A Belgian athlete becomes vice champion in the world of the triathlon
Marten Van Riel, 28, from Antwerp, narrowly missed a place on the podium at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. This time, at the World Triathlon Series held in Canada, he took second place behind Norway's Blummenfelt, becoming the runner-up at the Olympic Distance Triathlon World Championships.
Our fellow countryman was in third place after the swimming event (1,500 metres). He surged ahead during the 40-kilometre bike race but was overtaken by the winner in the sprint. The Olympic champion, Kristian Blummenfelt, overtook Marten Van Riel at the end of the 10 kilometres race.
After a season, in which our athlete narrowly missed out on a place on the podium he is delighted at having achieved second place: "I was very close to victory but I've got nothing to regret. I gave it everything I had, especially during the cycling stage and I couldn't have done any better. I thought there would be more of a gap after the 2nd transition, but when I saw that the chasers were only 10 seconds behind, I saved some energy for the last 5 kilometres, which I finished nicely."
In the final World Series standings, which are based on the three races of the season – Yokohama, Leeds and Montreal – and the Grand Final in Canada, the Olympic champion, Kristian Blummenfelt, ended up as the winner with 3927 points, followed by Belgium's Van Riel with 3594 points and Great Britain's Alex Yee (3289 points).
All that remains to say is that our fellow countryman has achieved a great end to the season! Un Belge vice-champion du monde de triathlon