Great Britain secured gold in the mixed relay at the ETU U23 European Championships in Valencia on Sunday, following individual success for Ben Dijkstra in the men’s race on Saturday.
A team of nine British Triathlon U23s took on the best of Europe at the weekend. The weather in Valencia in the build up to the U23 European Championships meant that the races had to be reduced to a sprint distance, with their start times delayed.
Despite this there were strong performances in both the men’s and women’s races, with the team also claiming victory in Sunday’s mixed relay. The team consisted of Sophie Alden, Ben Dijkstra, 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).
On the Saturday, Dijkstra raced through the field on the bike and run to claim gold. Having secured eighth place at the ITU Grand Final in Lausanne, he made placed himself on top of the podium to make it a golden weekend for him. James Teagle, Leleu and Jack Willis also made top 20 finishes, with Cameron Harris finishing 41st.
Alden, Owen, Natasha Sinha and Hollie Elliott pulled on the GB trisuit as the women took to the course in the women’s race. In a field that included the bronze medallist from the Grand Final, Alden and Owen secured places in the top 20, with Sinha and Elliot finishing 31st and 34th.
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.”
