Long before Tongyeong became a home of triathlon, it was a city of poets. Indeed it was in Tongyeong that Kim Chunsu, one of South Korea’s leading 20th century poets, was born. In 1946 he wrote Flower and with it one of the most famous lines in Korean poetry: “Before I called its name, it was nothing but a gesture; When I called it by name, it came to me and became a flower.” Chances are Jolien Vermeylen (BEL) may not have had that line in her head when she stepped onto the starting pontoon at today’s World Cup, yet it encapsulated her race nonetheless.
Today was the day Vermeylen called to her race in a way she had not before and in doing so was rewarded with a first gold medal on the world stage. Her pre-race protestations that she hated running up hills and her tinge of pessimism over her 10km running form may have cast some doubt over her chances. Nevertheless, she set all of that aside and, when she called, her race certainly came forth in full bloom.
“I still don’t like running up hills,” she insisted after the race. “I was so happy with my 10km as very often I say I kind of fly and die. I go out super-fast and then after 2km feel like it wasn’t the best plan in the world. I was watching my watch and was like, ‘ok, this is the pace my coach told me I could do.’ I thought it was going to be too hard but in the end I could accelerate so I guess the coach was right.”
Summer Rappaport (USA) led through the first lap of the swim at the head of a group of five women. Her compatriot Tamara Gorman (USA) emerged in no man’s land between the lead quintet and the main group, although the gaps were still easily recoverable. Any prospect of the chasers making up time, however, faded over the second lap. Rappaport maintained her grip on the lead while Emma Jeffcoat (AUS), Eva Goodisson (NZL) Vermeylen, Sian Rainsley (GBR) and Sara Guerrero Manso (ESP) followed in quick succession. The lead pack of six then cleared T1 before chasers entered, the non-wetsuit swim making for some rapid transitions.
Despite losing Guerrero in the opening lap, the leaders continued to develop their advantage over the chase pack. Vermeylen in particular was in no mood to hang around, taking the descents on with real gusto. When the gap between the first two packs hit 45 seconds at the end of the opening bike lap, the signs were ominous for the chasers. The situation worsened as the gap surpassed a minute after only a third of the bike. Recent World Cup medallist Alissa Konig (SUI) headed up the chase pack with the American trio of Gina Sereno, Erika Ackerlund and Gorman, yet their work brought little reward.
When the leaders eventually returned to T2, the damage was extensive. A good 2 minutes stood between the lead and chase groups, with the medal hopes of the latter being read their last rites.
Vermeylen was the first through T2. Only Rappaport and Rainsley were able to hang with her early pace and that trio seemed set to battle out the medals. Goodisson held a slender lead over Jeffcoat, while the chasers pushed to make up time. Rappaport looked best up and down the sharp hill on the first of the four run laps. There was plenty of time, though, for Vermeylen and Rainsley to make the moves. Further back, Sandra Dodet (FRA) was absolutely flying and closed in on Jeffcoat.
Another small dig from Rappaport on the downhill segment put Vermeylen under some pressure although Rainsley was equal to the effort. The Belgian athlete gradually made up the few lost metres as the leaders arrived at the midpoint of the run. Meanwhile, Dodet had Goodisson in her sights. An improbable medal still seemed too tall an order. However the way she breezed past Goodisson early in the third lap was enough to offer the slightest hope of catching the three women ahead.
As it happened, there were only two leaders at this point as Vermeylen launched a stinging attack on the downhill to dispatch Rainsley. Rappaport, too, found herself on the ropes and threw her all at keeping touch with the Belgian athlete. At the start of the fourth lap Vermeylen went again and this time Rappaport had no answer. After coming so close on multiple occasions, including by a matter of milliseconds at the 2022 Bergen World Cup, Vermeylen at last claimed her elusive maiden World Cup win. Rappaport followed in 2nd place for the first medal of her season while Rainsley secured the bronze medal with a comfortable margin over the charging Dodet.
What they said:
In addition to her run, Vermeylen added, “I think all three disciplines were really good. We had a great swim. We rode so well on the bike; everyone kept taking turns even when we were tired and we had a pretty big lead.”
“I’m really overjoyed with my race,” said Rappaport. “Every time I’ve lined up this year before today was just absolutely horrendous. I was really injured at the end of last year. I had a hard time getting healthy again this year. Even after I started training well I couldn’t put a race together and after Torremolinos last week I told my husband, ‘I think I’m done with triathlon’.” Although it was the first time she had not won in Tongyeong, after two previous gold medals, Rappaport acknowledged, “But I’m pretty happy with 2nd today!”
Such was the satisfaction with her performance, when asked if her attitude had shifted from a possible post-Torremolinos retirement, Rappaport said with a wry smile, “I think it might have.”
For her part, Rainsley said, “On the run I was just trying to hold on for as long as possible. On the third lap going up the hill I got dropped and I was like ‘oh god, 3km to go, try and hold the gap’. But yeah, I’m really happy with that.”
