Guillem Montiel wins the Challenge Vieux-Boucau 2025

Spaniard Guillem Montiel triumphs in the 2025 Challenge Vieux-Boucau, securing a flawless victory from start to finish in a historic day for Spanish triathlon.

The Spanish Guillem Montiel He once again left his mark on the middle distance with an impeccable performance in the Challenge Vieux-Boucau 2025, played this Saturday on the southwest coast of France.

With more than 2.000 triathletes on the starting line and a spectacular atmosphere, the Catalan dominated the race from start to finish to add another international triumph to his list of achievements.

From start to finish: Montiel's total control

Montiel, current European champion, came out of the water in first position with a time of 23:08, just five seconds ahead of a chasing group led by the Dane emily holm.

The Spanish Mikel Arrasate also stayed close, while Miguel Ledesma, Pello Osoro y Eneko Lopetegui They completed a Spanish block well positioned behind the first sector.

In the cycling segment, Holm tried to move the race early and took the lead at kilometer 22. But Montiel, true to his cool and calculated racing style, waited for his moment.

Halfway through the race, the Catalan increased his pace, overtook the Dane and immediately opened a gap. By kilometer 53 he was already more than a minute ahead of the chasing group and by the T2 He came down alone with a partial of 2:26:10, making it clear who was in charge in France.

A champion's half marathon

With more than two minutes of advantage, Montiel gave no option. He maintained a firm and controlled pace during the 21 km running, without giving up a single meter. Only the Belgian Emmanuel lejeune managed to make up some ground thanks to an exceptional half marathon of 1:06:39, but never managed to disturb the leadership.

Finally, Guillem Montiel crossed the finish line with a total time of 3:37:23, celebrating with serenity and confidence a victory that confirms his maturity and international solidity. Lejeune was second in 3:40:47, while the French Julien Hagen completed the podium with 3:41:29 after a great final partial.

For his part, the debutant Mikel Arrasate completed a remarkable sixth position, and Pello Osoro He was eighth, signing one of the best half marathons of the day (1:09:13).

Audrey Merle, the local heroine

In the women's category, the French Audrey Merle She took an emotional victory just seven months after becoming a mother. Merle and the Dutch Babette Rosman They came out of the water together 24:58, with only 30 seconds over the British Abigail Bedwell.

Rosman took the lead in the cycling section, setting an impressive 2:49:19 and arriving at T2 with almost four minutes of advantage over Merle. But the Frenchwoman did not give up: she began to make up ground kilometer by kilometer and, with a sustained pace, overtook Rosman in the km 15 to head towards success.

Audrey Merle crossed the finish line in 4:09:56 (1:18:51 split in the half marathon), achieving her first professional victory in the middle distance. Rosman was second in 4:11:17, and the British brooke gillies closed the podium with 4:14:29.

Men's classification – Challenge Vieux-Boucau 2025

Women's classification – Challenge Vieux-Boucau 2025