NEWS

Messias scores Brazil its first-ever Junior World Title

By Erin Greene | 18 Sep, 2015
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When thunderstorms caused the men’s 2015 ITU World Championship men’s junior race to be delayed and shifted to a duathlon.

When thunderstorms caused the men’s 2015 ITU World Championship men’s junior race to be delayed and shifted to a duathlon, Manoel Messias (BRA) seized the opportunity to strike hot, scoring his first world title in Chicago. The title is the first time Brazil was represented on the top of the podium at the Junior World Championship race.

In a feisty battle down the finish cute, Messias shot past Germany’s Peer Sonksen and France’s Leo Bergere, who took second and third, respectively. When the course changed from a sprint triathlon to a two-lap 5km run, four-lap 20km bike and one-lap 2.5km run, more than 65 men started their hunt for one world title in front of Buckingham Fountain.

The wide, flat streets created the opportunity for a large chunk of the field to run together in the first discipline of the race. More than 20 men came into the first transition within five second of each other headed up by Spain’s Roberto Sanchez Mantecon. The group also included eventual winner Messias, as well as second and third place finishers Peer Sonksen and Leo Bergere.

Sanchez set about powering out of transition to create some distance over the field. Together with Bergere, Gustav Iden (NOR), Tayler Reid (NZL) and Max Studer (SUI), the men managed to drop nearly half of the pack early on the bike for a 14-front group.

While Reid attempted to go off the front a number of times, his attacks were short lived as the group shot back up to him every time. Coming off the four-lap bike, the Junior had just one lap back out on Columbus Street before the world title would be decided.

It was a decisive lap as many of the racers fell off a blistering pace. Coming around the Fountain for the final time, it looked like Sonksen would be crowned the fastest man of the day, but Messias managed to kick up his velocity in the final metres, scorching past the German just in time to claim the top honours with a roaring scream. Sonksen and Bergere both joined Messias in rounding out the top three for their first World Championship podiums. 

Related Event: 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Chicago
15 - Sep, 2015 • event pageall results
Results: Elite Men
1. Mario Mola ESP 01:44:53
2. Javier Gomez Noya ESP 01:44:57
3. Richard Murray RSA 01:45:35
4. Crisanto Grajales MEX 01:45:40
5. Vincent Luis FRA 01:45:44
6. Fernando Alarza ESP 01:45:52
7. Aaron Royle AUS 01:46:03
8. Jelle Geens BEL 01:46:10
9. Joao Pereira POR 01:46:10
10. Ryan Bailie AUS 01:46:13
Results: Elite Women
1. Gwen Jorgensen USA 01:55:36
2. Non Stanford GBR 01:56:05
3. Vicky Holland GBR 01:56:20
4. Andrea Hansen NZL 01:56:44
5. Rachel Klamer NED 01:56:50
6. Jodie Stimpson GBR 01:57:08
7. Sarah True USA 01:57:19
8. Ai Ueda JPN 01:57:29
9. Aileen Reid IRL 01:57:37
10. Juri Ide JPN 01:57:39
Results: Junior Men
1. Manoel Messias BRA 00:51:50
2. Peer Sönksen GER 00:51:51
3. Léo Bergere FRA 00:52:01
4. Roberto Sanchez Mantecon ESP 00:52:08
5. Matthew Hauser AUS 00:52:10
6. Luke Willian AUS 00:52:12
7. Gustav Iden NOR 00:52:16
8. Ben Dijkstra GBR 00:52:20
9. Charles Paquet CAN 00:52:24
10. Gabriel Sandör SWE 00:52:32
Results: Junior Women
1. Laura Lindemann GER 00:57:28
2. Taylor Knibb USA 00:58:14
3. Lotte Miller NOR 00:58:39
4. Alberte Kjær Pedersen DEN 00:58:40
5. Hye Rim Jeong KOR 00:59:05
6. Lena Meißner GER 00:59:19
7. Ekaterina Matiukh RUS 00:59:20
8. Emily Wagner CAN 00:59:38
9. Tamara Gorman USA 00:59:45
10. Lisa Tertsch GER 00:59:47
Results: U23 Men
1. Jacob Birtwhistle AUS 01:40:51
2. David Castro Fajardo ESP 01:41:05
3. Nan Oliveras ESP 01:41:15
4. Kevin McDowell USA 01:41:38
5. Gordon Benson GBR 01:41:56
6. Russell Pennock CAN 01:42:04
7. Juan Jose Andrade Figueroa ECU 01:42:09
8. Alexis Lepage CAN 01:42:18
9. Christophe De Keyser BEL 01:42:27
10. Shachar Sagiv ISR 01:42:31
Results: U23 Women
1. Audrey Merle FRA 01:04:35
2. Leonie Periault FRA 01:04:35
3. Melanie Santos POR 01:04:46
4. Avery Evenson USA 01:04:52
5. Miriam Casillas García ESP 01:05:12
6. Vanesa De La Torre MEX 01:05:20
7. Natalie Van Coevorden AUS 01:05:23
8. Chloe Cook GBR 01:05:26
9. Johanna Gartman USA 01:05:29
10. Lizeth Rueda Santos MEX 01:05:41