New Zealander Staufenberg is the fastest man
The 37th edition of the Holten Triathlon on Saturday resulted in a Belgian and New Zealand victory. Jolien Vermeylen and Janus Staufenberg were ultimately allowed to take the top spot on the podium during the ceremony. They won the elite women’s and elite men’s race, respectively.
In the elite women’s race, the competition turned into a Dutch-Belgian tête-à-tête. After the swimming segment, an initial lead group of seven triathletes emerged. This leading group – including Rachel Klamer – could maintain an advantage of about 30 seconds over the chasing group during the cycling.
After the bike-run transition, only two leaders remained. Klamer was accompanied by the Belgian Jolien Vermeylen. On the 5-kilometer running course, the pair fought an exciting battle. During the final part, Klamer and Vermeylen ran side by side, often exchanging the lead in the race.
It soon became clear that it would come down to a final sprint. Ultimately, it was Vermeylen who had the better legs. About 150 meters from the finish, the Belgian accelerated and managed to create the decisive gap. Vermeylen crossed the finish line first in a time of 01:00:06, followed by Klamer just four seconds later.
,,One accelerated, and then the other again. We couldn’t break away. I’ve never experienced running so closely with someone else,” winner Vermeylen said afterward. ,,Why did I win? Coincidence. Maybe it’s because I just took a tighter corner. At one point, Rachel accelerated, and I almost had to let go. I thought: ‘Alright.’ I could only keep going and think it was a very ugly finish.”
For the Belgian, it was her third participation in the Holten Triathlon. While Vermeylen finished in the middle bracket in her previous appearances, her third outing in Holten resulted in a victory. “The previous two times, I was dropped on the Holterberg each time. I had also marked Holten with a red cross in my schedule as a race I didn’t want to do anymore. But recently, I have practiced a lot. It was a fun race.”
Klamer, after her silver race, spoke of a ‘beautiful and fair’ competition. “I also knew we were evenly matched,” said Klamer about her duel with Vermeylen. “In the end, she had the better legs. I think I can be satisfied. Of course, I wanted to win this race, but I’m also struggling with an injury, a tear in my hamstring. I’ve been suffering from that for a long time, and it doesn’t heal on its own. At the moment, I can’t train or race without being affected by it.”
While the elite women’s race came down to a sprint, the men’s winner announced himself earlier. During the running segment through the streets of Holten, Janus Staufenberg quickly created a gap with the competition. The triathlete from New Zealand was thus able to solo to victory.
,,I crashed last weekend, so I knew I had to stay on my bike today,” said the men’s elite winner. Understandably, these were Staufenberg’s words, who finished in a wet Holten. “I could make the difference during the run. I am very happy.”
Results Triathlon Premium Cup Women
1. Jolien Vermeylen – Belgium – 01:00:06
2. Rachel Klamer – Netherlands – 01:00:10
3. Olivia Thornbury – 01:00:46
Results Triathlon Premium Cup Men
1. Janus Staufenberg – New Zealand – 00:53:49
2. Bradley Course – Australia – 00:54:00
3. Daniel Damian – Canada – 00:54:13
