The Italian pair of Sandra Mairhofer and Franco Pesavento scored their first Winter Triathlon Mixed Relay World titles on Sunday afternoon in Skeikampen to close out the 2023 World Triathlon Winter Championships in fine style.
Crowned individual World Champion the previous day, Mairhofer was showing no sign of fatigue over her two legs after Pesavento had set things up with a blistering first run-bike-ski. After successive silvers for Mairhofer, the gold capped another brilliant weekend in the snow for the decorated multisport star.
Team Norway I held off a late surge from Team II and Ingrid Lorvik had to serve a time penalty before finally securing silver with partner Hans Christian Tungesvik, bronze going to Romania’s Maria Luisa Rasina and Viorel Palici as the third fastest nation across the line. Edvard Fossum Olstad and Sara Bergsholm Hoven won the Junior Relay title for Norway I.
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It was Italy and Norway II fastest out of the blocks in the sunshine, Oivind Bjerkseth and Franco Pesavento flying back down the hill to transition with plenty of daylight behind them, only for the Norwegian to struggle to get out on the bike allowing Pesavento to establish an early lead.
After bronze in the individual race, Pesavento looked determined to press home the advantage, searing through the bike and keeping the lead even with the marauding, newly crowned World Champion Hans Christian Tungesvik closing in behind. Sweden’s Albert Askengren and Marek Rauchfuss (CZE) were shoulder to shoulder 20 seconds off the leader
Mairhofer was tagged and away clear, but Lorvik was also in full flow behind and chasing hard, taking 30 seconds out of the lead so the Italians were in sight at the halfway point.
Pesavento was again pulling clear on the run and bike then reeled in over the ski, Rauchfuss powering through his second leg for the Czech team, Bjerkseth tiring as it began to look like the silver was out of reach.
As Mairhofer produced the perfect final leg, it was in fact Friday’s Duathlon World Champion Julie Meinicke making up ground on Lorvik, and with a penalty to serve for equipment infraction right by the home straight, Norway I’s silver suddenly looked in peril.
As Meinicke closed in, the official released Lorvik, however, and she was able to ski home for second by just six seconds from Norway II, Rasina and Romania able to take the bronze as third fastest nation.
For the full results, click here.
