Challenge Kaiserwinkl-Walchsee
WIN an AMAZING
TRAINING & RACE package AT
challenge kaiserwinkl-walchsee

Joe Skipper wins ETU Long Distance European Championship title in Almere

Chief Correspondent
Advertisement

Second career ‘Sub-8’ for new European Long Distance Champion Joe Skipper

Advertisement

(Click HERE for the Great Britain Age-Group medals from Almere)

As we’ve reported having been on-site at IRONMAN Wales, wind and rain – lots of it – were part of the day in Tenby. It would appear that Saturday’s Challenge Almere-Amsterdam, the host of the 2017 ETU Long Distance Triathlon European Championships also featured its share of adverse conditions too.

The 37th edition of the Almere event proved to be a great day for Great Britain’s Joe Skipper. Having decided earlier in the year to cancel any plans to chase Kona qualification after a puncture-impacted DNF at IRONMAN Texas, he returned to Challenge Roth in July and once again took second place in Bavaria. Despite a string of fast times and podium results over the past three years, Joe has more often than not been the proverbial “bridesmaid rather than bride”, and so the ETU Long Distance Triathlon European Championships provided a great incentive to secure the top step of the podium.

Three minutes down after the opening 3.km swim, which saw four athletes (Jaroslav Kovacic (SLO), Evert Sheltinga (NED), Georgy Kaurov (RUS) and Your Severin (NED)), Joe set the second fastest bike split of the race (4:22:35) to get right back into the mix, with Kristian Hogenhaug (DEN) having set a blistering 4:13:25 to reach T2 alone, with Joe well in the mix for the podium in fourth place.

Skipper is confident of his running ability – and would need it too – battling late into the race with the Ukrainian veteran, Viktor Zyemtsev, who caught the young Brit. Digging deep, Skipper responded and would push on, push away and – with one eye on the clock – push on to the finish, even managing to sprint to the line to break the eight hour mark for his second ‘Sub-8’.

Joe stopped the clock at 7:59:39, having run a 2:41:05 for the marathon. Joe’s present to himself after that? A new coffee machine!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BY1CciGFlG6/?taken-by=notanotheraveragejoe

While fifth place would be the best finish, courtesy of Evert Scheltinga, for the home nation in the Elite Men’s race, it was a different story for the women, where Yvonne Van Vlerken continued her amazing career with another title and a 13th time under the nine-hour mark over the distance.

Almere-Amsterdam ETU Challenge Long Distance Triathlon European Championships
Saturday 9th September 2017 – 3.8km / 180km / 42.2km

ELITE MEN

1st – Joe Skipper (GBR) – 7:59:39
2nd – Viktor Zyemtsev (UKR) – 8:03:14
3rd – Jaroslav Kovacic (SLO) – 8:05:40
4th – Kristian Hogenhaug (DEN) – 8:08:40
5th – Evert Sheltinga (NED) – 8:12:37

ELITE WOMEN

1st – Yvonne Van Vlerken (NED) – 8:51:13
2nd – Sarissa De Vries (NED) – 9:09:44
3rd – Hanna Maksimava (BLR) – 9:20:02
4th – Lina-Kristin Schink (GER) – 9:27:42
5th – Lucie Zelenkova (CZE) – 9:34:02

John Levison
Written by
John Levison
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Latest News
Kristian Blummenfelt Paris Test Event [Photo credit: World Triathlon / Wagner Araujo]
Blummenfelt says sub-29 minutes run needed to strike Olympic gold in Paris
Joe Skipper IRONMAN Arizona 2022 [Photo credit Patrick McDermott Getty Images for IRONMAN]
Joe Skipper calls HYROX “the best sport I’ve ever taken part in” after debut in London
Els Visser Fenella Langridge Radka Kahlefeldt Challenge Canberra 2023
IRONMAN Western Australia: Start time, preview and how to follow live
Sam Long wins IRONMAN 703 Gulf Coast 2023 [Photo credit: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images for IRONMAN]
IRONMAN 70.3 Indian Wells: Start time, preview and how to follow live
Collin Chartier - PTO US Open 2022
World Anti-Doping Agency publish List of Prohibited Substances and Methods for 2024