There are only so many times someone can run the fastest split at a race before they end up on the top of the podium.
After crushing field-leading splits at the World Cups in Tangier and Tongyeong, Hugo Milner uncorked yet another outstanding run. This time, it was enough to carry him all the way to the gold medal.
In slightly choppy conditions, the athletes remained fairly bunched together in the first of the two swim laps. As Márk Dévay led Dylan McCullough onto the beach and then back into the sea for the second lap, the field behind was stretched without giving up any major gaps.
On the second lap, McCullough and Dévay raised the ante. However, the field was still able to mostly remain intact, albeit in a long snaking line.
The lead pair ran to T1 together holding a slight advantage over Kenji Nener and Jonas Schomburg.
McCullough was the quicker of the two through transition and jumped ahead on the bike, clearly intent upon driving the pace. Over the first of the eight bike laps, an initial eleven man group came together at the front of the race. Among the lead group were Takumi Hojo, Valentin Morlec and Aiden Longcroft-Harris.
Gianluca Pozzatti, the winner of the 2022 World Cup in Miyazaki, had also made it to the front, as had Alberto Gonzalez Garcia, another of last year’s medallist.
For a spell it seemed that Tyler Mislawchuk had also slotted into the lead pack. In a much-improved swim from Tongyeong a week earlier, he just about made it. Soon after, though, Mislawchuk slipped back on the bike, negating the good work he had done in the water.
Throughout the field, lots of small packs rode together. With much of the bike course taking place on a tight road on a single-lane motorway, there was not a lot of space for a large pack.
At the front, Dévay, McCullough, Schomburg and Nener worked well to maintain the breakaway’s advantage. Although they faced an unforgiving course with plenty of extremely tight dead turns and undulations, they nonetheless navigated the challenge with relative comfort.
A nasty crash for Hojo ended his day when well-placed with the leaders. Soon after, Pozzatti dangled off the back of the front group and was eventually dropped.
Not content to simply ride at the front, Schomburg attacked the leaders. McCullough was quick to shut the move down though.
The chase group containing Pozzatti and Mislawchuk was barely 10 seconds behind by that point and at the end of the third lap the two packs came together, putting eighteen men at the front.
Sterling work from Ricardo Batista, Panagiotis Bitados and Casper Stornes saw them make the lead group. Batista, in particular, had a fantastic start to the bike after losing over 30 seconds in the swim.
Soon after, Pozzatti and Mislawchuk lost contact with the leaders again and conceded half a minute in the space of a lap. With illness hampering Mislawchuk, it simply seemed as if it was not his day.
Once again, Schomburg tried his luck off the front, this time with Tjebbe Kaindl. It took a big effort from Simon Westermann and Bitados to reel the duo in but then Schomburg went yet again. He was possibly trying to reassert his credentials as a swim-biker to the German selectors for the final men’s Olympic slot. Regardless, he showed plenty of power on two wheels in Miyazaki.
After Schomburg’s final attack had been quelled, the leaders sped through T2. Brandon Copeland led Schomburg out but the German athlete promptly took the lead.
A solid group came together on Schomburg’s heels and the race seemed to be winnowing down to the final few. Yet the chase packs still had something to say.
In Tongyeong, Mislawchuk had recorded the best run split of the main chase group to claim 6th place. Channelling the immortal words of DJ Khaled, Mislawchuk said “another one”. He blitzed the run and began to pick off the athletes ahead.
Further behind, Hugo Milner had the same idea.
Having arrived in T2 around 30 seconds behind the Canadian athlete, Milner seemed out of the reckoning. Still, he had clocked the best run splits at his last two World Cups; perhaps he had something in store.
Lasse Nygaard Priester had struggled in the swim and found himself alongside Milner. On the first of the four run laps, the pair flew around the course.
Eight men from the lead group remained together at the front at the end of the first lap as Schomburg led from Nener and Batista.
Mislawchuk was still over 40 seconds back with Milner and Priester a further 10 seconds behind. The three chasers came together on the second lap but with 5km to go they still had plenty of work to do.
Meanwhile, at the midpoint McCullough went for broke.
The New Zealand athlete pulled away from the leaders with a powerful surge. Only Batista could hold on, although with a lap to go he lagged 9 seconds back.
At the same time, Milner was only another 6 seconds behind and slightly ahead of a pack containing Priester, Mislawchuk, Nener, Morlec and Copeland.
A medal was in sight for Milner and he continued to attack. He took care of Batista and with each passing stride it became clear that Milner would not be stopped. He caught and passed McCullough and the lead was his.
Yet Batista was not done. He clung to the Brit, scenting another medal as McCullough began to fade. A triple World Cup medallist himself, Batista could sense a first World Cup win ahead.
The finish line drew into view and the lead pair charged onto the blue carpet. Milner ramped up the pace for one final burst but then Batista was gone.
All alone, Milner crossed the line first to claim a first World Cup win.
And still Batista was nowhere to be seen.
McCullough came through 5 seconds later to take the silver medal. Over the course of the 10km, the Brit had out-split his New Zealand rival by 71 seconds. Then, with a late charge, Priester held off the fast-finishing Mislawchuk to take the bronze medal.
After Priester’s trouble in the water and Mislawchuk’s struggles with illness, both men made a sizeable comeback and finished their season in style.
And then Batista finished. In a cruel twist, he had to take a penalty with the finish line and a possible gold medal in sight. He therefore claimed 5th place having thoroughly deserved a medal for his work on the bike and then bold run.
You can view the full results here.
