Virginia Berasategui gets the silver in the European 70.3 and qualifies for Kona

Painful and exhausted, but Virginia Berasategui already has a new medal in his record. Since yesterday she has been runner-up in Ironman 70.3 Europe in triathlon, something she got after suffering a lot in Wiesbaden (Germany).

"The chain has come off on the bike, I've sprained my ankle and I've fallen, but despite everything I could have been second," the Bilbao explained at the end of the competition. Of course, he had to fight to the finish line. Because the German Julia Grajer cut the more than four minutes of rent that Berasategui had in the 21 kilometers of running, and was about to commit her second place. Nine seconds separated both at the arrival. Adjusted, but enough for Bilbao to climb to the second step of the podium. A position that is worth a seat in Kona (Ironman of Hawaii).

With this runner-up, the Bilbao takes revenge for the fourth place in the long distance World Cup two weeks ago in Vitoria. There, an error in the swim test took her off the podium places, something that weighed like a slab in the rest of the test. In goal, despite being satisfied with his place, Berasategui did not forget that, without these problems, he could have been in the fight for medals.

With that anger, the Bilbao enlisted in the European 70.3, or what is the same, half Ironman -1,9 kilometers of swimming, 90 of bicycle and 21 of running on foot-. I knew that the route of Wiesbaden played in his favor, with a very demanding cycling route - more than 1.400 meters of cumulative altitude - that "of course adapts much more to my characteristics than that of Vitoria, where it was to pull development".

This time, the swimming sector solved it without problems, and came out of the seventh water, just over three minutes from Jodie Swallow, the British who finished third in Vitoria. But on the bike, Berasategui soon began to demonstrate his skills on a broken ground. For the kilometer 20 it was already third, and half of sector, second.

There remained 21 kilometers of race, that the vizcaína faced 2,40 of the German Anja Beranek, but with more than three minutes on Swalow. A comfortable distance a priori, but Virginia still had miles of suffering. A stumble with a curb in the middle of the race took her to the ground and hit her knee. He got up quickly, but behind, the German Gajer came at full speed cutting differences. «The last return was an agony. The cyclist who came with me was singing the differences, but I gave everything and he did not catch me », summed up Berasategui, who admitted that« this second place compensates for all my work and compensates me for the fourth place in Vitoria. Now it's my turn to enjoy Aste Nagusia, then I'll think about what I'm doing ».

In the men's category, Mikel Elgezabal was eighth, which also helps him to recover confidence after a season of injuries. After a good swim, the Biscayan was with the best on the bike, but gave up positions in the race on foot. «I have regulated because I still do not feel very well, but I am very satisfied with the result, because there was a lot of level. This result gives me great encouragement for the remainder of the season, "he said.

elcorreo.com