Monday, July 26th 2021
Schomburg slows down the fall
Norwegian Blummenfelt torments himself to gold
The Norwegian triathlete Blummenfelt is already celebrating 200 meters from the finish line: He wins the gold medal in Tokyo’s Odaiba Marine Park. The German starters have to be content with places 38 and 40. Schomburg is particularly unlucky.
Kristian Blummenfelt broke British dominance at the summer games and is Olympic triathlon champion. The Norwegian won in Tokyo’s Odaiba Marine Park by eleven seconds over Briton Alex Yee, whose compatriot Alistair Brownlee had triumphed in London and Rio. The New Zealander Hayden Wilde secured bronze.
The German starters Jonas Schomburg and Justus Nieschlag came in 38th and 40th. Schomburg was slowed down by a fall on the bike course. “There was a wave in front of me, I couldn’t evade and hit the bars. As a result, I lost touch. I hope the injuries aren’t too bad,” said Schomburg. “I then tried to keep the Olympic spirit high and to finish the race properly. I cut everything out on the running track.”
From a German perspective, the race started promisingly. Schomburg came out of the water in third after swimming 1.5 kilometers and was in a cycling group with Jonathan Brownlee, who later became fifth. However, this was caught at the halfway point of the 40 kilometers and a little later Schomburg had massive bad luck. The Austrian Alois Knabl tore off the rear derailleur right in front of him and the 29-year-old Hanoverian lost contact with the main field, where only Nieschlag was now represented.
Nieschlag switched to the final ten kilometers as 30th in the group. However, the 29-year-old from Lehrte had no chance when the strong runners at the front tightened around Yee. Blummenfelt made the decisive attack about one kilometer from the finish and was already celebrating the greatest success of his career 200 meters from the finish.
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