2022 World Triathlon Long Distance Champions Crowned in Slovakia

SAMORIN, SLOVAKIA — World class fields lined up in Samorin, Slovakia, to chase world titles and medals in the 2022 World Triathlon Long Distance Championships. The event was part of the 2022 World Triathlon Multisport Championships Samorin which encompassed the Collins Cup and Professional Triathlon Organization (PTO) Age-Group races.

Lucy Charles-Barclay wins the 2022 Long Course World Championship (photo credit World Triathlon).

Lucy Charles-Barclay Takes Women’s Race

In the 2022 World Triathlon Long Course Championships, sixteen strong elite women lined up to contest for the title and medals. Great Britain’s long course triathlon specialist Lucy Charles-Barclay led the women through the 2km swim and exited the water after opening up a sizeable gap on the field.

Charles-Barclay entered solo into transition to commence the 80km bike portion of the long-distance world championships.

Great Britain’s Rebecca Clarke, Brazil’s Luisa Baptista, Sarissa de Vries of the Netherlands, Grace Thek of Australia and Marjolaine Pierre of France exited the water together and moved through into the first transition of the day, before heading out onto the 80km bike course in Samorin, Slovakia.

Up front, Charles-Barclay was leading the race but at the halfway point and around the technical turn, the British triathlete fumbled with her positioning around the corner enabling Clarke to take the lead. It wasn’t long before Charles-Barclay powered back to lead the race. De Vries pushed through into second position with Pierre in third. Olympic medalist Lisa Norden appeared to be pushing through the field and moving up.

Charles-Barclay and de Vries took turns up front over the final stages of the bike course and very little separated the two women as they approached their final transition of the day.

Pierre and Pallant-Browne were over 2minutes 44seconds down on the leaders as they entered transition.

Charles-Barclay moved through to lead the early stage of the run, knowing she had running sensation and fellow British compatriot Pallant-Browne on the chase.

Thek of Australia was pushing the pace in fourth and Baptista was moving through exceptionally well in fifth place.

Charles-Barclay produced a perfect set up across all three segments of the long-distance format, to take the tape and be crowned champion in Samorin, with great emotion.

“The sky is the limit really, I just didn’t expect that today, so I feel it’s given me so much confidence and to come back here and put it all together, it’s just really special,” said Charles-Barclay.

Pallant-Browne showed just what she is capable of across the 18-kilometre run, to storm down the finish chute and be awarded the silver medal at the long-distance world championships and a delighted de Vries, the 2021 long-distance champion, earned bronze to round out the women’s podium in Samorin.

Top-5 Women

Lucy Charles-Barclay GBR 3:34:17
Emma Pallant GBR 3:37:29
Sarissa De Vries NED 3:39:26
Grace Thek AUS 3:39:42
Luisa Baptista BRA 3:41:02

Pierre Le Corre wins the 2022 Long Course World Championship (photo credit World Triathlon).

Pierre Le Corre Takes Men’s Race

In the men’s race, Frenchman Pierre Le Corre and South Africa’s Jamie Riddle opened up a gap in the 2km swim to exit the water ahead of the field. Le Corre and Riddle were the first of the elite men through the first transition of the day and onto the 80km bike course in the 2022 World Triathlon Long Distance Championships.

Across the early stages of the fast and flat bike course, Germany’s Florian Angert, who won here at the same race venue in 2021, pushed through to take the lead. Le Corre rode in second position and Riddle was sitting in third. The young South African showed fantastic form across the swim and the early stages of the bike to ride with the likes of Le Corre and Angert. Germany’s Frederic Func moved into third position with Gregory Barnaby of Italy in fourth. Frenchman Clement Mignon was hunting the leaders in fifth position. Belgium’s Christophe De Keyser and Denis Chevrot of France were in sixth and seventh place respectively.

At the midpoint of the bike segment, Sweden’s Robert Kallin was eighth and Riddle was holding onto ninth, in a stacked field of experienced long-distance athletes.

Australia’s Tim Reed, who is a champion long course athlete, was forced to retire from the race due to a mechanical at the commencement of the bike course.

Angert showed exceptional form on the bike to enter the final transition of the day in the lead.

Le Corre, who earned silver in the individual race in the European Championships in Munich last weekend, commenced the 18km run in second and caught Angert by the fourth kilometer to take the lead. The French elite triathlete looked a force to be reckoned with out on the run course in Samorin.

Experienced Angert was running strong in second, attempting to chase down the Frenchman for the world long-distance title. Germany’s Func ran through from the seventh position up to third position on the final stage of the run with Italy’s Gergory Barnaby in fourth.

On the final portion of the run Le Corre increased his stride to run away with victory in Samorin and crowned the 2022 World Triathlon Long Distance champion, on debut at this distance, at a World Championship level.

“I am so happy to win today, that was a really hard race, especially on the bike. I tried to hold the German guys, they were pushing big power. I was in the front for the first 15-kilometres but I couldn’t follow on the last 25-kilometre. I tried to stay consistent. I knew I at the end of the bike, I had 55-seconds so I knew I could make it today,” said Le Corre.

Angert of Germany, who led for most of the bike leg, crossed the line in second and was awarded the silver in the long-distance championships.