In his first participation in the Challenge Sanremo, Leonard Arnold achieved a resounding success in the fourth edition of the international middle-distance triathlon. The German, truly unstoppable in the cycling leg, dominated in 3:55:49, finishing ahead of Italian Michele Sarzilla (3:58:57) and Frenchman Thomas Navarro (4:00:50) at the finish line in Portosole.
After her podium finish in 2022, Justine Guerard dominated the women’s race and celebrated her first victory in the Challenge Family circuit. The Frenchwoman’s time of 4:32:38 took her to the top step of the podium alongside Hungarian Gabriela Zelinka, second in 4:35:13, and Luisa Iogna Prat, third in 4:36:39, once again flying the Italian flag. The top six athletes in each category qualified for The Championship, the circuit’s world final.
MEN’S RACE
Starting from the beach at Antenna di San Martino, the group immediately lined up for the 1,900-meter swim in the calm waters around Portosole, the splendid headquarters of the fourth edition of the Challenge Family.
Sarzilla was the first to enter the transition area, with Toepper, Breinlinger, Cashmore, and Stoll lining up behind the Italian, with Dupuy and Kovalenko 20 seconds behind. It was the Italian athlete who set the pace in the first, more flowing part of the race, with Stoll moving up to second and Toepper and Breinlinger occupying third and fourth. The Terzorio climb and Castellaro descent mixed the cards: Arnold reclaimed the lead, Stoll trailed, with Breinlinger, Sarzilla, and Cashmore battling for third.
The decisive phase of the cycling stage begins, with the Vignai climb: Arnold, Breinlinger, Stoll, and Friderichs (Toepper is forced to retire). At Argallo, in the central section of the climb, Arnold, Breinlinger, and Sarzilla continue to set the pace and thus reach the summit. The descent is selective, but Arnold continues to lead the race, fearlessly, with his opponents holding back.
The second transition reveals a clear position: Arnold leads Sarzilla by 3:40, Friderichs follows at 5′, followed by Navarro, Stoll, and Dupuy, with Breinlinger, the protagonist up to this point, out with a mechanical.
The Italian crowd is dreaming: Sarzilla gives it his all, closing the gap to about 1’30” over the half-marathon on the Riviera dei Fiori cycle path, but the German holds firm and defends this precious victory. Navarro also had a great day, running an excellent run that earned him a podium finish. Joost Friderichs took fourth place in his first season as a professional athlete.
WOMEN’S RACE
The women’s competition was heated from the first strokes, with Frenchwoman Moison setting the pace along with Iogna Prat, Aguayo, Ahrens, and Sandrini; chasing behind were Guerard, just 10 seconds behind, and Nieuwoudt, two minutes behind.
In the first phase of the cycling race, the situation changed, with Ahrens taking the lead with a decidedly aggressive stance, followed by Guerard, Sandrini, and Iogna Prat. The first bumps of the day shook up the top positions, and by mid-race, Guerard was in command. ahead of Iogna-Prat, Ahrens, and Aguayo, with Nieuwoudt making a comeback. On the Vignai climb, the Frenchwoman confirmed her excellent performance, but Zelinka and Dornauer surged behind, with Nieuwoudt and Aguayo trying to stay in the podium spot. The Italian athlete lost a few places.
At stage 2, Guerard had a lead of over two minutes over Dornauer, Nieuwoudt, and Zelinka. Mayer was slower, and Iogna-Prat made a switch 4’40” from the race leader. The Frenchwoman took matters into her own hands today, sprinting solo to the finish line, enjoying an extraordinary third stage. Behind her, Zelinka consolidated her second place, while Iogna-Prat, also encouraged by the home crowd, climbed back into the podium spot and secured a valuable third place. Off the podium were Dornauer, Meyer, and Armitage, a former professional cyclist who achieved the best bike stage, with Nieuwoudt finishing seventh.
SPRINT TRIATHLON
In the men’s sprint triathlon, Alessandro Cuttaia, Stefano Micotti, and Mattia Contin took the podium, while in the women’s race, local athlete Ginevra Sclavo took the win, ahead of Anastasia Vasileva and Alice Nattero.
