Juan Llorca and Ana Belén Maruny achieve victory in the Torrevieja Olympic triathlon

20 June, 2016Updated on June 20, 2016

3 reading minutes

Thousands of spectators have followed the tests, in which 500 triathletes participated, from the Marina Salinas leisure center.

La TriWhite Cup 2016, the most important and popular triathlon circuit in the Mediterranean with venues in three autonomous communities (Comunidad Valenciana, Región de Murcia and Andalucía) has reached its equator after the race held this Sunday at the Marina Salinas leisure center in the Port of Torrevieja. The day has been a social and sporting event, since the more than 500 triathletes who have participated in any of the three events has joined the presence of thousands of spectators spread across the different points of the route.

The excellent climate, the sporting environment and the environment in which the competitions have been developed, a completely urban circuit with its nerve center in the leisure area of the port of the town, have complemented some tests full of emotion and not exempt from the odd surprise

As has happened in the Olympic triathlon, the category reigns. Absent Carlos Ferrando, of the University of Alicante (UA), winner of the two previous tests, the great figure has been John Damascene Llorca, triathlete local Triathlon Club Torrevieja, who has imposed on the goal after going from less to more in the test. Óscar Jordán, from A300W Elche, dominated the first two sectors with authority, but in the race on foot he collapsed, giving options to his pursuers. Llorca, despite the equality in the head of the race, took advantage of his greater knowledge of the terrain to set a strong rhythm in the breakwater of the port and achieve victory with a time of 2: 04: 12, followed by Lorenzo Macario Alarcón, from the Tháder, to 23 seconds, and from Jesus Tello, of the Baza Triathlon, one minute.

In the female category, the test was dominated from start to finish by Ana Belén Maruny, of the Arena Triathlon, one of the classic ones of the circuit. Maruny, who already won last week in Pilar de la Horadada, took the initiative in all sectors, although this time she always had her pursuers close to her. The Alicante athlete crossed the finish line with a 2 time: 22: 17, followed by Raquel Pérez, of the Swedish Triathlon, more than two minutes, and Amanda Cantle, of the Índalo, third also in Pilar, to more than seven. Maruny, leader of the general, takes it with this victory of what happened last year in this same scenario, when she was disqualified after achieving the triumph by receiving outside help (she changed the wheel with a spectator after a puncture).

In category Sprint, the test that had a greater number of participants, the victory was for Marc Cuevas Hopman, of the SYS Laboratories. Cuevas Hopman, winner of Pilar de la Horadada, has reached the ecuador of the season in a moment in an extraordinary way. Cuevas always remained in the lead despite the enormous equality of the race, although it was in the cycling sector where he began to mark the differences to finish the victory in the race on foot. The triathlete of the SYS Laboratories stopped the clock in 1: 01: 19. The second place was for teammate Emilio Urrea, with a time of 1: 02: 31, and third place for Javier Magallón, of the University of Alicante, two and a half minutes away from the winner.

In women, Leticia Serrano, of the 208 Triathlon Club, was the winner with a time of 1: 16: 02, after prevailing in a sprint of 'photo finish' to his teammate Estefanía Isabel. Both were escorted on the podium by Carmen Gómez, from the Torrevieja Triathlon, who entered 47 seconds of the first.

In the distance Super Sprint, test in which the promises of the triathlon are announced, Luis Santos, from Adesavi San Vicente, He won the victory, third this season after those achieved in Benidorm and Pilar de la Horadada. Santos, who used a time of 38: 12, was escorted on the podium by Miguel Baidal, from the Alicante Stadium, and Leo Navarro, from the Arena. The first three classified were, curiously, the same as in the Pilar de la Horada test and in the same order. In women, Trinity Solera, del Tragamillas Solera, was the winner with a brand of 42: 40, followed by the non-federated triathlete María Calleja and Sara Navarro, from the Arena, almost a minute away and more than three, respectively.

At the conclusion of the tests, representatives of the organization and of the commercial firms that collaborate with the TriWhite Cup have handed out the medals and trophies to the first classified of each of the categories. The test has counted with triathletes representing more than 70 clubs in Spain, highlighting the presence of a large representation of sports entities of the Valencian Community, Murcia and Madrid.

The test could be followed live on social networks through the hashtag #TriwhiteLIVE. Torrevieja was the third stage of an exciting circuit that stops during the next two months to return, with more force, in September from Alicante, one of its star venues.