The strongest runner was the one that would end up taking the victory at the Europe Triathlon Cup Yenisehir, and that was Morocco Jawad Abdelmoula, who was unstoppable during the run. He managed to outrun Hungary’s Csongor Lehmann and Germany’s Henry Graf, who took second and third respectively.
Maybe even more so than in the women’s race earlier today, everything came down to the run for the men. With a giant lead pack, containing nearly the entire field, nothing was decided until athletes racked their bikes and hit the run course. As there were no breakaways during the swim, a long line of athletes hopped onto their bike, creating a big pack that allowed some athletes to sit back and relax. While others in front tried to hit the gas and break things up, nothing interesting happened. That means about 60 athletes put on their running shoes simultaneously.
After a hectic transition, five men ran to the front, with Abdelmoula taking the lead and Graf, Lehmann, France’s Nathan Grayel and Portugal’s Joao Pareira right behind him. Looking at his running style, it was clear that Abdelmoula was struggling the least and eager to pull off a nice final sprint. And that’s exactly what happened, because with a few hundred meters to go, Abdelmoula took off. Graf, Lehmann and Grayel tried to follow, but didn’t manage. While Abdelmoula lifted the tape, Lehmann claimed silver and Graf settled for bronze. Grayel just missed the podium due to a penalty that he had to serve at the very last moment; he ended up finishing in fourth place.
