NEWS

European Champs this weekend

By World Triathlon Admin | 22 Jun, 2007

More than 140 of Europe’s best triathletes from 32 countries will descend on Copenhagen, Denmark this weekend for the 2007 ETU Triathlon European Championships.  All medalists from 2006 will return to vie for one of their most prized races of the season.  Some of triathlon’s biggest names will take the start line in the talented and deep men’s and women’s fields.

Watch live coverage now.

Portuguese star Vanessa Fernandes enters as the heavy favourite to win the women’s title for the fourth consecutive year.  The defending champion has been her typical dominant self in 2007.  Despite opening her season with a third place finish at the Mooloolaba BG Triathlon World Cup to halt her streak of 12 straight World Cup titles, Fernandes roared back with a string of impressive wins in Ishigaki, Lisbon and Madrid.  Fernandes moved into second place on the list of world cup winners with 16, inching ever closer to Emma Carney’s all-time record.  She also scored a convincing win at the Duathlon World Championships in Gyor, Hungary in May. 

Since the 2004 Olympics, Fernandes has only ever lost to one woman, her Australian rival Emma Snowsill.  So who will step up and challenge the woman who has virtually owned this race?

Anja Dittmer finished second to Fernandes last year in Autun, France and was European Champion in 1999.  The German veteran has been steady in the 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup series but not spectacular.  She has finished in the top ten in all three races she’s competed in but none higher than a sixth place finish. 

Brit Michelle Dillon will also be one to watch.  The 2001 European Champion has been on the podium twice this year and is now number nine in the world.  Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig has also done well in the world cup series, finishing in the top ten in her last three races.

Other serious contenders include last year’s bronze medalist Nadia Cortassa of Italy, Elizabeth May of Luxembourg, German Christiane Pilz and Andrea Whitcombe of Great Britain.

In the wide open men’s field, two-time defending champion Frederic Belaubre of France comes in wearing the number one start number but hasn’t competed on the world cup circuit so far in 2007 due to injury.  He’ll be in tough and will have to contend with a host of competitors eager to dethrone him. 

Most notably among the Frenchman’s challengers is world number one Javier Gomez who is primed to win his first European title.  He is the only man to make the podium in every world cup race he’s entered in so far in 2007, including a win in Lisbon and silver medals in Mooloolaba and Madrid. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the year among the men is the performance of rookie Alexander Brukhankov.  The young Russian star has been on the world cup podium twice this year, including silver last weekend in Edmonton, Canada, and currently sits number four in the world. 

Reigning World Champion Tim Don is back in the mix after solid results in Madrid and Des Moines.  His compatriots Oliver Freeman and Will Clarke will make this a race to watch for the Brits.

Czech veteran Filip Ospaly has also been impressive on the world cup scene this year.  The 2001 European Champion out-dueled Gomez for the Madrid title, and took silver in Lisbon.

But the Danish fans will all be cheering for hometown favorite Rasmus Henning who’s coming off a huge win in Des Moines, Iowa two weeks ago.  In the talent-deep field, it was Henning who rose to the occasion to win the richest prize in triathlon history, US$200,000 while driving away with a brand new Hummer.  That win, coupled with a top five finish in Lisbon, has taken him to number eight in the world.

Athletes will swim two laps in one of the canals of the sea.  Then they will bike eight laps and run four laps in the heart of Copenhagen, passing in front of the Tivoli and the Black Diamond, nickname of the national library.  It will finish in front of the Town Hall. 

Watch live coverage now.

Click here for more information including schedules and start lists

“> Click here for live coverage of the European Championships


Related Event: 2007 Copenhagen ETU Triathlon European Championships
29 - Jul, 2007 • event pageall results
Results: Elite Men
1. Javier Gomez Noya ESP 01:51:58
2. Jan Frodeno GER 01:52:15
3. Daniel Unger GER 01:52:30
4. Rasmus Henning DEN 01:52:32
5. Maik Petzold GER 01:52:35
6. Laurent Vidal FRA 01:52:38
7. Frederic Belaubre FRA 01:52:44
8. Filip Ospaly CZE 01:52:53
9. Igor Sysoev RUS 01:52:55
10. Bruno Pais POR 01:52:55
Results: Elite Women
1. Vanessa Fernandes POR 02:02:36
2. Kate Allen AUT 02:03:21
3. Nicola Spirig SUI 02:03:24
4. Andrea Whitcombe GBR 02:03:29
5. Ricarda Lisk GER 02:03:40
6. Michelle Dillon GBR 02:03:49
7. Anja Dittmer GER 02:04:06
8. Ewa Dederko POL 02:04:09
9. Eva Dollinger AUT 02:04:27
10. Carole Peon FRA 02:04:47
Results: Junior Men
1. Alistair Brownlee GBR 00:56:25
2. Aurelien Raphael FRA 00:56:43
3. Joao Silva POR 00:56:47
4. Denis Vasiliev RUS 00:56:47
5. Jonathan Brownlee GBR 00:56:52
6. Vincent Luis FRA 00:57:11
7. Giulio Molinari ITA 00:57:14
8. Aaron Harris GBR 00:57:22
9. Artem Parienko RUS 00:57:25
10. Thomas John GER 00:57:29
Results: Junior Women
1. Hollie Avil GBR 01:01:07
2. Rebecca Robisch GER 01:01:28
3. Kirsty Mcwilliam GBR 01:01:55
4. Yuliya Yelistratova UKR 01:02:12
5. Agnieszka Jerzyk POL 01:02:25
6. Charlotte Morel FRA 01:02:29
7. Anja Knapp GER 01:02:42
8. Maaike Caelers NED 01:02:45
9. Zsófia Kovács HUN 01:02:51
10. Emmie Charayron FRA 01:02:54
Results: Women Relay
1. Team I Germany GER 01:16:17
2. Team I Austria AUT 01:16:18
3. Team I Switzerland SUI 01:16:49
4. Team I Czech Republic CZE 01:17:42
5. Team I Portugal POR 01:17:47
6. Team I Italy ITA 01:17:58
7. Team I Russia RUS 01:18:23
8. Team I Ukraine UKR 01:21:59
Results: Men Relay
1. Team I Germany GER 01:10:03
2. Team I Portugal POR 01:10:11
3. Team I Russia RUS 01:10:25
4. Team I Ukraine UKR 01:10:34
5. Team I Switzerland SUI 01:10:41
6. Team I Czech Republic CZE 01:10:52
7. Team I Hungary HUN 01:11:03
8. Team I Denmark DEN 01:11:07
9. Team I Italy ITA 01:11:11
DNS. Team I Spain ESP DNS