Alexander Bozhilov claimed his second Development Cup gold of the season in Gallipoli, crossing the line 19 seconds clear of his brother Petar to complete a Bulgarian one-two in Turkey.
Emerging from the swim in second, Alexander wasted little time moving to the front with the fastest T1 before producing another race-leading transition in T2. He capped off an impressive all-round performance with the quickest 5km run split of the day (17:16), stopping the clock in 58:55.
The victory continues an outstanding 2026 campaign for the Bulgarian, adding to his Development Cup win in Mamaia in May and his bronze medal at the Balkan Championships in Ohrid.
Petar Bozhilov followed his brother home to secure silver, finishing 19 seconds back and nine seconds ahead of Romania's Vlad Adrian Remzing. Remzing produced a strong run to claim bronze, holding off Turkey's Emir Aracı for the final podium place.
Romania did top the podium in the women's race, however, as Tunde Georgiana Crisan claimed gold in 1:09:11, finishing seven seconds ahead of Bulgaria's Mira Ivanova Georgieva.
Crisan laid the foundations for victory with the fastest bike split of the day (36:45) before backing it up with the second-fastest run split (20:48). Georgieva was quickest through both transitions but was unable to match Crisan's pace on the bike and run.
The gold medal marked another step forward for Crisan after winning silver at the previous Development Cup in Mamaia and finishing sixth at the Balkan Championships in Ohrid two weeks ago.
Although Georgieva was unable to add to the gold medal she won in Ohrid earlier this month, the Bulgarian continued her strong form by improving significantly on her ninth-place finish at the previous Development Cup.
Serbia's Iva Pavlovic completed the women's podium, crossing the line in 1:09:34 to secure bronze.
Full results can be found here.
Photo: @yagyshoots