Duathlon World Championships
Geel, Belgium
Sunday, August 30, 2004
10k run, 40k draft legal bike, 5k run
Complete Results

Elite Women
The day in Geel was cool with air temperatures around 18^oC, with light rain - ideal for running, but quite treacherous on the bike. The event passed through the picturesque Geel Market Square where the restaurants that line the square were filled with thousands of local fans.

In the elite women's event a strong field of the world's best set a fast pace on the first run lap, with a pack of 25 jostling for position at the front. Annaleah Emerson of Great Britain and Mieke Suys of Belgium moved to the front on the 2^nd lap alone with the 2001 World Duathlon Champion Erika Csomor of Hungary. On the last lap Laura Giordano of Italy joined Emerson and Csomor at the front as Mieke Suys dropped out of the lead. The leaders made a swift break as the field swept through the 1st transition with Andrea Mayr of Austria and Catriona Morrison of Britain back 15 seconds.

Mayr caught the leaders on the first lap as a chase group of 6 led by the home-country favourite Mieke Suys slowly closed in on the leaders. Anne Jorgenson of Denmark and Bianca Simpson of New Zealand were also at the front of the chase pack with Suys. By the end of the 2^nd lap the leaders were caught as a group of 10 formed at the front and a new chase group of 7 was under a minute back. Mieke Suys tried twice to organize a breakaway off the front, but both attempts were unsupported and she fell back into the mix. Suys lead into the 2^nd transition with a 2 minute lead on the chase group followed closely by Emerson, Csomor, Jorgenson, Mayr and Simpson, as they entered the final run in that order. Emerson and Csomor ran shoulder to shoulder at the front through the 1^st lap with a 10 metre lead over Giordano, while Morrison and Mayr were a further 5 metres back.

Csomor and Emerson jockeyed for the lead throughout the final lap as several times Emerson had to reel the Hungarian in after attempted breaks. But by the 4km mark Csomor had broken the spirit of the Brit and romped home to take the World Title by 9 seconds. Giordana rounded out the podium just 4 seconds behind Emerson.

Elite Women: Top 10 results:

Elite Men
In the elite men's event the light rain that had been falling during the women's event turned to a serious downpour, but this did not affect the enthusiasm of the spectators that lined the Geel Market Square now that their hero Benny Vansteelant was about to defend his World Title. Nakata Takashi of Japan took off from the starter's signal and led the very talented field through the 1^st lap with home-country favourites Benny Vansteelant and Jurgen Dereere sitting comfortably in the group. On the second lap Vansteelant moved to the front with his team-mate Dereere, sending the locals into frenzy. Italy's Corrado Armuzzi also broke from a long string of athletes in an attempt to stay in contact with the pre-race favourite.

On the 3^rd lap Vansteelant, Dereere and Armuzzi were joined by Nicolas Lebrun of France, a frequent podium finisher at ITU World Championship events, as Roger Smeets of the Netherlands and Roel Pauwels of Belgium also broke from the chase pack to join the leaders. Just prior to the 1^st transition, Vansteelant, Smeets, Lebrun, and Pauwels broke away from the others and had a 20 second lead as they started the 40km bike. Jonathan Hall of Australia and Shane Reed of New Zealand took charge of the chase pack in the hunt for the wily Belgian at the front.

Despite the treacherously wet bike course, Vansteelant lead his group to a 45 second lead by the end of the 15km mark. They continued to work in perfect harmony at the front gradually extending their lead as the kilometers clicked by. The chase pack which consisted of over 30 riders lumbered cautious through the first 20km when Shane Reed took charge at the front and pulled the chasers to within striking distance of the leaders. The chase group caught the leaders on the final lap as Vansteelant's team-mates worked to prevent a break-away and to allow their hero to rest in the pack in preparation for the run ahead.

22 athletes stormed through the 2^nd transition, but it was Roger Smeets who was the first onto the 2 lap final 5km run, just ahead of France's Anthony Le Duey. The early leaders were soon caught by Vansteelant, with Le Duey, Shane Reed and Nicolas Lebrun still in contact.

On the second lap Lino Barruncho of Portugal came out of nowhere and overtook Reed and was running neck and neck with Lebrun. For one brief moment as they started the final surge for the finish it appeared that the Portuguese might spoil things for the “King of Du”, but this was not to be. In the final 500 metres Vansteelant surged with the crowd urging him on and as he passed the Market Square he had built up a lead of 10 seconds as Barruncho put a strangle-hold on 2^nd and the veteran Frenchman settled for 3^rd. The noise from the crowd was deafening as they welcomed their hero home - a splendid finish for what ITU Officials are calling “The best Duathlon World Championships ever….by a long shot!” Vansteelant also made a little history himself, being the first man in the history of Duathlon to win 4 World titles.

The late Primo Nebiolo, former President of the International Athletic Federation (IAAF) and prominent IOC Executive Board member 10 years ago wrote, “Duathletes are the first cousins to our athletes - there is no confrontation, but rather continuity. Jumping onto the saddle after running ten kilometers and then running again after 40km on two wheels is a demonstration of the integrity and strength of muscles and will power of these champions. Running and cycling are both beautiful and venerable sports.” Nebiolo's words were never truer than at today's Geel ITU Duathlon World Championships.

Elite Men: Top 10 results:

Junior Men

Junior Women

Under 23 Men

Under 23 Men