23. Powerman Duathlon World Championships Zofingen

The winners of the 23rd Powerman Zofingen are Melanie Burke from New Zealand and Joerie Vansteelant from Belgium. The star of the weekend is Vansteelant, who won in Zofingen, where after a break of twelve years the Powerman was held as ITU (International Triathlon Union) Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. The 29-year-old Belgium improved his own track record from 2009 by 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Talking about the Swiss performence: Best was Andy Sutz in 3rd place. At the Powerman Zofingen 2011 there were over all 1‘300 athletes taking part over the whole weekend. This is the best result since the year 2000.

Powerman World Ranking 2010/2011

The 23rd Powerman Zofingen will be remembered as a good one. After a break of twelve years the ITU (International Triathlon Union) Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships gave a comeback. Generaly in the last nine years there were no common world championships of the ITU and the IPA (International Powerman Association).

This taking place under ideal circumstances (20 degrees, cloudy, some rain at the end, but heavy rain after having finished the top-twenty athletes) für all the top-athletes. As if the athletes would have smelt this change of the weather, they speeded up after the first 10 running kilometers.

Vansteelants race of his life
At the beginning of the 150 bike kilometers Joerie Vansteelant went even faster, the way that his lead encreased. «I went so fast, that to the end of the race I had to search for some energy in my whole body.» Dispate the fact that Vansteelant before the final 30 running kilometers had an advance compares to his track record of ten minutes, the man from Belgium was not thinking by than of a new historical time. «I more or less was busy finishing the race with my last energy.»

The more lucky he was by arriving at the finishing line, where his wife and his a few months old son Niels were expecting him. «Never in my whole life I was faster before in a long distance race.» In 6:07.15,3 Vansteelant was 4 minutes and 20 seconds faster than two years ago when he achieved already a new track record. More than 9 minutes back the Frenchman Thibaut Humbert got second, almost twelve minutes behind the Swiss Andy Sutz arrived. At the ITU world championships in between 1997 and 1999 with Urs Dellsperger or Olivier Bernhard always a Swiss had won. Not this time.

«On the bike Vansteelant was flying away. Second place I lost at the beginning of the running section, when I had to make a toilette stopp and therefore lost 20 seconds on Thibaut Humbert.»

Csomor beaten
In the women’s race, where the pregnant World Ranking Number 1, Camilla Lindholm from Sweden, was missing, there was no new track record. This is still held by Karin Thürig, who was commentating for the Schweizer Sportfernsehen (7:04.08 from the year 2002). The victorious Melanie Burke from New Zealand was in 7:11.43,6 more than three minutes faster than Eva Nyström from Sweden and eleven minutes faster than Erika Csomor. Burke was making the difference at the beginning of the bike section.

«I was afraid to be overtaken at the end of the race and I was only sure winning two kilometers from the finishing line.» Csomor, who won in Zofingen the last seven times in a row, knew where she had lost the race. «I had too many races this years, but I try to win a eighth time in Zofingen next year.» This means, that the 37-year-old lady from Hungary won’t retire yet.

Text: Raphael Galliker, media officer Powerman Zofingen

More pictures are already online on www.powerman.ch to be downloaded for free in highest quality.

23. Powerman Duathlon World Championships Zofingen 2011, Long Distance
men ( 10 k running, 150 k bike, 30 k running)
1. Joerie Vansteelant (BEL) 6:07.15,3 *new track record
2. Thibaut Humbert (FRA) 6:16.58,3
3. Andy Sutz (SUI) 6:18.28,9
4. Beat Ritter (SUI) 6:26.46,8
5. Soren Bystrup (DEN) 6:27.17,5
6. Anthony Le Duey (FRA) 6:27.50,6
7. Matt Moorhouse (GBR) 6:29.48,7
8. Peter Bech (DEN) 6:30.15,1
9. Marc Widmer (SUI) 6:36.53,7
10. Stefan Wrzaczek (AUT) 6:37.27,6

women
1. Melanie Burke (NZL) 7:11.43,6
2. Eva Nyström (SWE) 7:15.10,9
3. Erika Csomor (HUN) 7:22.42,2
4. May Kerstens (NED) 7:27.26,4
5. Ulrike Schwalbe (GER) 7:38.41,2
6. Karin Gerber (SUI) 7:39.44,7
7. Tanya Diem (SUI) 7:42.47,8
8. Jacqueline Uebelhart (SUI) 7:45.00,1
9. Katrin Esefeld (GER) 7:45.19,2
10. Maja Jacober (SUI) 7:51.12,6
 

Whole results under:
http://services.datasport.com/2011/tri/zofingen/