Alex Yee (Junior) and Richard Allen (Under-23) both earned ETU Duathlon European Championship Gold on Saturday in Soria, Spain

Soria in Northern Spain hosted the 2017 ETU Duathlon European Championships this past weekend, with changeable and chilly conditions making the large travelling British contingent feel very much at home.

Starting as the clear favourite in the Men’s Junior event, Alex Yee, the reigning ITU World Junior Duathlon Champion, proved to be in a class of his own. Breaking free from the chasing field over the opening 5km run, Yee extended his lead over the 20km bike to arrive in T2 with a very healthy lead of almost one minute, with just 2.5km of running remaining. The second run would prove a formality and the young Britain is now World and European Junior Duathlon Champion.

There was further success in the Men’s Under-23 race. Held in parallel with the senior event (where he crossed the line in eighth), Richard Allen took the title by just seven seconds, to overtake Spain’s Javier Martin Morales with the finish line almost in sight.

The top Great Britain finisher in the Senior Elite races was Mark Buckingham. Recently second in the British Elite Duathlon Championships, Mark was part of breakaway group of four athletes on the bike. The race was won by home athlete Emilio Martin, who was World Champion two years ago, with the French duo of Benoit Nicolas and Yohan Le Berre completing the podium, leaving Mark in fourth.

RESULTS

Senior

MEN

1. Emilio Martin (ESP), 1:46:07
2. Benoit Nicolas (FRA), 1:46:16
3. Yohan Le Berre (FRA), 1:47:04
4. Mark Buckingham (GBR), 1:47:46
6. Philip Wylie (GBR), 1:48:26
8. Richard Allen (GBR), 1:50:09
DNF Danny Russell (GBR)
DNF Richard Horton (GBR)

WOMEN
1. Sandra Levenez (FRA) – 2:00:58
2. Margarita Garcia Canellas (ESP) – 2:02:48
3. Lucie Picard (FRA) – 2:03:08

Under-23

MEN
1. Richard Allen (GBR), 1:50:09
2. Javier Martin Morales (ESP), 1:50:16
3. Nathan Guerbeur (FRA), 1:50:39

WOMEN
1. Lucie Picard (FRA), 2:03:08
2. Noella Juan (ESP), 2:09:53
3. Laura Gomez Ramon (ESP), 2:13:38

Junior

MEN

1. Alex Yee (GBR) – 53:28
2. Grigory Antipov (RUS) – 54:21
3. Matevz Planko (SLO) – 54:30
13. Cameron Richardson (GBR) – 55:51

WOMEN
1. Delia Sclabas (SUI), 1:02:17
2. Laura Swannet (BEL), 1:02:33
3. Gabriela Ribeiro (POR), 1:02:40
5. Caitlin Roper (GBR), 1:03:51

Full Results: http://www.triathlon.org/results/result/2017_soria_etu_duathlon_european_championships