Portugal’s prodigious Vanessa Fernandes won a record-breaking fifth consecutive European Championship today, taking gold with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes and 46 seconds. Italian veteran Nadia Cortassa took the silver, her fourth career medal at European championships. Swede Lisa Norden continued her breakthrough season, out-sprinting last year’s bronze medalist Nicola Spirig of Switzerland down the stretch for the bronze.
“It was a dream today. There were lots of people giving me strength,” said Fernandes at the finish line. “It is very important for me to show these people in Portugal what triathlon is. I can show Portugal what Portuguese athletes can do.”
Joelle Franzmann of Germany led the women out of the water with the day’s fastest swim. She left T1 with a 20-second lead over her chasers which included Magali Di marco of Switzerland and Eva Dollinger of Austria. Fernandes was a further two seconds back. But Franzmann’s solo ride on the flat 40-kilometer bike course did not last long as the chase pack quickly caught, forming a 13-woman lead group. Not far behind was cycling powerhouse Spirig who brought herself and four others up with the leaders.
The front group of 18 women rode well together and while they did not increase the lead with every lap, they maintained a minute advantage over the first chase pack. Olympic champion and last year’s silver medalist Kate Allen struggled. After coming out of the water trailing by almost a minute and a half, she lost time with every lap on the bike. By the halfway mark she was two and a half minutes behind the leader.
The leaders rode through the stadium and into T2 with a minute gap. The huge crowd erupted as Fernandes racked her bike and raced out of transition. Most of the pre-race favorites were in this group including Spirig, Swede Lisa Norden, and the Germans Franzmann and Christiane Pilz. Allen continued to struggle as she came off the bike more than four and half minutes behind.
Out onto the flat and fast 10-kilometer run course, Fernandes immediately set a torrid pace and surged to the lead. After just the first lap of 2.5 kilometers, she had already opened up a 23-second lead on her chasers. It was clear nothing was going to stop another Fernandes victory, which meant the rest of the women were running for silver and bronze. That battle was going to be between Cortassa, Spirig, Norden and Franzmann. While Fernandes tore through the run at her usual punishing pace that no woman could keep up with, the four women in pursuit stayed together and looked like the fight for the podium would come down to the wire.
Up ahead, Fernandes ran into the stadium for the last time and took the cheers of the fans that were on their feet. Fernandes cruised to the finish line to claim her historic fifth consecutive European crown. In all it was her seventh title as she also has a junior and under23 title as well.
In the final kilometer, Cortassa pulled away to secure the silver. But Norden and Spirig were still side by side as they entered the stadium and locked horns in a sprint to the finish. Norden managed to edge out Spirig for the final podium spot and take her first European championships medal.
“I’m a young athlete so I tend to go out too fast but I hung on today. I’ve never won a sprint finish so I had to dig deep,” said Norden, who becomes the first Swedish triathlete since 1985 to win an elite medal at the European Championships.
Franzmann was fifth and looks to stake her claim to the final spot on the German Olympic team as she was ahead of teammate Pilz who finished 13th. Other notables include Di marco who finished 15th and Allen who came across in 30th spot.
2008 Lisbon ETU Triathlon European Championships
Final Results – Elite Women
1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Gold – Fernandes, Vanessa (POR) 2:05:46
Silver – Cortassa, Nadia (ITA) 2:06:24
Bronze – Norden, Lisa (SWE) 2:06:43
4th – Spirig, Nicola (SUI) 2:06:43
5th – Franzmann, Joelle (GER) 2:06:46
6th – Vodickova, Radka (CZE) 2:07:05
7th – Dollinger, Eva (AUT) 2:07:10
8th – Ryf, Daniela (SUI) 2:07:24
9th – Harrison, Jessica (FRA) 2:07:38
10th – Abyssova, Irina (RUS) 2:08:04
Full field results are available here
Earlier in the day, Emmie Charayron of France won the junior women’s title. Last year’s bronze medalist Kirsty McWilliam of Great Britain took the silver, just ten seconds behind. Former junior world champion Anais Moniz of Portugal came across the line for the bronze to the delight of the home crowd.
2008 Lisbon ETU Triathlon European Championships
Final Results – Junior Women
750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run
Gold - Charayron, Emmie (FRA) 01:04:24
Silver - McWilliam, Kirsty (GBR) 01:04:36
Bronze - Moniz, Anais (POR) 01:04:50
Full field results are available here
