The mixed triathlon relay will be on the Olympic program for the first time this summer.
Belgium has already established a reputation for this young discipline. 3 years ago, Belgian quartet Raleigh won a bronze medal at the European Championships. In September last year there was a fifth place in the World Cup.
In Lisbon, Belgium today tried to secure an Olympic ticket. Each athlete had to swim 300 meters, cycle 7.2 km and run 1.8 km.
Claire Michel came out of the water in eighth place and settled into a leading group of 10 athletes while cycling. After the run it changed to fourth place. Jelle Geens also did an excellent job: he kept eyeing the top three contestants.
Valerie Barthelemy started 9 seconds late on the podium. She swam to the head of the trio. In the run, Barthelemy escaped with a Swiss competitor.
Slot athlete Martin Van Rijl had to compete to beat Swiss Max Stauder. Thanks to a quick changeover after swimming, he started cycling with a small reward. Van Rijl no longer gave up the lead and crossed the finish line first.
The last time for the Belgian quartet was one hour, 23 and 57. Behind Van Riel’s back, Italy beat Switzerland in the sprint race for second place, and those three countries are allowed to go to Tokyo with the top 7 countries in the world.
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