TRIATHLON

World class pros line up for Challenge Walchsee-Kaiserwinkl

By Challenge Family

CHALLENGEWALCHSEE in the Tyrolean Alps has become a fixture of the European race calendar. This year not only the defending champions Giulio Molinari and Yvonne Van Vlerken enter the race, but also Filip Ospaly and Daniella Sämmler join the competition for the popular title on Sunday 23 August.
 
Athletes from all over the world head to Austria’s picturesque Kaiserwinkl area for the sixth time. Not only high-calibre professional athletes, but also more than a thousand amateur athletes come to the crystal-clear Lake Walchsee for the test run for the ETU Middle Distance European Championships next year. 
 
1.9 kilometres of swimming, 90 kilometres of cycling and 21 kilometres of running. The classic middle distance race, which captivates with one of the most beautiful and demanding courses in Europe, has repeatedly enticed stars of the triathlon scene to come to the small and friendly village of Walchsee. Winners of the race include James Cunnama, Andreas Raelert, Ronnie Schildknecht and Yvonne Van Vlerken, who has won the race already four times. The Dutchwoman and last year’s winner aims for her next victory and will be the one to beat to win the race. This year’s winner of CHALLENGEROTH is challenged by the Briton Lucy Gossage, who won Ironman UK in an impressive manner earlier this year. Next to the two top favourites also the German Daniela Sämmler will try her luck. She too knows the Kaiserwinkl area well. With her third start in Walchsee she will do her best to secure a place on the podium.


Photo courtesy of Challenge Family
 
In the men’s competition a duel between last year’s winner Giulio Molinari and the Czech Filip Ospaly is eagerly anticipated. The Italian Molinari proved already last year that he is not afraid of big names, when he held off none other than Michael Raelert. The battle between Molinari and Ospaly is not a new one, since they already met at this year’s ETU-European Championships at CHALLENGERIMINI. There the Czech won by a narrow margin.
 
Follow all the action live on race day through www.challenge-walchsee.at and on Facebook and Twitter.