12 + 1 Key moments of the "Centennial" Javier Gómez Noya

A few days ago we published an article with the numbers and statistics in ITU competitions of Javier Gómez Noya. Today, we bring what are in our opinion the 12 + 1 most important competitions of the Spanish champion, emphasizing not only their triumphs but also others where for some reasons or others, the result was not the expected but that enlarge the Ferrolan category.

1.- European Cup of Estoril (Portugal) 16 / 06 / 2002

Still in junior age, with 19 years, Javi makes his international debut in elite category with a magnificent 6 position, the victory went to Briton Simon Lessing in the only competition in which the two world champions have faced each other.

2.- Cto. of the Sub23 World in Queenstown (New Zealand) 06 / 12 / 2003

Gómez Noya won his first world title (of the 9 he currently has), winning the sub23 World Championship after a great race on foot, where with the best time he took the victory with almost half a minute of difference with the second classified.

3.- Aqaba World Cup (Jordan) 10 / 3 / 2006

 

 

In December of 1999 the medical services of the CSD discover a cardiac anomaly to Javier, during several years discrepancies take place between the best specialist cardiologists of the world consulted by Javi and the doctors of the CSD, reason by which the license is retired to be able to compete , although it does it in some sporadic competitions (like the world sub23 of 2003). At the beginning of 2006 Javi managed to recover the license definitively and began an impressive sports career that led him to be the clear dominator of the Olympic distance triathlon of the last decade. The 10 of March of 2006 obtains its first podium in world cup (one week before in its return to the competition had been 10ª in the WC of Doha) when obtaining the second place in the Glass of the World of Aqaba in Jordan.

4.- World Cup in Madrid (Spain) 04 / 06 / 2006

 

This date is historical for three reasons, Javi Gómez Noya's first victory in a World Cup, and it was also the first "doublet" of the Spanish triathlon thanks to the second place of Ivan Raña and as a cherry on top it all took place at home, in the World Cup of Madrid. (Foto2_Noya)

5.- Cto. of World in Hamburg (Germany) 30 / 08 / 2007

Since recovering the definitive license in 2006, Javi Gómez has become the absolute dominator of Olympic distance triathlon, with victories in world cups. Hamburg World Cup came as the undisputed favorite but an error in the T2 makes him lose a second that ultimately made him lose the gold medal that went to the hands of the German Daniel Unger. Javi had to settle for the silver medal. These "defeats" only increase the legend of the Galician champion to continue training and surpassing day by day.

 

6.- Cto. of the World of Vancouver (Canada) 05 / 06 / 2008

2008 season was practically immaculate, with victory in all ITU competitions that dispute except the cto. of Europe that a flight on a bike makes him have to settle for the 7ª plaza. Javi arrives in Vancouver as a favorite, on a cold and gray day he wins his first world title in the elite category.

 

7.- JJOO Beijing (China) 18 / 08 / 2008

For the umpteenth time, Javi is the favorite to win a competition, in this case the Olympic games, the only title he lacks. But an injury (that only Noya himself and his closest circle knew) prevent him from getting a medal in China when he arrives at 4º place to finish. Another "defeat" that enlarges the myth.

 

8.- WTS Grand Final Budapest (Hungary) 08 / 09 / 2010

The Olympic champion Jan Frodeno She was leading the last round of the 2010 world series, with Javi in ​​2nd position. The competition also had a guest, the rainwater that had fallen during the women's competition, which added an extra “danger” in the race. Javi is the first to get out of the water, along with Alistair Brownlee and three other triathletes try to escape by bike but are finally hunted by Frodeno's squad. At the beginning of the foot race, Noya is the only one who can keep up with Alistair's rhythm, and Jan Frodeno suffers from physical problems since he leaves T2, which means that this last segment is “a path of glory” for Javi who becomes with his second world title.

 

9.- WTS Sydney (Australia) 09 / 04 / 2011

In Sydney, where the triathlon had its Olympic debut in the year 2000, Javi made one of his most epic races, after suffering a fall on a bike, he made a great comeback, both on the two wheels and in a race on foot (after a "Bad" transition) and finally wins the victory in front of Jonathan Brownlee

 

10.- JJOO London (United Kingdom) 07 / 08 / 2012

After not having been selected for Atenas'04 (in my opinion unfairly) and after the 4ª place of Beijing'08 (where he ran injured) Javi gets the only great medal that resisted him in a palmarés, obtaining the Olympic silver after an intractable Alistair Brownlee (gold) and in front of Jonathan Brownlee (bronze).

 

11.- WTS Grand Final London (United Kingdom) 15 / 09 / 2013

Third world title for Javi. A few weeks before Noya had given the first push to get the championship when he played the WTS in Stockholm where he only served to be 1 º or 2 º ... And ended in 2ª position. The London competition had an outcome dreamed by lovers of triathlon .. A foot race side by side between two main favorites Jonny Brownlee and Javier Gómez Noya ... With victory for the Spaniard in a final sprint apotheosis where he took the victory.

 

 

12.- WTS Chicago (USA) 28 / 06 / 2014

The 2014 world championship started very favorably for Javi, with the victory in the first three WTS (all Olympic distance). In the fourth race in London has one of "its worst" results to be "only" 6 º (sprint race) so it is presented in Chicago with the intention of winning and track the title Javi wins the victory with the best partial foot , after a hard cycling plagued by braking and ripped. With the points added the World Cup is very favorable in the absence of three tests.

 

 

12 + 1.- WTS Grand Final Edmonton (Canada) 29 / 08 / 2014

Noya equates to Lessing as four-time world champion, Javi finishes 3º competing with a sensational tactic that allows him to control the rest of the rivals for the title at all times. In Edmonton he gets his fourth world title.

 

Juan José Martí Navío (@jjnavio)

Photos: ITU