NEWS

Andreev and Løvset’s Winter World Championship titles on the line in Jamijarvi

By David Peddie | 22 Mar, 2012

JAMIJARVI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

The 2012 Winter Triathlon season draws to close with the ITU Winter World Championships in Jamijarvi, Finland.

This is the second year in a row the World Championships have been hosted in the Finnish town and last year saw wins for Pavel Andreev (RUS) and Borghild Løvset (NOR)

Both Andreev and Løvset are back this year to try and defend their titles but they will face stiff competition from a stellar field looking to end the Winter season on a high.

ELITE MEN REVIEW

Andreev has been a consistent performer in this year’s Winter European series. He has two European Cup victories to his name and enters this race on the back of his win in Mals a fortnight ago.

Daniel Antonioli also has two series wins under his belt from Schwanden and Oberstaufen. The Italian veteran has an incredible record of consistent podium finishes, 11 podiums in his last 11 European Cups, stretching back to 2008.

It is at the bigger championships where this consistency has faltered, but a runner up spot at the European Championships broke the mould and he will view this race as his breakthrough chance.

In Valsesia, Antonioli was pipped by Andreas Svanebo. On his day, there aren’t many better Winter Triathletes than the Swede but after illness plagued his early European season, he bounced back to win his fourth European Championship title.

The 2010 World Champion will be determined to reclaim his crown after finishing third last year.

Maxim Kuzmin (RUS) is another interesting contender to watch. The 2011 U23 World and European Champion has made the step up to the Elite level this year and hasn’t looked out of place with two 4th place finishes in 2012.

ELITE WOMEN REVIEW

Borghild Løvset (pictured below) will have to work hard to defend her title she won so brilliantly last year in her maiden season.

A shock second place to Helena Erbenova (CZE) at the European Championships was unexpected but Løvset has only one other European Cup victory to her name this year after winning the season’s opener in Lygna.

Erbenova is definitely one to watch and will be determined to ensure her European Championships win was no flash in the pan.

Russian duo Yulia Surikov and Tatiana Charochkina are consistent and dangerous.

Surikova has two podiums in European Cups in 2012 with victory in Lahte and second place in Mals. But after a DQ in 2010 at Eidsvoll and 4th place in 2011 she will be desperate to put her World Championship form right.

Charochkina is another top athlete who has shown remarkable consistency in International competition – she hasn’t finished outside the top 6 of any race since 2008 – although a victory still eludes her.

Sarka Grabmullerova has not yet competed in a 2012 International triathlon race but she was runner up in the Europeans and Worlds last year and cannot be ruled out here.


 

U23 MEN

Pavel Yakimov is the one to watch here. The Russian is garnering a lot of admiring glances who have monitored his improvement year in year out.

A double Junior World Champion in 2010 and 2011, he will look to make the step up here and secure the U23 title. Having successfully made the step up from Junior European Champion to Junior U23 at Valsesia, whoever finishes ahead of Yakimov will do very well.

The best chances may fall to Norway’s Carl-Frederik Hagen, a bronze medalist at the Europeans a year ago, and Germany’s Julian Erhardt, who has finished in the top ten of two Elite European Cups this year.

U23 Women

Continuing the steady stream of talented young Russian athletes, Margarita Ovsyannivka is the reigning U23 World Champion.

She came third in the European Championships and also posted an impressive second place amongst the Elite field at the Lahte European Cup

Will it be third time lucky for Romana Slavinec (AUT)? Twice a runner up at World Championship level in 2010 and 2011, she returns to Jamijarvi a European Champion after claiming her maiden title a few weeks ago in Valsesia.

Norway’s Tone Dalen will also be a threat. She has won European titles at Junior and U23 level but lost her U23 European crown when she finished second in Valsesia.

JUNIOR REVIEW

An opportunity to watch the new stars of Winter Triathlon in action; Pavel Eliseev has the Junior Men’s title under his belt from Valsesia and looks well placed to do the World double.

Tatiana Loginova is also going for a Russian Junior double, to follow her own individual success at the European Championships.

But home athlete Emmi Paukku was fifth a year ago and she will receive plenty of support from the home crowd.



Along with the Elite and Junior athletes, over 40 Age Group competitors will take place across all of the age categories and a Relay race is also scheduled for the Sunday.

Live timing of the race will be available here 


 

Related Event: 2012 Jamijarvi ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships
24 - Mar, 2012 • event pageall results
Results: Junior Women
1. Natalie Brlicova CZE 01:00:48
2. Tatiana Loginova RUS 01:01:08
3. Noora Luokkala FIN 01:09:14
4. Sandra Schmidt EST 01:11:55
5. Emmi Paukku FIN 01:12:51
Results: Junior Men
1. Pavel Eliseev RUS 00:50:26
2. Joni Mustonen FIN 00:50:27
3. Zhorzh Basyuk RUS 00:51:26
4. Anton Ponosov RUS 00:51:52
5. Roman Vasin RUS 00:53:14
6. Lauri Lepistö FIN 00:57:43
7. Kari-Pekka Seppänen FIN 01:09:55
Results: U23 Women
1. Romana Slavinec AUT 01:37:22
2. Margarita Ovsyannikova RUS 01:40:47
3. Tone Dalen NOR 01:46:14
4. Pauliina Oksanen FIN 01:52:29
5. Diana Nevenchenko RUS 01:54:31
Results: U23 Men
1. Pavel Yakimov RUS 01:22:15
2. Pavel Khanzhin RUS 01:23:20
3. Viktor Kuznetsov RUS 01:23:41
4. Carl-Fredrik Hagen NOR 01:24:00
5. Evgeny Bayguzov RUS 01:29:21
6. Michael Ager GER 01:32:43
7. Siim Kauge EST 01:37:16
8. Michael Gschwendner GER 01:41:43
DNF. Julian Erhardt GER DNF
Results: Elite Women
1. Helena Karásková CZE 01:31:51
2. Maija Oravamäki FIN 01:32:00
3. Borghild Løvset NOR 01:32:03
4. Sarka Grabmullerova CZE 01:35:51
5. Tatiana Charochkina RUS 01:37:11
6. Simone Steinecker AUT 01:38:42
7. Ksenia Chernykh RUS 01:39:27
8. Eva Nystrom SWE 01:39:36
9. Yulia Surikova RUS 01:41:38
10. Suvi Lavonen FIN 01:53:35
Results: Elite Men
1. Pavel Andreev RUS 01:19:27
2. Daniel Antonioli ITA 01:19:43
3. Andreas Svanebo SWE 01:20:21
4. Evgeny Kirillov RUS 01:21:04
5. Alberto Comazzi ITA 01:21:11
6. Maxim Kuzmin RUS 01:21:25
7. Tomas Jurkovic SVK 01:22:07
8. Dmitriy Bregeda RUS 01:22:13
9. Jon Erguin Dorronsoro ESP 01:22:45
10. Kristian Monsen NOR 01:22:56