Zagreb, Croatia, played host to one of the final international racing opportunities for Junior athletes of 2023. In perfect conditions, the athletes borrowed the lake from their rowing counterparts to take on a Sprint distance event.
Women’s race
The Italian team took charge of the non-wetsuit 750m swim. Mathilde Vacchini led the way in 10:10 while her teammates Sara Crociani and Adelaide Anna Badini Confalonieri followed within 5 seconds. After dominating the European Junior Cup in Dublin, Nora Romina Nádas was racing once again and emerged next behind Vacchini.
Ana Potlaček and Linda Hehenwarter were also in the mix but then a considerable gap formed to the rest of the field.
Vacchini was quick through T1 and, along with Crociani and Badini, set the early pace. Nádas looked untroubled at the front as a five woman group formed. They enjoyed an advantage of over 20 seconds early on in the bike as the larger chase pack tried to organise themselves.
Alice Alessandri and Elena Demarchi tried to haul in the leaders, but the lead only grew.
By the end of the 20km, the lead group had been reduced to four as Hehenwarter, Crociani, Badini and Nádas held firm. Hehenwarter then lost a bit of time in T2 as Nádas and Badini duelled for the lead.
A week prior, Badini had won a maiden international medal at the African Cup in Monastir. Buoyed by that result, she proved too strong for her Hungarian rival over the 5km run. Whereas Nádas split 18:30, Badini produced a split of 18:03 to take the win by 26 seconds.
Nádas earned yet another international medal to add to her growing haul from this season while Crociani claimed 3rd place, a mere 8 seconds back of silver.
Men’s race
A week ago, Zalán Hóbor had been denied victory at the European Junior Cup in Bled after his courageous breakaway was thwarted late on during the run. In Zagreb, it appeared he had learned his lesson. His solution was to push even harder.
The Hungarian led in the water, with his compatriot Gergő Gyula Soós the next man out. As a trickle of men followed up the steep ramp to T1, Hóbor was already away.
He nipped through transition and attacked the first lap of the bike.
Soós had Tin Rebic, Gyula Kovács and Julian Piller for company. The Italian duo of Miguel Espuna Larramona and Giovanni Aruffo were also towards the front. Hóbor was therefore soon caught and a pack of seven came together at the head of the race.
The chase group contained threats like Gabriel Barac and Moritz Göttler. At the front, however, Hóbor continued to press the matter.
The Hungarian trio of Hóbor, Soós and Kovács worked well with their Italian partners, even as Rebic lost contact with the leaders. The chasers gradually closed the gap, with their greater numbers beginning to tell. The leaders made sure that they were forced to work for every second, though.
By the end of the bike, the chase group had almost caught the front pack. With the little lead he had left, Hóbor got to work.
He had Soós and Kovács on his tail and he powered out of T2. As he had with the swim and bike, he took on the run with full aggression and began to separate himself. Further back, Barac picked off the men ahead one by one.
Yet Hóbor proved a bridge too far for the Croatian.
Although Barac brought the gap down, he ran out of road. Hóbor thus claimed his second win of the season in emphatic style. Barac could nonetheless celebrate the silver medal while Espuna put together an impressive run to seal the bronze medal.
You can view the full results here.
