km)

GB Age-Group podium results – Long Distance Triathlon (5)

• Gold - 3: Flora Colledge – F30-34, Gill Fullen – F50-54, Jane Wiley – F60-64
• Silver - 2: Jeannie Fry – F55-59, Michael Rixon – M30-34

GB Paratriathlon results – Long Distance Triathlon (2)

• Gold - 2: Iain Dawson – PTVI, Mark Conway – PTWC

Aquabike

Held for the first time in Penticton last year, the ITU Aquabike World Championship proved to be both popular and successful for the British Age-Group team who collected a total of 17 medals. Amy Pritchard (40-44), Maria Powell (50-54) and Nick Isaacson (30-34) all defended Gold medals won in Canada last year.

ITU Aquabike World Championships – Saturday 14^th July 2018 (3km / 120km)

GB Age-Group podium results – Aquabike (17)

• Gold - 8: Leila Gaafar – F25-29, Jennie Stemp – F30-34, Amy Pritchard – F40-44, Maria Powell – F50-54, Mael Bely – M18-19, Nick Isaacson – M30-34, Kris Whitelaw – M35-39, Paul Donnelly – M55-59
• Silver - 5: Alex Clay – F20-24, Julia Hodkinson – F60-64, Thomas James – M20-24, Michael Smallwood – M70-74, Stuart Lumb – M75-79
• Bronze - 4: Lucy Richardson – F35-39, Henry Eaton – F25-29, Rory Spicer – M30-34, Craig Gulliford – M45-49

Full results from all of the events from the Fyn ITU Multisport World Championships Festival can be found here.

Full Results

The 2019 Multisport Festival will be held in Pontevedra, Spain, initial details of which can be found here.