Fernandes, Gomez Vie for European Titles
Lisbon hosts to host 24th edition of the ITU European championship
Posted May. 9, 2008
Lisbon, Portugal (May 9, 2008) - Tomorrow in Lisbon, Vanessa Fernandes and Javier Gomez will defend their European championships. Home favorite Fernandes will be seeking a record-breaking fifth consecutive European title. The 2007 world champion has won every elite European championship she has entered in her career but insists that racing in here own country adds lustre to the event.
"It is very important for me to win at home. It would be my fifth title in row but it would be as important as the first one. My main motivation is running at home and doing my best," said Fernandes.
Her biggest challengers are expected to be Olympic champion Kate Allen of Austria, silver medalist last year, who will race for the first time since sustaining a horrific bike crash at the New Plymouth BG Triathlon World Cup on April 6. Swiss Nicola Spirig was a bronze medalist last year and looks to get back on the podium this Saturday.
On the men's side, Gomez is eager to repeat as European champion but will face a host of men who will be gunning to dethrone him. Two-time European champs Frederic Belaubre of France and Ivan Rana of Spain, along with Czech Filip Ospaly and Brit Will Clarke are all expected to challenge for the podium.
The 2008 Lisbon ETU Triathlon European Championships will be the 24th to be staged. The first championships were in Immenstadt, Germany in 1985. With elite, junior, under23 and age-group categories, more than 1000 athletes will be racing this weekend in Lisbon. The elite races will be standard Olympic distance: 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run. Live video, timing and text will be available online at triathlon.org. Click here for more event information
Start Times:
Elite Women - 10:30am on Saturday May 10 (Western European Summer Time; UTC/GMT +1)
Elite Men - 4:00pm on Saturday May 10 (Western European Summer Time; UTC/GMT +1)
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