Do nice guys finish last?
That is the question that springs to mind when it comes to Csongor Lehmann. Every answer he gives is unfailingly polite. It’s one of the first things that stands out about him in conversation.
Even when asked about the last minute shift to a duathlon at the recent European Championships, he was equanimous.
“I was not happy with the decision,” he said, “but we couldn’t really do anything about it. We just had to accept it and make the best of the situation.”
Having become a frequent face in the front pack of WTCS swims over the past two years, the loss of the swim risked hurting his prospects. He nonetheless came away with 6th place after piecing together a mature performance.
“I’m pretty happy with the outcome. A duathlon is very different to a triathlon. My run is usually pretty good, but mainly after the swim. It’s really a different race running at the end after a swim. It’s brutal to do it after another run.”
According to Lehmann, a duathlon “really kills the legs” in a way that a triathlon does not.
Even without the standard first discipline, Lehmann’s result should not have been a surprise given his recent form. After an unfortunate DNS in Abu Dhabi, he had a small race in Milan to blow off the cobwebs before launching into WTCS Yokohama.
“It was not ideal to start the season in Yokohama at a huge race. It’s a gamble to start like that as you don’t know how you feel.”
He may not have been entirely sure of his form prior to the race, yet there was no need to worry. Lehmann matched his previous best WTCS finish of 9th.
Just two weeks later, he went better still as he finished 7th at WTCS Cagliari.
“After getting into the swing of things I knew Cagliari could be even better,” he said. “My main goal this season is to finish in the top-10 at WTCS races. Now being in the top-10 in the (Series) rankings is unreal. There are such big names up there.”
Despite a World Junior title in 2018, a silver medal at the World U23 Championships in 2019, a World U23 crown in 2021 and a maiden World Cup win in 2022, he excludes himself from the big names. By all measures, Lehmann’s rise has been inexorable and he has drawing ever closer to a first WTCS medal.
At the same time, being only 24 years old, Lehmann is not far removed from the younger ranks. Given that, his deference to his fellow top-10 bears the hallmarks of someone that has looked up to his now-rivals.
“It was not easy,” he said of making the jump to the Senior level. “I had to try my best against the big boys immediately.”
The pandemic meant he essentially missed a season of racing. The few races he did get, such as at the World Championships in Hamburg and the Karlovy Vary World Cup, were against the best in the world as everyone scrambled for events.
A 15th place in Hamburg, though, showed plenty of promise.
In his eyes, 2021 was much better.
“That was the first year I mainly raced in Senior races and finished with the World U23 Championships win.”
With 2022 also ticked off and 2023 now fully underway, he is now almost completely settled at the highest level.
One of the factors he attributes to his success is being part of a tight-knit training group.
“I am very lucky to have the guys around me,” he explained. “My father is the head of the team and without the guys around me none of it would be possible.”
Among his training partners is Gergely Kiss, the silver medallist from the 2022 World U23 Championships. Kiss moved from Budapest to Tiszaujvaros to join the group, which is still growing. As the likes of Lehmann and Kiss add medals, the Tiszaujvaros set-up might soon become a by-word for triathlon success in the same manner as Girona or Saint-Raphaël.
Of all his training partners, though, there is one Lehmann highlights.
“My brother is my oldest teammate and he is the one I can always count on.”
Both will be going to an altitude training camp now and Lehmann noted how he has often relied on his older brother, Bence, over the years. The squad also has a big target on the horizon. Being based in Tiszaujvaros, they will have a World Cup on home turf coming up in July.
After two wins in a row there (albeit in European Cups) in 2021 and 2022, Lehmann will be looking to make it a hat-trick of wins. He also finished 4th at the World Cup in the town in 2019.
“It is a very special race for us. But I’m sure it won’t be easy as its an Olympic qualification year and many strong athletes will come.”
Among the strong field will be several fellow members of the Hungarian national team. At this point in time, Lehmann is the highest ranked Hungarian triathlete. While he said his position felt good and helped to motivate him for more, of greater importance to him was where his team mates stand.
“There are three of us in the top-30 (of the Olympic rankings) which means three spots for the Olympics. This is a very special moment for Hungarian triathlon. Usually only huge countries like America, France and Britain have three athletes so this is a big thing for the whole Hungarian triathlon community. I hope we can motivate the young guys.”
With the Hungarian Juniors securing a full complement of slots for this year’s World Junior Championships, it is clear the country is on the rise in the sport.
“And of course we can pull each other through. Márk (Dévay) is clearly the best swimmer of the field so you can always count on a hard swim with him. Bence Bicsák is a very talented athlete who already has brilliant results and I think there are more to come. I’m very happy to be part of this.”
When it comes down to it, though, don’t expect any such niceness on the race course from Lehmann. Having succeeded at every stage thus far, there is no reason for him to stop. Indeed if Hungary is to continue its rise to becoming a triathlon superpower, expect Lehmann to be at the vanguard of that success.
When the Olympic Games roll round in a year, he will be even more firmly entrenched at the top of the field. Who knows, by then he might even be ready to snare Olympic gold. To do that, he will have to take out the big boys that surround him in the top-10.
Yet do not be fooled by his polite demeanour; Lehmann has what it takes to win.
Over the next twelve months, then, enjoy watching this respectful assassin roam around the elite circuit as he hunts down the big names. Before you know it, he might just conquer them all.
