With over 10,000 athletes on the start line, one of the world’s largest triathlons, Challenge Taiwan, delivered exciting racing across both the men’s and the women’s fields.
Kieran Storch (AUS) successfully defended his title and Julie Derron (SUI) took a convincing win in the women’s race while behind them thousands of age group athletes achieved their finish line goals.
Pro Men
It was Benjamin Zorgnotti (FRA) who led out of the water in 25:40 followed by hometown heroes, Chang Tuan Chun and Chang Chia Hao neck and neck in 26:22.
Out on the bike Zorgnotti extended his lead with Storch having 2:33 to chase down while Chun and Hao had lost over four minutes by the time they reached the first turn around point at the far end of the coastal course. By the end of the first lap, Zorgnotti wasn’t able to put any more distance between him and Storch but Chun was now over seven minutes down in third while Sven Altermatt (SUI) had ridden up into fourth, just behind Chun at 7:36 down on the lead.
Arriving back into T2, Zorgnotti was still 2:00 ahead of Storch but the big mover was Rhys Corbishley (AUS) who rode up from ninth to third, 10:37 down on the lead. Out on the run and Storch was a man on a mission, whittling down Zorgnotti’s lead, overtaking him just before the halfway point.
As the kilometres increased, so did Storch’s lead, and he crossed the line to make it two wins in a row in 3:42:08. Zorgnotti took second in 3:45:59 and Corbishley came home with his first pro podium in third in 3:55:58.
“I really like coming here, the whole event I enjoy, I’m staying on for another week of training and coming back in the middle of the year for another five, six weeks of training, it’s like a second home!” said Storch on the finish line.
“I had a usual swim for me and the plan was to ride as hard as I could. I was hoping for a tail wind but there wasn’t one! And the showers coming through made it hard to see so really had to really concentrate. It it was really good to push the run – it was fun!”
Pro Women
Julie Derron showed her pedigree in the swim, first out of the water in 26:06 but Rebecca Clarke (NZL) was right with her, just a split second behind while Nina Derron (SUI) was leading the chasers in third, 3:03 down.
A quick transition saw Julie Derron exit transition nearly 30 seconds ahead of Clarke taking an early lead that she consistently built on over the 90km. By the end of the first lap she was 3:06 ahead of Clarke while Nina Derron was 4:35 down. There was then a big six-minute gap to fourth place Salomé Hegi-Altermatt (SUI). The second lap saw Julie Derron more than double her lead over her chasers, coming into T2 6:37 ahead of sister Nina with Clarke close behind in third, 6:44 down.
Out on the run and it was the battle of the Derrons with Julie Derron demonstrating the speed that won her Olympic silver. Her victory was never under threat as she continued to fly, putting time into both her sister and Clarke. The win was hers in 4:03:29, Nina Derron took second in 4:16:22 and Rebecca Clarke rounded out the podium in third in 4:22:01.
“It was a lot cooler than I expected which I was glad about!” said Derron. “I had a great time on the course. I’ve been here since Monday so I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy the area. I was lucky I got onto Rebecca’s feet at the start of the swim, I had a quicker transition and set off on the bike to ride as hard as I could and to stay focused.
“It’s actually a challenging bike course and you have to keep the power on the whole time. I wasn’t sure how my run legs would be, it took a couple of kms to get into it, but it’s been a while since I’ve done this distance. I knew I had a gap but didn’t know how much but I also know my run is my strength so I was confident I could out run if I had to. To share the podium with my sister and see her have a great day is amazing!”
Challenge Taiwan results
Pro Men
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kieran Storch | AUS | 26:44 | 1:56:22 | 1:12:48 | 3:42:08 |
| 2 | Benjamin Zorgnotti | FRA | 25:40 | 1:55:34 | 1:18:38 | 3:45:59 |
| 3 | Rhys Corbishley | AUS | 30:03 | 2:01:11 | 1:17:33 | 3:55:58 |
Pro Women
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julie Derron | SUI | 26:06 | 2:12:03 | 1:18:51 | 4:03:29 |
| 2 | Nina Derron | SUI | 29:10 | 2:15:33 | 1:25:16 | 4:16:22 |
| 3 | Rebecca Clarke | NZL | 26:06 | 2:18:18 | 1:30:37 | 4:22:01 |
