Javier Gomez claimed victory in his first race following a long period on the sidelines as the Spanish great returned to the fray on home turf at the Triatlón Ciudad de Santander on Sunday.

The Olympic silver medalist, who last raced at IRONMAN 70.3 Pucon in January 2022, has endured a rocky past year-and-a-half, but looked to be back to full health on the streets of Santander.

Gomez, who will be back on another start line this weekend in Cabanes, seems to have been able to rediscover his rhythm after heading back to his native Pontevedra to train and prepare for the final few months of the season.

Javier Gomez on return to action

Reflecting on his first race back, Gomez shared that it was a good experience from start to finish, with the home crowd support in Santander and the win an added bonus.

“Nice to be back racing and winning @triatlonciudadsantander @santander_es@santanderexperiences. Enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. Thanks for the support out there and well done @pello.o and @lopetegijulen for 2nd and 3rd.”

At 40 years of age, Gomez has spent almost two decades at the top of the sport, but judging by his continued training and racing, is not quite done with his long-distance career.

Alongside coach Dr Dan Plews, it will be fascinating to see how close Gomez can once more get to the form that saw him take the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship title in 2017.