Stein and van Vlerken successful at Challenge Kraichgau

Stein and van Vlerken successful at Challenge Kraichgau

Julia Gajer is German National Champion

Boris Stein from Montabaur and Dutch Yvonne van Vlerken are the champions of Sparkasse Challenge Kraichgau presented by KraichgauEnergie. Stein crowned his achievement with winning German National Championship on triathlon middle distance. 

Maik Petzold from Bautzen was paid of winning second place for a courageous performance on his debut on middle-distance. Timo Bracht from Eberbach, who was forced to resign against Petzold on the run, finished third. Julia Gajer from Ditzingen, second place, managed to come dangerously close on the leading van Vlerken on run leg. After just a few kilometers in the bike leg van Vlerken took the lead and never gave it away. Gajer was crowned German National Champion. The runners-up are Jenny Schulz from Frankfurt and Natascha Schmitt from Darmstadt. Schulz could hardly believe her success after finishing. 

Due to a weather-related postponement of race start lasting one hour, athletes were released into the water with the ordinary cannon beat. Even though that the weather forecasts were variable in the morning. As expected the usual excellent Kraichgau triathlon weather emerged during the day. Round about 3000 age grouper athletes were spurred by more than 50000 spectators. Thus Challenge Kraichgau was experienced as an extraordinary triathlon festival, again.

Björn Steinmetz, organizer of the event was contentedly. `We have seen an exciting race. Above all, my thanks go out to all the volunteer, who made the apparently impossible possible in pouring rain this morning’ Björn Steinmetz said.

Joint favourite Andreas Raelert was not capable to cope up with the leading athletes after his affec-tion. Nor Dylan McNeice from New Zealand who was also designated favourite buried his prospect of a victory after he tumbled on the cycle track. However McNeice finished the race. Daniela Sämmler from Darmstadt also was forced to resign from the race after tumbling in a more promising position.

For further information see www.challenge-kraichgau.com

ENDS

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