Kienle, Charles-Barclay On Top At Challenge’s The Championship Event
Germany's Sebastian Kienle finally earned the victory he had been after, while Great Britain's Lucy Charles-Barclay claimed the win for the third year in a row.
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Germany’s Sebastian Kienle finally earned the victory he had been after, while Great Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay claimed the win for the third year in a row at Challenge’s The Championship event in Samorin, Slovakia. Kienle found a late surge in the run to turn in a 1:11:31 half-marathon to claim the victory in 3:38:49. It was a big win for Kienle, who had finished second in the last two years.
“I think this was one of the best runs of my career,” Kienle said. “Not that the time is important, but more how I produced it. That run featured a lot of ups and downs mentally. Luckily the last push was forward and not backward like last two years. With eight kilometers to go, I really didn’t think there was a chance to win anymore, but my mind was strong enough to make it happen.”
Charles-Barcley used her dominant swim to establish a lead from the gun and carried it through the bike. In T2 it almost went wrong for Charles-Barclay, when she fell over her bike in front of the cameras. “I guess it was my worst transition ever… but on the run, I was strong again. It’s amazing to win here for the third time in a row.”
Enjoy these images from photographer José Luis Hourcade.
