PONTEVEDRA, Spain — The third annual ITU Multisport World Championships came to a close Saturday in Pontevedra, Spain, with U.S. athletes earning 68 total medals across six multisport disciplines. Of those, 20 were gold, 25 were silver and 23 were bronze.
The competition, which featured racing at the age-group, junior, U23, para and elite levels, kicked off Saturday, April 27, and continued through Saturday, May 4. Athletes battled for world championship titles in sprint- and standard-distance duathlon, cross triathlon, aquathlon, aquabike and long-distance triathlon events.
The ITU Multisport World Championships format enabled athletes to compete in several different disciplines at the same event. Cynthia Lucking (Greer, S.C.) capitalized on that opportunity, earning a bronze medal in sprint duathlon and a silver in aquathlon in the women’s 65-69 age group.
Twenty-three athletes who earned medals at the 2018 ITU Multisport World Championships returned to the podium this year, including: Cynthia Abrami (Santa Barbara, Calif., F50-54), Colleen Burns (McIntosh, N.M., F70-74), Melisa Christian (Dallas, Texas, F40-44), Barbara Cronin-Stagnari (Mineola, N.Y., F55-59), Pieter Dehart (Jackson, Maine, M40-44), Jonathan Dolan (Atascadero, Calif., M16-19), Christina Dorrer (Rockville, Md., F45-49), Antonio Ferreira Da Silva Neto (Austin, Texas, M40-44), Duane Fritchie (Lees Summit, Mo., M65-69), Wayne Fong (Chatsworth, Calif., M85-89), Lauren Garriques (Lake Forest, Ill., F18-19), Beni Gras-Thompson (Roanoke, Va., F45-49), Leslie Hancock (Simi Valley, Calif., F45-49), Larry Mayse (Milton, Ga., M70-74), Suzanne Mink (Washington, D.C., F65-69), Payne Pachuda (West Chester, Pa., M20-24), Robert Plant (Woodside, Calif., M75-79), Blair Saunders (Newark, Del., M50-54), David Slavinski (Point Pleasant, N.J., M45-49), Robert Smartt (Boulder, Colo., M65-69), Kari Stoever (San Diego, Calif., F50-54), Gail Waldman (Vienna, Va., F60-64) and Rob Watson (San Diego, Calif., M70-74).
Judith Abrahams (Anchorage, Alaska) was the sole U.S. para-athlete to compete in Pontevedra, winning an aquathlon world title in the women’s PTS4 division.
California was the most-represented state among the medalists for the third consecutive year, as 22 Californians reached the podium. Six medalists hailed from Texas, and four were from Virginia.
U.S. athletes also performed well in elite races throughout the week. Josiah Middaugh (Vail, Colo.) placed fourth for elite men at the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships, marking his sixth career top-five finish at the event.
In the elite aquathlon, twins Rebeccah Wassner (New York, N.Y.) and Laurel Wassner (New York, N.Y.) finished 18th and 19th, respectively for women, while Thomas Roos (Culver City, Calif.) and Zane Grenoble (Playa Del Rey, Calif.) placed 21st and 46th, respectively for men. Grenoble’s finish also landed him ninth in the junior men’s division.
Roos went on to compete in a second event in Pontevedra, the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, where he placed 32nd. Jonathan McKinley (Berkeley, Calif.) was 29th for elite men in the standard-distance duathlon, and Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.) was ninth in the junior women’s sprint-distance duathlon.
For daily summaries and a listing of all Team USA medalists at the Pontevedra ITU Multisport World Championships, visit usatriathlon.org. For complete results, visit triathlon.org.
The ITU Age Group Sprint and Standard-Distance Triathlon World Championships are set for Aug. 31-Sept. 1 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Then the following weekend, the world championship season concludes with the ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships in Zofingen, Switzerland.
For more information about qualifying for and competing as part of USA Triathlon’s amateur Team USA, visit usatriathlon.org/teamusa.
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).