Search
shop

WTCS Leeds 2022 Mixed Relay results: Germany hold off the Brits

Britain second as Germany deliver Leeds win
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Germany delivered an expected victory in Sunday’s Mixed Relay at WTCS Leeds 2022 as Great Britain claimed a stunning silver.

With the reigning Olympic Champions missing the injured Jonny Brownlee and Alex Yee after that crash on Saturday, Germany started favourites to take top spot on the podium in Roundhay Park.

All four of their team members had finished inside the top eight in their individual races on Saturday, but the British quartet of Tom Bishop, Sophie Coldwell, Grant Sheldon and Georgia Taylor-Brown delighted the home crowd with a superb second-place finish.

This was the first time the Mixed Relay event has been held in Leeds, and the first time that men would start the relay and women would have the opportunity to finish it off. It was also the first event in the Paris 2024 Olympic qualification cycle and every team seemed up for the challenge of Leeds’ hilly, technical and windy course.

Advertisement

Leg One – Germany hit the front

Australian Matt Hauser stroked out into the swim lead, exiting the water in first place followed by New Zealand and Switzerland. Tom Bishop meanwhile was 13 seconds back in 10th. Hauser was fast in the early stages of the bike, but was caught by the rest of the field fairly quickly.

Happy to be part of the team, but looking for ‘some redemption’ from Saturday’s individual race, Bishop flew off the front of the group on the second of two laps. However, he was caught by the time he reached the bike to run transition and suffered a chaotic handover. Germany’s Lasse Nygaard-Priester meanwhile took up the lead and handed over to team mate Anabel Knoll.

Leg Two – Coldwell impressive

Hungary were first to hit land, closely followed by Germany’s Knoll and Great Britain’s Coldwell, who had clawed back some time to exit the water in 5th place. Norway’s Lotte Miller was the only athlete interested in forcing the pace on the bike; the rest of the field rolling along in a pack behind her. Coldwell admitted to having sore legs after her heroics on the bike on Saturday and decided to ‘use her head a bit’.

Miller had the benefit of a quiet transition, but the chasing group of eight teams were just seconds behind. Coldwell was the fastest to put on her running shoes, making a jump on the other teams to strike a lead. Coldwell had a superb leg, handing over to Grant Sheldon with a 4-second lead over Germany’s Lasse Luhrs, who had claimed his first individual WTCS podium finish on Saturday.

Leg Three – Germany and Belgium breakaway

Luhrs led out of the swim with a group of three behind – Great Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium. The next group were a further 14 seconds back. Luhrs and Belgium’s Jelle Geens managed to get away, chased by Frenchman, Leo Bergere, the individual silver medal winner from Saturday. Sheldon lost time after fumbling with his bike helmet strap and then was caught by the group.

Germany and Belgium were strong on the run, France just behind them followed by Australia’s Jacob Birtwhistle. At the changeover, Belgium had a one-second advantage over Germany, but still with a stop/go penalty to serve on the final leg from an earlier infringement. France were five seconds back, followed by Australia’s Charlotte McShane 18 seconds off the pace.

Leg Four – Lindemann runs for gold

Germany and Belgium were locked together at the swim exit with France just behind, and these three teams rode together during the final bike leg of the day. At the final transition, Germany’s Laura Lindemann took the lead with Belgium and France just behind her, but the big news was that Taylor-Brown had moved from being 45 seconds down at the start of the swim to being just 8 seconds down with 1.9km to run.

Taylor-Brown was roared on by the Leeds crowd, running beautifully as she passed all in front of her except Lindemann, who was too strong as Germany took the tape in the gold medal winning position. She hailed an ‘amazing performance’ by her team mates as the favourites delivered gold.

All smiles on the podium at WTCS Leeds 2022 after Germany beat Great Britain and France to claim Mixed Relay glory (World Triathlon).
All smiles on the podium after Germany’s win (World Triathlon).

On winning silver, a beaming Georgia Taylor-Brown said she had “always wanted the glory leg. The boys always get it, but when it became our turn it’s quite nerve racking!”

France won bronze by following home Germany and Great Britain.

WTCS Leeds 2022 Results

Sunday June 12 2022 – MIXED RELAY (Male-Female-Male-Female)
4* 300m / 6.9k / 1.9k

  • 1. Germany (GER) – 1:28:00
  • 2. Great Britain (GBR) – 1:28:14
  • 3. France (FRA) – 1:28:20
  • 4. Italy (ITA) – 1:28:32
  • 5. Belgium (BEL) – 1:28:40
  • 6. Australia (AUS) – 1:28:49
  • 7. Norway (NOR) – 1:29:33
  • 8. Portugal (POR) – 1:29:52
  • 9. United States (USA) – 1:30:17
  • 10. Netherlands (NED) – 1:30:29
Helen Gorman
Written by
Helen Gorman
Helen is part of the editorial team at TRI247 after spending ten years as a Press Officer with British Triathlon. She's mostly found at a pool, sometimes breaking world masters records.
Discover more
TRI247 podcast p/b Challenge Family episode 2
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
Cadomotus Chronos triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Challenge Family Roth
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
Georgia Taylor Brown wins supertri Toulouse 2024
British Olympic legend Georgia Taylor-Brown to make triathlon return
Gwen Jorgensen reflective World Triathlon Cup Vina del Mer 2023
‘Unbreakable’ Gwen Jorgensen ‘bruised’ after bike crash but vows to bounce back
IRONMAN CEO Scott DeRue Women For Tri 2024
IRONMAN announce new age-group qualification system for Kona and 70.3 Worlds
IRONMAN World Championship 2019 / Kona 2019
IRONMAN’s new age-group system for Kona – all the big questions answered
Frederic Funk finish line Challenge Samarkand 2023 photo credit Challenge Family
Challenge Roth 2025: German star goes into the unknown in iconic triathlon showdown
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...