Germany’s Nina Eim topped a classy podium ahead of Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) and Laura Lindemann (GER) in the opening women’s World Cup race of the season in a breezy Lanzarote.
The three served up a superb battle and it was Eim’s late kick which just proved decisive as she crossed the line five seconds clear of GTB, with Lindemann a close-up third in her first race for nearly a year.
The postponement of WTCS Abu Dhabi at the end of March will no doubt lead to super-strong World Cup fields early in the season and that was certainly the case here – Taylor-Brown is the most decorated Olympic female triathlete while Lindemann anchored Germany to a brilliant gold in the Mixed Team Relay at Paris 2024.
The men’s race took place a couple of hours later and Lindemann’s gold medal-winning teammate Tim Hellwig briefly looked like he could make it a German double.
But it was home favourite David Cantero (ESP) who proved a fantastic winner despite having to serve a 10-second penalty midway through the run.
Read on to find out how things played out…
Pro Women – Eim sees off GTB late on the run
Lanzarote is renowned for its windy conditions and it didn’t disappoint, making the swim tougher than some might have expected with plenty of waves to contend with.
The beach start saw bib #1 Jeanne Lehair (LUX) choose a relatively central position and after the 750 metres it was 18-year-old Fanni Szalai (HUN) who was out of the water first, though Candice Denizot (FRA) was just across the timing mat in front of her heading into T1.
Lindemann was third at +3s, with Lehair 10th at +13s while British teammates Taylor-Brown and Sophie Evans (née Coldwell), in her race return after giving birth to her first child, having work to do at +27s starting the bike.
Crosswinds were evident from the start of the bike – three laps of just under 7km, with a testing climb midway through. Another demonstration of how a more challenging course tends to lead to more interesting racing.
But on that first loop it all came back together at the front, with around 30 women in one long line, GTB and Evans both having worked their way back on.
However, by the end of the first lap it was down to 18 – Taylor-Brown and Evans were now first and second across the line and Lindemann (fourth), Szalai (15th) and Lehair (18th) all in the group, with 23 seconds back to a 13-woman chase pack.
The attritional nature continued on lap two with the pacesetters whittled down to 10 and the big casualty was Lehair, who had been on the back of the group and was now 17 seconds back.
The 10 stayed together for most of the final lap until disaster struck for Selina Klamt (GER), who crashed into some cones, and also Szalai who had nowhere to go just behind her and also hit the tarmac. Unfortunately it was race over for Klamt but Szalai was able to get back on her bike and started the run 34 seconds adrift of the front eight.
The run was two relatively flat 2.5km circuits and the leading eight stayed together early on before it started to break up and we were left with a front quartet – Eim, Taylor-Brown, Lindemann and Marta Pintanel Raymundo (ESP).
There was nothing between them starting the second lap and Miriam Casillas García (ESP), Evans and Mathilde Gautier (FRA) were around 10 seconds back in fifth, sixth and seventh.
It was soon after that GTB put the hammer down up front and Lindemann was the first to drop slightly back, quickly followed by Pintanel Raymundo.
Taylor-Brown and Eim were then stride for stride and it was nip and tuck until the German kicked with around half a kilometre to go and that proved decisive.
She crossed the line in 1:02:14, five seconds ahead of Taylor-Brown while Lindemann finished strongly to round out the podium in third, a further three seconds back.
Pintanel Raymundo rightly celebrated her fourth place, Evans also had a huge amount to smile about in fifth while Lehair battled back well for sixth.
Pro Men – Cantero a sensational winner
The men’s race started a couple of hours later – 18:00 local time – and there was still some serious swell for the swim, though the temperature had dropped a few degrees.
That meant a strung out field and first out of the water was Igor Dupuis (FRA) in 8:48 which was a full 10 seconds in front of Spain’s Kevin Tarek Viñuela Gonzalez and Britain’s Max Stapley. Kenji Nener (JPN) was sixth at +12s, with former world champion Dorian Coninx (FRA) right behind him.
Pre-race favourite Cantero was close up too but then it emerged he had been hit with a 10-second “penalty mount” sanction.
Similar to the women’s race, the first lap on the bike saw a huge group come together – 36 of them this time – but on the second lap we saw Ian Pennekamp (NED) and Coninx kick clear of the pack.
However the momentum soon fizzled out and when the bell went for lap three they only had four seconds on what was now a 32-strong ‘chase’ group.
So no surprise that it was soon back to 34 and it all settled down again on lap three as it stuck together all the way into T2 – and there was no chaos at that point either, so all down to the run which was initially led out by Joris Basslé (BEL).
Cantero – likely the fastest runner – had to serve that penalty remember and he was flying early on – with only Hellwig able to stick with him early on.
The big question was when he would serve it and the answer soon came as he stood in the penalty box at the end of lap one for what must have seemed like a long 10 seconds as Hellwig surged past.
Cantero had been four seconds ahead before that point and he soon set about closing the gap, even though Hellwig was looking superb too.
And we were treated to a battle royale as Cantero first bridged up and powered past. But Hellwig responded in brilliant fashion, getting back on to his shoulder before retaking the lead with less than a kilometre remaining.
Cantero though wouldn’t be denied and he kicked again on the blue carpet to move in front when it mattered in what was a sensational end to the race and hopefully sets the standard for the season to come.
Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR) took third just ahead of Coninx, Nathan Grayel (FRA) and Stapley.
World Cup Lanzarote results
Saturday 14 March [750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run]
WOMEN
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nina Eim | GER | 01:02:14 |
| 2 | Georgia Taylor-Brown | GBR | 01:02:19 |
| 3 | Laura Lindemann | GER | 01:02:22 |
| 4 | Marta Pintanel Raymundo | ESP | 01:02:34 |
| 5 | Sophie Evans | GBR | 01:02:42 |
| 6 | Jeanne Lehair | LUX | 01:02:49 |
| 7 | Mathilde Gautier | FRA | 01:02:50 |
| 8 | Miriam Casillas García | ESP | 01:02:55 |
| 9 | Fanni Szalai | HUN | 01:03:04 |
| 10 | Lea Coninx | FRA | 01:03:11 |
MEN
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Cantero Del Campo | ESP | 00:54:45 |
| 2 | Tim Hellwig | GER | 00:54:48 |
| 3 | Jawad Abdelmoula | MAR | 00:55:01 |
| 4 | Dorian Coninx | FRA | 00:55:02 |
| 5 | Nathan Grayel | FRA | 00:55:03 |
| 6 | Max Stapley | GBR | 00:55:05 |
| 7 | Izan Edo Aguilar | ESP | 00:55:06 |
| 8 | Roberto Sanchez Mantecon | ESP | 00:55:07 |
| 9 | Aurelien Jem | FRA | 00:55:08 |
| 10 | Thomas Hansmaennel | FRA | 00:55:10 |
