In slightly cooler temperatures than the European Junior Championships in Balikesir last week, Riga played host to the latest European Junior Cup of the summer.
Several athletes that had contested the championship in Balikesir travelled onwards to continue their season while many more athletes were in search of crucial experience.
A Sprint distance race was on offer, although the bike was slightly longer than usual and the run a tad short. While the men swam in wetsuits, the women took on a non-wetsuit swim.
Men’s race
Lawrence Martindale worked his way into the lead out of the water. In an impressive effort, the Brit clocked 9:41 over the 750m. Only two men (Roy Baron and Paul Frayon) were able to get within 10 seconds of Martindale. His compatriot, Oliver Mills, followed as the fourth man into T1, some 15 seconds down.
With an early lead secured, Martindale jumped onto the bike and set about defending it. Baron and Frayon initially went with him and it appeared a group of three would escape up the road. Martindale, though, was hell-bent on setting a high tempo and put his partners under serious pressure.
Further behind, Mills formed a chase pack with the likes of Enzo Bourdon and Tomer Shapira for company. After a slick T1 and a fast opening kilometre on the bike, Oscar Lilja also joined the growing group.
An even larger third pack formed as the Swiss duo of Nino Ranzoni and Lorenzo Bazzana corralled and then drove forwards a group of over ten men.
At the front, though, Martindale’s efforts finally broke down Baron and Frayon. The Israeli and Swedish athletes subsequently fell back into the Mills-Bourdon group, leaving Martindale to fight on alone. As the Ranzoni-Bazzana group also rode up to the chase pack, it seemed inevitable that Martindale would be caught.
However, the Brit did not cave.
Instead, he made it to T2 with a 15 second lead intact. However, as the chasers swept through transition and joined him on the run, it became clear that Martindale’s legs had not yet come round. As he was passed, Mills, Bourdan and Baron assumed the leadership of the race.
Gradually, that trio separated themselves from their rivals. At the last, Mills was able to kick away to claim the win by 5 seconds on the back of a field-leading run split of 14:52. In what was only his second international start (after racing at the World Junior Championships in Hamburg), Mills therefore sealed a first gold medal.
Baron followed to take the silver while Bourdon rounded out the podium to claim bronze.
Women’s race
Another British athlete led the way in the women’s swim. After the athletes dolphin-dove their way through the opening part of the swim, Isabella Hayes crushed the 750m to earn a 10 second lead over home favourite Beāte Bula. Emma Ryšávková of the Czech Republic followed 2 seconds later.
Hayes bought further seconds with a rapid transition and moved clear on the bike. However, unlike Martindale, she did not stay out front alone.
A pack of six women, led by Bula and Ryšávková were able to ride up to Hayes. Mirten-Madlen Siimar of Sweden was in the pack, as were the Swiss trio of Noémi Van Der Kaaij, Marie Romanens and Francesca Zenklusen. Together, the lead seven were able to extend their advantage to over a minute.
Hayes remained on the front and rode aggressively. At times it seemed she would break clear again yet Ryšávková guarded her and any slight gaps that appeared were eventually closed. The Brit ultimately led into T2, with Zenklusen right behind. Hayes and Zenklusen were also the quickest through transition to claim an early lead on the run.
As Hayes quickly moved away from her Swiss rival, the rest of the lead pack came up behind her. Ryšávková and Romanens then charged away from the field, leaving Hayes and Van Der Kaaij to fight out the bronze.
The lead pair went stride for stride throughout the entirety of the run. Every half move was followed by a counter-attack. With nothing to separate them, it came down to a sprint finish.
Ryšávková tried to kick clear however Romanens was able to time her sprint better and lunged over the line first. In doing so, the Swiss athlete claimed her first gold at her second international race, just as Mills had in the men’s competition. Ryšávková was denied by only 1 second but could be satisfied with a medal.
Van Der Kaaij managed to pull away from Hayes late on to seal the bronze.
You can view the full results here.
