Europe Triathlon

The triathlon superstars of the future will look to grasp their opportunity for glory at this weekend’s ETU European Triathlon Championships in Kitzbühel.

Alistair Brownlee, Jonathan Brownlee, Nicola Spirig and Emmie Charayron are just a handful of athletes who have won a Junior European Championship title before going on to win the Elite version.

The talented field for both the Junior Women and Junior Men races is full of young athletes who have tasted victory at Junior level and will hope to take the crown and follow their heroes.

Amongst a strong Junior Women’s start list, Cassandra Beaugrand (FRA) has had an excellent season so far with victory in the ETU Junior Cup in Quarteira in April and second place in the ETU Sprint Cup in Bratislava last month. Beaugrand finished a credible 11th in her first European Championships last year and will be one of the main contenders in Kitzbühel.

Tereza Zimovjanova (CZE) has had an incredible breakthrough year in 2014 with victory in her debut Junior Cup race in Brno and in Cologne to become European Aquathlon Champion. An unprecedented hat-trick could be on the cards for the youngster.

Zimovjanova is following in Laura Lindemann’s (GER) footsteps. The German had a similar debut season last year, finishing second in this competition in Alanya before claiming third at the World Triathlon Grand Final in London. Ditte Kristensen (DEN) has won two European Junior Cups in her short career and will be a threat here.

In the Junior Men’s race, Jorik Van Egdom (NED) and Raphael Montoya (FRA) will renew their rivalry. The two have dominated much of the Junior competition since a pulsating photo finish in Quarteira last year where Montoya pipped the Dutchman to victory.

Van Egdom can boast the World Junior Duathlon title, World Junior Cross title and European Sprint Distance title and finally won his first European Junior Cup in Brno earlier this year. Montoya has two three European Junior Cups to his name and will hope to go one better in this competition than last year in Alanya where he narrowly lost out to Dorian Coninx.

The French have a dearth of young talent coming through and Leo Bergere and Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger have also won their first European Junior Cups in 2014.

All races at the ETU European Triathlon Championships will be streamed live on ETU website at etu.triathlon.org.

ETU Junior Triathlon European Championships

Junior Women Start List – Friday 20th June, 1300 start (CEST)

Junior Men Start List – Saturday 21st June, 1300 start (CEST)