Double gold for Dijkstra at ETU U23 Euro championship

LOUGHBOROUGH triathlon star Ben Dijkstra is celebrating after clinching double gold in Spain at the ETU U23 European Championships.

A team of nine British Triathlon U23s took on the best of Europe, with the weather in Valencia in the build up to the event meaning that the races had to be reduced to a sprint distance, with their start times delayed.

On the Saturday, in the men’s individual race the action was full-on from the deep water start. It was Hungary’s Csongor Lehmann who led them to the swim exit, climbing out ahead of Austria’s Leon Pauger.

On the bike phase Portugal’s Vasco Vilaça managed to break away but Spain’s Roberto Sánchez Mantecón cheered on by the crowds, saw the threat and attacked, taking GB’s Ben Dijkstra with him.

The trio broke free, and when Vilaça was first out onto the run.

Dijkstra looked relaxed as he focussed on catching the escaping Portuguese athlete. Behind him, sheltering from the wind, a line of hopefuls. With Mantecon looking good the crowds now had more reason to cheer, as first Javier Lluch Pérez and then Carlos Olivier Vives clung to the slipstream created by the tall Brit.

Upping the pace, Dijkstra caught Vilaça and Lluch hung on desperately as the British athlete added power relentlessly. As the pack watched the leading two pull away, the realisation that just one medal remained must have been in everyone’s minds.

Dijkstra used every turn on the course to add pressure to the Spaniard tucked in behind him and over the final 2k simply outran the rest to claim victory and the title.

Lluch, assured of silver, had time to celebrate before the finish-line and, with a well-timed attack right at the end of the 5k, it was Sweden’s Gabriel Sandör who took the bronze. James Teagle, Leleu and Jack Willis also made top 20 finishes, with Cameron Harris finishing 41st.

On Sunday, Dijkstra was then part of the gold medal winning GB mixed relay team alongside Sophie Alden, Bronwen Owen and Harry Leleu. Finishing ahead of Germany and Spain, the British team took the lead on the second leg with Dijkstra, maintaining this through leg three (Owen) and seeing Leleu sprint finish to cross the line ahead of Schaufler (GER).

Rick Velati, England Talent Head Coach, said: “For the team to come back from Valencia having secured gold in the mixed relay is a great achievement. To win in the team event, especially after Ben won on Saturday, shows that our emerging athletes are exciting prospects for the future internationally as well as in domestic performance events.”