The last Americas Cup of the season took place in Vina del Mar at the weekend, ending a year that began all the way back in February in La Guaira, Venezuela.
In an unusual occurrence, the event took place alongside the World Cup at the same venue and on the same weekend. Hosting multiple races is not entirely uncommon. Montreal hosted a WTCS event and an Americas Cup this summer, albeit on different weekends.
Vina del Mar had the unique experience of hosting all the races in one go. The Americas Cup came before the World Cup with the athletes tackling the same Sprint distance. As was the case with the World Cup, the event had some great racing in store.
Women’s race
With ten home athletes racing in the women’s event, there was plenty to cheer for the local fans. Their hopes were boosted as Macarena Salazar put herself into a good position in the swim and early on during the bike.
Also in the front pack with Salazar were Paula Jara, Raquel Solis Guerrero, Leslie Amat Alvarez and more. Over the 20km, there was little to separate the main pack and a running race appeared to be on the cards.
As a result, two Junior athletes found themselves in contention to fight for a medal.
Jimena Renata De La Peña Schott, the silver medallist from the World Junior Championships and the North American Junior champion, was in a good position. De La Peña recently began her change in sporting nationality – she will be switching from Mexico to the United States – and was racing under World Triathlon’s colours.
Dominga Elena Jacome Espinoza likewise found herself in contention to the excitement of the home crowds. The South American Junior champion was well-positioned heading into T2 to take a shot at the leaders.
Jara quickly set the tone on the run and took control. Solis and Amat set after the athlete from Ecuador while both De La Peña and Jacome also gave chase with Salazar slipping back. Over the course of the 5km, the two Junior athletes would gradually lose touch and miss out on the medals. Jacome would go on to finish 4th and stand as the home team’s best performer while De La Peña took 5th place.
Up ahead, Amat and Solis continued to push Jara however the Ecuadorian had the superior final kick and won by 7 seconds. In turn, Amat also beat Solis by 7 seconds to seal the silver medal.
Men’s race
Matthew Wright arrived in Vina del Mar with a recent Americas Sprint title around his neck and on the hunt for further world ranking points. The athlete from Barbados is currently in line to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games under a New Flag slot and every point he could gain would only help his Paris aspirations.
In choppy swimming conditions, the field splintered at points but a distinct front group emerged. Wright made it into the main pack alongside Gabriel Terán Carvajal and home favourite Cristóbal Baeza Muñoz.
Sixty men had started the race (with eighteen representing Chile) however the numbers at the front soon dwindled. In what was a young field, Wright was the oldest athlete by two years (being born in 1992). He marshalled his experience over the three bike laps to stay out of trouble while a couple of others around him burned their legs.
After biding his time in a similar fashion to Jara in the women’s race, Wright then unleashed his decisive move on the run.
Although he was pushed for virtually the entire 5km, he had the nous to see the job through and was able to slow to a near-walk for the final few strides.
While Wright took the win, the men’s race was also a source of joy for Venezuela. They came away with two medals as Luis Miguel Velasquez Ramos finished 2nd and Yhousman David Perdomo Peña out-sprinted Ryan Luczak of America for 3rd place.
You can view the full results here.
