The unstoppable force of the Spanish men’s team met the immovable object of Tyler Mislawchuk’s success in Huatulco.
For many athletes, there can often be a case to be made that they have one venue in particular that suits them, for whatever reason. For Mislawchuk, that venue seems to be Huatulco. Wins in 2019 and 2021 preceded a silver medal in 2022. But for Genis Grau’s majestic sprint finish last year, the Canadian would have made it a hat-trick.
As he took his place on the beach, Miswlachuk was a clear and obvious contender for the win this time around.
However, if Grau had spoiled his day last year, this year he had arrived with a full complement of Spanish rivals. Foremost among them was David Castro Fajardo, the newly-crowned European champion. Having also won a World Cup over the Sprint distance in Viña del Mar in November, he was the biggest threat to Mislawchuk, with Grau close behind.
Aware of the dangers posed by Castro, Grau and the rest of their compatriots, Mislawchuk seized the initiative in the water. More known for his tremendous running ability, it is not often the case that he leads out a swim. Yet that is exactly what he did in Huatulco. What can you say: when an athlete likes a course, they like it a lot!
Brock Hoel and Chase McQueen followed but there was Castro, lurking within striking distance of the Canadian.
The athletes that managed to get within around 20 seconds of Mislawchuk ultimately went on to form the front pack around him. Among those to make their into the lead group were Aram Michell Peñaflor Moysen, David Cantero del Campo and Grau.
After showing his classy running ability in Madrid, Cantero del Campo was an intriguing name to watch. He had the capacity to hurt the likes of Mislawchuk on the run, but as a fairly inexperienced athlete it remained to be seen whether he could deliver. Either way, the presence of him (and Alberto Gonzalez Garcia) only bolstered the Spanish armada surrounding Mislawchuk.
Jacob Birtwhistle managed to slip into the front pack too, adding yet another fast runner to the group.
As has classically been the case in Huatulco, the standings did not drastically alter on the bike. The lead pack pushed their lead out to over a minute to kill any hopes in the chase but otherwise most readied their legs for the run to come.
Once again, it was Mislawchuk that made the early headway as he stormed out of T2. Grau and Castro latched onto his heels with Gonzalez and Cantero is pursuit.
Peñaflor and Aoba Yasumatsu of Japan also emerged towards the front of the race. Yet the early stages very much looked like a straight shoot-out between Mislawchuk and his two Spanish rivals.
Drenched in sweat, the leaders slowly pulled away. Yasumatsu and Gonzalez slipped behind and Cantero began to show signs of struggling. However, with home support roaring him on, Peñaflor pushed alongside Castro and Grau. Still Cantero dangled off the back of leaders and tried to regain ground to make the lead group five strong once more.
Yet Mislawchuk upped the ante and closed the door on the youngster.
Not long after, Grau cracked and slipped behind. Although he did not show it beneath his grimace in the heat, Mislawchuk could have smiled at another rival ticked off his list. As the final corner came into view, he just had Peñaflor and Castro left.
The trio ramped up the pace into a full sprint but it was Castro that took the best line and had the better timing. Peñaflor popped and lost a few metres, leaving Mislawchuk to claw his way back to Castro.
The final line zoomed into view as the screaming crowds alongside blurred. Mislawchuk pumped his arms harder and harder still. Victory was there for taking, he just had to dive for it.
But Castro had enough to hold on.
The Spaniard therefore claimed yet another win after just edging over the line first, 1 second ahead of the Canadian. For Mislawchuk, silver was a fourth straight medal in Huatulco; perhaps not what he wanted but nonetheless well-earned after a bold race. Peñaflor took the bronze medal to make it a great day for Mexico after the results of the women’s race.
Grau and Cantero then rounded out the top-5.
You can view the men’s results here.
