Fresh off the Americas Championships over the Olympic distance, the Sprint equivalent took place in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Both the men’s and women’s winners from Veracruz, John Reed and Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal, were absent, leaving the second Americas title of the month up for grabs.
Over a fast course, there was barely a moment for the athletes to catch their breath.
Women’s race
Diana Castillo initially raised the home hopes as she led the way in the water. The Colombian athlete clocked 10:38 for the 750m swim. Within striking distance, though, were Gina Sereno and Emy Legault, the silver and bronze medallists from Veracruz.
Also in the mix through T1 were Junior athletes Jimena Renata De La Peña Schott and Dominga Elena Jacome Espinoza.
Over the course of the 20km, the front pack settled at twelve athletes. Castillo, Sereno and Legault remained in control at the front while Jacome and De La Peña worked to stay in touch with the leading wheels.
After success at the Americas Cup level, as well as a win at the South American Championships in Villarrica, Romina Biagioli made the front group and was a prominent threat for a medal. As one of the quickest runners in the field, she had to be watched carefully.
Sereno, though, appeared relatively untroubled for the most part. Legault was equally solid. Marianny Giuseppina Antonelli Urriola lost contact slightly towards the end of the bike to reduce the group to eleven. By the time the lead pack made it to T2, their lead stood at over a minute.
Once onto the run, Sereno had too much for her rivals. Legault proved the closest challenger but even she lost 18 seconds. After being out-sprinted to the line by Tapia over the Olympic distance, Sereno made no mistake in Santa Marta. She struck ahead for the gold earlier and even more decisively.
Legault sealed the silver medal to upgrade her bronze from a week prior. With a late burst, Biagioli was able to escape the attentions of Marcela Alvarez Solis to claim the bronze medal.
Men’s race
The American duo of Carter Stuhlmacher and Chase McQueen took control of the men’s race from the get-go. Both had priors with regards to the swim in 2023. McQueen had led the way at WTCS Sunderland while Stuhlmacher had crushed the field at the North American Junior Championships.
In Santa Marta, they were simply a cut above the rest and their rivals scrambled to get onto their feet. Eduardo Nuñez Gomez and Ramón Armando Matute emerged 3 seconds back but then the rest were over 20 seconds behind, with Matthew Wright stranded in no man’s land.
Rapid transitions from Matute and Nuñez saw them leapfrog the Americans onto the bike. Wright also made up a few precious seconds in T1. A five man front pack soon seemed to materialise but the American pair had plenty left in the tank.
McQueen and Stuhlmacher pounded round the 20km. With Wright slotting in to take his turns, they pulled further and further away from the chase pack, turning a 20 second advantage into one that exceeded a minute when all was said and done.
Such was the intensity of the effort, Matute and Nuñez fell back into the chasers. Even with only three men, the leaders did not lose any of their momentum.
They arrived in T2 with the medals in their reach. Stuhlmacher, however, paid for his efforts. While Wright and McQueen breezed ahead on the run, the American Junior could only watch as he was dropped.
Over the 5km, the two leaders matched one another and there was little between them. Having raced confidently all day, McQueen looked eager to make a move but Wright was equal to the early tempo. The two provided an interesting contrast. Whereas McQueen has spent much of his time contesting the WTCS, Wright has sharpened himself this season at the Continental Cup level, earning several medals in the process.
That sharpness paid off. Late on in the 5km, Wright had the presence of mind to move clear of McQueen. He had been in multiple medal fights throughout the season and the experience told as he powered to the gold medal.
McQueen took the silver medal, 8 seconds back.
Meanwhile, with Stuhlmacher having been passed (he eventually fell to 8th), the race for the bronze remained alive. David Nuñez had the fastest run the day and he steamrollered through his opposition to take the final spot on the podium.
You can view the full results here.
