Emilio Martín and the Mallorcan Yessica Pérez winners of the ninth edition of Desafío Doñana

The Andalusian athlete achieved a milestone by winning the third consecutive test, in an edition in which he was even about to leave 

The Majorcan woman of Granada origin Yessica Pérez and the Huelva Emilio Martín have been proclaimed winners in absolute category of the ninth edition of the Doñana Challenge, which was held today in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, with a route of 100 kilometers by bicycle, 1 km. swimming at the mouth of the Guadalquivir - 2,8 kilometers in the modality of relays - and 30 kilometers of running on the beach on the shore of Doñana.

A total of 321 triathletes in the men's category, 18 in the women's and the members of 30 relay teams were those who crossed the finish line located on Malandar beach, after leaving Bajo de Guía; in a competition that was attended by the Territorial Delegate for Culture, Tourism and Sports in Cádiz, Daniel Moreno; the mayor of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Víctor Mora; the president of the Andalusian Triathlon Federation, Pablo Castilla; and the delegate councilor of Sports of Sanlúcar, Jesús Villegas, among other authorities.

At nine o'clock in the morning the neutralized exit of the competition was given. The first kilometers in bicycle was traveled in platoon through the streets of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, to officially begin the test at the exit of the town. In the cycling segment there were some falls in the peloton, but without seriousness, although some of the triathletes had to leave for this reason.

The Duathlon world champion, the man from Huelva Emilio Martín (CMG Ferrer Hotels) has achieved a historic milestone in the race, after achieving the victory for the third time in a row, entering the finish line with a time of 4: 33: 45; followed by Cádiz Salvador Gil (AD BHV Sport), with a chronometer of 4: 37: 18; while the third classified was the Sevillian Sergio Lorenzo (Simón Verde DOC 2001), with a final time of 4: 41: 51.

Martin showed his satisfaction for a victory "that I did not expect, because I was on the verge of leaving even in the swimming segment, because I was very cramped, but I could recover in the race on foot and go slowly recovering the lost time and finally get the win. " The strong currents, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir on its way through the town of Cadiz, have been so strong that many triathletes took them to about 500 meters even of the second transition. This caused cramps in many of the swimmers, which made them need help on some occasions, having to be taken care of by the medical services.

In the female category the winner was Yessica Pérez (CMG Ferrer Hotels) with a record of 4: 50: 16, followed by the winner of last year, La Mancha Alba Reguillo (Saltoki Trikideak), with a time of 4: 54: 06. In the third place ended the Asturian Laura Álvarez (Santander Triathlon), which stopped the clock in 5: 15.30.

Perez, who won the Doñana Challenge in 2016, was very happy "to win again a test that I love, in which, despite being more focused on cycling, I live with great enthusiasm and that It is a pleasure to participate for the exquisite and attentive treatment of the organization ".

The race on foot along the shore of Doñana resulted in certain moments of great hardness, due to the strong heat at that time. While the morning had begun with some instability in time, with a risk of precipitation, in the end the clouds were disappearing, leaving a very hot day.

In masculine relays the first classified one was Team Silverback (Juan Ramón Molina, Rubén Cuéllar and Luis Miguel del Rosal), with a time in goal of 4: 56: 51; in female teams the Anisvir Team (Ana Guerrero, Isabel Olmedo and Virginia Carrasco) with a set chrono of 5: 44: 30; and in mixed relays the winning team was the Sciroccobike-CNBC-Gilete (José María Hernández, Irene Peinado and Jorge Guisado), with a time of 5: 18: 16.

The ninth edition of Desafío Doñana again had a large audience following the competition. It is a test that attracts many family members of the triathletes and generates a special atmosphere and color around the different transitions such as the finish line at Malandar beach.

The Doñana Challenge 2018 has been organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Junta de Andalucía, with the technical support of the Andalusian Triathlon Federation, and the collaboration of the municipalities of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Trebujena, Jerez, El Puerto de Santa María, Rota and Chipiona and Doñana Natural Space and the sponsorship of companies such as Vodafone, Infisport, Coca Cola, Cruzcampo Radler, Acquajet and GM Technology.

More information, photos and all the results of the test can be seen on the official website: www.desafiodonana.com.

Photos: Juan Jose Ubeda