Arnaud Dely has just won the European Championship Sprint Duathlon in Coimbra, Portugal. The Belgian duatlete caused a surprise by attacking himself together with two Dutchmen, while there were as many as seven Belgians at the front of the leading group. During the run, Dely eventually finished it off nicely. He took the gold ahead of Spaniard Javier Martin and Frenchman Benjamin Choquert.
Was it a tactical move by Dely, was he hoping for a surprise himself or did he not want to get into a tricky Belgian team tactic? It was all the more surprising that Dely chose to attack on the bike – along with Dutchmen Valentin Van Wersch and Thomas Cremers. The other Belgians stayed put and the same goes for the French athletes, who were also united in the front group with a lot of people. Thanks to the fact that everyone stayed behind, Dely was given a free pass to finish it off in the run, his strongest part as always.
Dely took the European title and shouted his joy at the finish line. Spain’s Javier Martin finished second with a small lead over French duathlete Benjamin Choquert, who thus took third.
In the women’s race, Frenchwoman Marion Legrand took the day and the European Title Sprint Duathlon, after a long and tough sprint with Belgian Jeanne Dupont. Spain’s Maria Varo Zubiri finished third.
Both races were covered through really bad livestreams and timing wasn’t working until hours after the finish.
