He was at the front in all three disciplines and, thanks to a good final run, Portugal’s Vasco Vilaca took the win at yesterday’s Europe Triathlon Cup Coimbra. It took him 50:44 to reach the finish line, while Portugal’s Ricardo Batista (+0:06) and Belgium’s Christophe de Keyser (+0:18) claimed the other two podium spots. In the women’s race, it was Britain’s Sophie Green who took the win after stopping the clock of this sprint distance race at 56:43. Behind her, Spain’s Cecilia Santamaria Surroca finished in second place (+0:14) and Portugal’s Melanie Santos crossed the line in third (+0:16).
It was Germany’s Magnus Manner who led the men out of the water after completing the 750 m swim in 8:51. Vilaca needed only four seconds longer and was right in the mix after this first discipline, reaching his bike in sixth place. On the bike he stayed in front and on the run he just finished it off thanks to a 15:03 5 km effort.
While Vilaca could be found in the front of the race right after the swim, in the women’s race, Green needed longer to get to a leading position. Italy’s Bianca Serengi had the fastest swim time (9:11) in the field. Portugal’s Helena Carvalho followed right on her feet, but Green – in fourth place – was 29 seconds longer. However, on the bike, Green caught up with the two women who led the swim. By running the fastest time in the field – 17:11 minutes over 5 km – Green quickly ran her way to the top spot on the podium.
