Russia's Andreev and Surikova claim Winter Titles

In yet another close battle, it was again Pavel Andreev (RUS) who clinched the win in the men’s race, earning him his fifth consecutive winter triathlon title at the 2016 Zeltweg ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships. In the women’s race, Yulia Surikova (RUS) captured her World Championship title and became the winter queen for the first time in her career.

Women’s Review
After taking second place at the Otepää ETU Winter Triathlon European Championships earlier this year, Surikova was able to trade in her silver medal for a gold and claim her first-ever World Champion title. Beating out the competition by over two minutes, she controlled the race in the last two disciplines in order to capture the first-time victory.

Starting out on the run, Surikova ran stride for stride just behind compatriot and European Champion Olga Parfinenko (RUS). As the two headed out onto the bike with a lead over the remaining women by a healthy margin, Surikova wasted no time before breaking away and positioning herself as the leader. She maintaineed her advantage for the remainder of the course, and while Parfinenko only trailed by a little over a minute going into the ski, she was never able to catch up to Surikova.

Parfinenko followed in to land the silver in her second time on the World Championship podium. Austria’s Romana Slavinec seized the bronze medal after holding a steady and consistent third-place position throughout the entirety of the race.

Men’s Review
Capturing the gold after a close national battle with Evgeny Kirillov (RUS) throughout the whole race, Andreev secured his fifth winter triathlon World Title by just a small margin.

The run saw no individual heroes as a pack of six sstayed tight throughout the majority of the first discipline. Norway’s Kristian Monsen entered the first transition with the fastest split time, but with no advantage, as the likes of Andreev was right on his coat tails.

As the first laps of the bike were underway, Andreev and Kirillov grabbed a slight lead that held onto around the bike course, positioning themselves in the top two positions.

As the men traded their bikes for skis, the gap was only the length of a single stride between the two Russians. Although Andreev was able to keep an arm’s width lead going through each lap zone, it wasn’t until a final push in the last lap that he was able to create a lead large enough to secure the victory from Kirillov. Andreev ultimately scored gold by a small and close fraction, finishing at 1:19:34 to Kirillov ’s time of 1:19:49 to take silver.

Rounding off the podium was Italian Giuseppe Lamastra, who stood on his first World Champion podium as an elite.

Under 23 and Junior Review
In the women’s Under 23 event, Austrian Sina Hinteregger dominated the competition by taking home the gold with a finishing lead of over ten minutes. Silver was awarded to Russia’s Yulia Bayguzova and bronze to compatriot Karina Sakhno. In the Junior race, it was again an Austrian taking the top spot with Anna Swoboda seizing first. Silver and bronze were decided after a close battle between Russia’s Iulia Skriabina and Lucia Michalickova (SVK).

In the men’s Under23 race, it was Russia with another gold with Roman Vasin topping Italian Davide Vuerich, who took home the silver and Fedor Golubev (RUS) with the bronze. In the junior event, a similar story unfolded as Russian Anton Matrusov grabbed the gold medal over Austrian Tjebbe Kaindl, who took silver, and Italian Marco Liporace scooped up bronze.