Alessio Crociani and Jolien Vermeylen win the European Sprint Triathlon Championship in Melilla.
The best Spaniard was Alberto González
Melilla was the perfect setting to crown the new European Sprint Triathlon Champions: Alessio Crociani y jolien vermeylen They took home gold in the elite category, in an event that also shone for the U23 and junior talent.
Among the Spaniards, they stood out Alberto González, Cristina Jiménez-Orta, Hector Tolsá y Maria Casals, who also secured his place at the World Cup in Australia.
The elite do not fail: Crociani and Vermeylen, continental gold
The elite men's race was as close as it was spectacular. The Italian Alessio Crociani He won in a thrilling finish ahead of the Israeli Shachar Sagiv and the Norwegian Sebastian wernersenThe best Spaniard was Alberto González, 8th despite a fall on the bike, while Genis Grau finished 47th.
In the women's test, jolien vermeylen gave Belgium a new European title after a solid performance. They were accompanied on the podium Bianca Seregni (Italy) and Franka Rust (Germany), who also triumphed in the U23 category.
Double podium for Wernersen and Rust in the U23 category
The U23 category experienced a curious double: the third-place finishers in the elite also rose to the top of their age group. Sebastian wernersen was gold ahead of the Frenchman Jules Rethoret and Italian Euan De Nigro. On the Spanish side, Stephen Basanta (9th) and Izan Edo (11th) showed a great level.
In the U23 women's category, Franka Rust stood out again with a clear victory against the Slovakian Zuzana Michalickova and French candice denizot. Maria Casals (8th) was the best national, followed by Alejandra Segui (9ª) and Maite Jiménez-Orta (20th). Casals qualified for the World Cup in Wollongong.
Franco-German dominance in the junior category
The day started with the junior events, where the German Kjell Arved Brandt and French Ambre Grasset They took gold. In the men's category, they completed the podium Achille Besson (France) and Brandon Pye (United Kingdom), while the Spanish Hector Tolsá (9º), Damian Suarez (12º) and Victor Alias (30th) performed well in front of their home crowd.
In junior women, Grasset was followed by Fanni Szalai (Hungary) and the Anouk Danna (Switzerland). Cristina Jiménez-Orta (15th) was the best Spanish woman.
Melilla shines as the capital of European triathlon
The day also left room for grassroots sports with the popular aquathlon and the event Phoenix Kids by Javier Gómez Noya. All of this within a festive atmosphere that ratified Melilla as a reference venue for continental triathlon.
Collaboration between FETRI, the Autonomous City and the European Federation have turned this championship into a model of organizational success, positioning the city as an international sports destination.
Next event: mixed relays
This Sunday the European Mixed Relay Championships, both in the junior category (8:30 on ADESPTV) and elite/under 23 (11:00 on RTVE Play and Teledeporte), bringing to an end an unforgettable weekend for European triathlon.
Featured rankings
male elite
- Alessio Crociani (Italy)
- Shachar Sagiv (Israel)
- Sebastian wernersen (Norway)
🇪🇸 8. Alberto González, 47. Genis Grau
female elite
- jolien vermeylen (Belgium)
- Bianca Seregni (Italy)
- Franka Rust (Germany)
U23 male
- Sebastian wernersen (Norway)
- Jules Rethoret (France)
- Euan De Nigro (Italy)
🇪🇸 9. Stephen Basanta, 11. Izan Edo
Female Sub23
- Franka Rust (Germany)
- Zuzana Michalickova (Slovakia)
- candice denizot (France)
🇪🇸 8. Maria Casals, 9. Alejandra Segui, 20. Maite Jiménez-Orta
Junior male
- Kjell Arved Brandt (Germany)
- Achille Besson (France)
- Brandon Pye (United Kingdom).
🇪🇸 9. Hector Tolsá, 12. Damian Suarez, 30. Victor Alias
Junior women's
- Ambre Grasset (France)
- Fanni Szalai (Hungary)
- Anouk Danna (Swiss)
🇪🇸 15. Cristina Jiménez-Orta, 29. Sandra Moren
