Covid19 victim Jelle Geens recovers to win 2021 WTCS Abu Dhabi
After Belgium’s Jelle Geens Tokyo Olympic Games dreams were ruined, having fallen victim to Covid19 after testing positive, he has bounced back with full recovery to win the World Triathlon Championship Series 2021 Abu Dhabi.
Geens was one of the hot favourites for a medal in the hotly contested individual mens triathlon event at the Olympic Games having won the WTS Montreal in 2019 and taking second at the WTCS Yokohama prior to the Games. If losing his spot at the Games was not enough for any sportman to suffer he then went and fractured his wrist in the summer at the 2021 WTCS Montreal race.
So, what better way to finish a disastrous cycle of events in 2021 than to make a rousing comeback by taking victory at Abu Dhabi.
With the water of Yas Marina as warm as a tropical ocean the men lined up for the 750m non-wetsuit swim. As the swimmers swam in a snake line formation first to exit the waters was another athlete who has been plague by injury this year, the 2020 World Champion Frenchman Vincent Luis who is working his way back into the form that made him unbeatable. He was closely followed by the strong swimmers of Hungarian Mark Devay and Japan’s Takumi Hojo.
At this stage Jelle Geens and Olympic Bronze medalist Hayden Wilde looked out of the picture exiting the water in 37th and 44th respectively some 18 seconds down.
Out onto the 20k bike section on the Formula 1 race-track saw a front group of six make their move but the stronger cyclist in the chasing pack of Wilde, Leo Bergere of France, Geens, and Vasco Vilaca of Portugal lead a breakaway pack catching the front pack. By the time they reached T2 there were 17 athletes in the mix with a 40 second gap to the chasing pack.
Into the run and it was Hayden Wilde of New Zealand who set off at a bliztering pace in brutally hot 31 degrees Celsius climate – whether through naivety of jet-lag the jury are still out on that one. Some of the fastest runnners in triathlon were in the front pack and none were prepared to go with WIlde at a “Cheptegei “pace in the sweltering desert heat. However, by the half-way mark five runners of Wilde, Luis, Bence Bicsak (HUN), Geens and Antonia Serrat Seoane (ESP) had made a break-away front group.
Wilde was starting to pay the price for his early pace and began to fade as was Spain’s, Seoane. Frenchman Luis and Belgian Geens spotted their moment as they whizzed into the lead at the start of the second and final lap to fight it out for the win.
With one kilometre to go, the Belgian made his move upping the pace that Luis had no answer for. As the blue carpet came into sight Geens celebrations were ecstatic as he knew his torrid season was being put to bed with victory to end his year and start a new season. Jelle Geens took the Gold, Vincent Luis the Silver and Bence Bicsak the bronze.
