USA claims victories in Cuba, while Canada astonishes in WinterTri

by Olalla Cernuda on 27 Feb, 2017 02:15 • Español

The astonishing Malecón of Havana this weekend hosted the CAMTRI Middle Distance Iberoamerican Championships and the Sprint Triathlon American Cup. More than 600 athletes from 26 nations participated in the race, which ended with locals Michel González and Yadira Corona winning the middle distance, while Colombian Carlos Javier Quinchara and USA’s Kaitlin Donner grabbed the title in the sprint distance.

A warm day in Havana with almost 27 degrees and no clouds was the perfect setting for a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run that started on the Marina Hemingway and finished at the Malecón.

Colombian Quinchara was one of the favourites for this race and disappointed no one, as he crossed the finish line first, stopping the clock on 55:29. He was followed by Alexandre Nobre (POR) and Shiruba Taniguchi (JPN).

It was also a fruitful visit to the Caribbean island for the US, with the US ladies sweeping the podium. Donner claimed her first victory of the season, with a time of 01:02:39, while fellow Americans Erin Storie and Sarah Alexander accompanied her on the podium.

In the Middle Distance race on Saturday, victory was for local hero Michel González, who completed the course – 1,9 km swim, 90km bike and 21km run- in 3:56,12, claiming the first victory for a Cuban triathlete at this event. González crossed the finish line followed by Italian Alberto Casadei (4:14.16) and Costa Rican John Garita (4:23.02). In the women’s race, Cuban Yadira Corona was first to the finish line, with a time of 5:50.01.

WinterTri
From sunny Havana to frozen Quebec in Canada, the ITU S3 Winter Triathlon Cup took place with more than 6.000 participants in the S3 Winter Tri Cup.

For the 13th consecutive year, the Plains of Abraham hosted elite athletes and age groupers for a 5km run on snowshoes, 9.5km of skiing and 11km on skates.

In the men’s race, Canadians ruled supreme, with Maxime Leboeuf claiming victory, while Olivier Babineau finished second and Marc-André Bédard third. As for the women’s race, the host country also claimed the three spots on the podium, showing than when it comes to winter and snow, they have something to say. Ariane Carrier finished first, followed by Amanda Butler and Claude Godbout.