Redemption was not the right word. Vasco Vilaca came to Rome looking for something but redemption was not quite it.
After a breakthrough season, in which he claimed four WTCS medals and finished 4th overall in the world, there was precious little for him to bounce back from. Illness had meant he did not have the WTCS Final he had hoped for and that he lost his place on the overall podium. All things considered, though, it had been a marvellous year.
In a parallel universe, maybe Vilaca would have found himself in Dorian Coninx’s shoes as the upset world champion of 2023. Based on the evidence he had already put forward, a world title may be on the horizon in his near-future anyway.
Thus there was no real point for Vilaca to prove when he arrived in Rome. The number 1 tattooed onto his arm reflected his new status in the ranks of elite triathlon. The welcome additions to his trophy cabinet back home likewise spoke to a man well-positioned to look back with a satisfied smile. Yet he was not done.
From the off at the Rome World Cup, it was clear that Vilaca was not in town to kick off his post-season holiday. Where others might have relaxed after a taxing season, he went to the well one more time.
Nicolo Strada led the way in the 750m swim, clocking 8:56. Vilaca, though, was among a small group of chasing men and was only 3 seconds behind the leader.
The pace had been high enough in the water to stretch the field without quite breaking it. As a result, a large group of men remained in contention on the opening lap of the bike. A sharp early turn from Vilaca put a few stragglers to the sword before the likes of Jonas Schomburg, Casper Stornes and Marten Van Riel came through to carve lead pack out of the lump of athletes.
The World U23 champion, Simon Henseleit, had enjoyed a good swim and made his way to the front of the pack. In tandem with Schomburg, he pulled a couple of big turns to help keep the leaders in a tight formation.
The front group soon settled at twenty-five men and held an advantage of half a minute.
Even with the high pace, a couple of men fancied their chances off the front. Stefan Zachaeus made one of the most prominent moves however he was soon swallowed back up. Meanwhile, at the back of the lead pack, the tight corners saw a couple come unstuck. Van Riel and Gianluca Pozzatti would bump into one another on the final dead turn to hamper their hopes.
Throughout it all, Vilaca was ideally positioned. He sat close to the front, in safety. Along with Csongor Lehmann, he nipped through T2 and was soon in command of the run. Henseleit, Yanis Seguin and Charles Paquet made up the initial chase, but Vilaca looked in an entirely different plane of comfort.
As the road turned downwards, Vilaca gently lifted his level to a place in which none could join him. He had a small gap as the final lap arrived and that, it seemed, would be that.
However, two men were not yet done. Arnaud Mengal and Tom Richard had left T2 slightly down on Vilaca yet a big first lap had vaulted them into contention.
Even as Vilaca held firm, the Belgian and the Frenchman started to gain on him. The pair whipped through the field, passing Paquet, Emil Holm, Seguin and mor until only Henseleit blocked their path to the leader.
With the finish line in sight, Vilaca appeared to shut down his effort. Yet Mengal broke away from Henseleit and Richard and drew closer. As the two men made it onto the blue carpet Vilaca afforded himself a nervous glance over his shoulder. Mengal, though, would not have time.
Although the two men shared a field-leading 5km split of 14:26, Vilaca claimed the win by 4 seconds. While he did not win, Mengal was nonetheless thrilled with a maiden World Cup medal.
Henseleit then held off Richard for the bronze medal and Holm crossed in 5th.
The story of the day, though, had centred around Vilaca. If it had not been for redemption, what had he come to Rome for? The answer was simple.
He had concluded his 2023 with a win and, based on his newfound status, it would be no shock to see him start his 2024 campaign with the same result.
With a first ever World Cup gold medal wrapped around his neck, Vilaca was in Rome to send a messae. And his message to Coninx and the rest of the world and Olympic title contenders was a simple one.
He’s coming for you.
You can view the full results here.
