MADRID, 24 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish paratriathlon team got a booty of five medals in the Triathlon World Championships that are taking place in Abu Dhabi, where the Galician Susana Rodríguez and her guide Sara Loehr, the young Andrea Miguélez and Dani Molina, who took their respective titles.
In the PTVI category for athletes with visual impairment, the current Olympic, world and European champions made it clear that they are currently the best couple and reissued their crown from last year, with more than half a minute ahead of the Italian Francesca Tarantello.
Rodríguez and Loehr had to come back after the swimming segment, where they were almost two minutes behind, but in the cycling segment they were already the leaders and maintained their lead in the running segment so that the woman from Vigo won her fourth consecutive title.
“I am very happy with our race, especially considering how the last few months have been for me. We also had a small accident yesterday in the reconnaissance of the course and I was a little scared because I did not have a lot of confidence, but I am extremely happy,” said Susana Rodríguez on the World Triathlon website.
The Spaniard enjoyed “a lot” of a “technical and fast” race. “With the heat I had problems at some points, but I thank my guide Sara, who pushed me all the way and is not only my guide, but also my mental coach,” she underlined.
The other Spanish world champion was the young Andrea Miguélez, a member of the CaixaBank Paralympic Promises Team and who, after winning gold last year in PTS3 (physical disability), this time she did it in PTS4, where she beat by more than a minute and a half to the American Kelly Elmlinger, with Marta Francés, silver in 2021, keeping a valuable bronze.
“It’s been a tough race. In the swim, there were a few girls faster than me, but I managed to keep in touch for the 750m and then the bike was fast and hard, but it felt great, I had my legs today. In the race , I was able to show all the hard work I put into this title. Now the goal is Paris 2024 and enjoy the road there. I’m extremely happy,” confessed Miguélez.
The triplet of titles was completed by Dani Molina from Madrid in the PTS3 class, where he was crowned champion for the fourth time and improving on last year’s silver. The Spaniard had a great battle with the Dutchman Nico van Der Burgt, whom he overtook in a sensational segment of the run to lead him by 15 seconds. The veteran from Extremadura Kini Carrasco was ninth.
“It has been a very tough race because of the heat. I was leading until the third lap of the bike, but I knew that running is my forte, so I tried to keep the distance under control. I am European champion, world champion and now I’m just thinking about the road to Paris. It’s the first time my class will be in the Paralympic Games, so I just want to qualify and then dream of becoming a Paralympic champion,” Molina said.
The last medal for the ‘Paratriarmada’ went to Lionel Morales in the PTS2 class for athletes with greater disabilities who compete on foot and where he repeated the 2021 world runner-up. The canary, current number one in the ranking, was 23 seconds behind champion, the French Jules Ribstein. Rakel Mateo signed a brilliant fifth place in the women’s race.
In addition, in the PTVI men’s event, Héctor Catalá, Paralympic silver and accompanied by Carlos Oliver, was in the fight for the podium, which fell behind him by ten seconds, while Eva Moral, bronze in Tokyo and who returned to competing after becoming a mother, she was sixth in the event for wheelchair athletes and Jairo Ruiz, tenth, in PTS5.