Mallozzi edges Arpinelli at Junior Women Worlds
By the 1 second margin she earned by a better bike-to-run transition, Beatrice Mallozzi beat fellow Italian Costanza Arpinelli to the line to win the ITU World Championship Junior Women title at Lausanne, Switzerland.
In a furious duel for the gold on the hilly streets of Lausanne, Mallozzi and Arpinelli posted equal race-best 17:32 splits to reach the finish of the sprint distance contest in 1:00:41 and 1:00:42 respectively. Jessica Fullagar of France arrived at the line 12 seconds behind the winner to take the bronze.
“This race meant so much to me,” Mallozzi told ITU media after out-sprinting training partner Arpinelli to the line. “I had a good start to the run but in the second lap I had some problems with my stomach, but I tried to focus and get to the finish for the win.”
“I am really happy with that race,” Arpinelli told ITU media. “I have never raced a World Championships and I really enjoyed it. We are teammates and we always train together so it’s a big deal to race together.”
“It was a really tough race and the course is hard but I am just so happy,” said Fullagar. “There were five of us as soon as we left transition and then it went down to four and then to three with 1km to go. That last hill really killed me so I hung on as long as I could but they were really strong, so well done to them.”
Race recap
Anja Weber of Switzerland and Kira Gupta-Baltazar of Canada led the swim in equal 10:00 splits, ahead of a tight pack of 15 women within 10 seconds, including eventual 3rd place woman Jessica Fullagar of France. Mallozzi trailed by 14 seconds in 19th place and Arpinelli was mid-pack in 31st place, 24 seconds arrears.
First on the bike leg, Bailee Brown of Hong Kong led a pack of 18 competitors. Anja Weber of Switzerland tried and failed to make a break, while Mallozzi settled in at the back, 15 seconds off the leader and 20 seconds ahead of a chase pack.
Starting the run, Fullagar took the lead on the first stern climb, while Hannah Knighton of New Zealand and Mallozzi and Arpinelli matched the pace. By the start of lap two, Knighton faded and Arpinelli took the lead with 500 meters to go, while Mallozzi grabbed her stomach with apparent pain in an effort to hang on.
After the final climb, Mallozzi, the European Junior Champion, had just enough to take the gold.
ITU World Championship Junior Women
Lausanne, Switzerland
August 30, 2019
S 750m / B 20k / R 5k
Results
Junior Women
1. Beatrice Mallozzi (ITA) 1:00:41 S 10:13 T1 00:38 B 31:53 T2 00:27 R 17:32
2. Costanza Arpinelli (ITA) 1:00:42 S 10:24 T1 00:44 B 31:36 T2 00:28 R 17:32
3. Jessica Fullagar (FRA) 1:00:53 S 10:09 T1 00:38 B 31:54 T2 00:28 R 17:46
4. Hannah Knighton (NZL) 1:01:26 S 10:13 T1 00:40 B 31:51 T2 00:29 R 18:16
5. Erin Wallace (GBR) 1:01:47 T1 00:40 B 31:59 T2 00:28 R 18:37
6. Chisato Nakajima (JPN) 1:01:49 S 10:23 T1 00:40 B 32:20 T2 00:28 R 17:59
7. Nora Gmür (SUI) 1:01:54 S 10:08 T1 00:39 B 31:55 T2 00:28 R 18:45
8. Anja Weber (SUI) 1:01:58 S 10:00 T1 00:43 B 31:58 T2 00:26 R 18:51
9. Gillian Cridge (USA) 1:01:59 S 10:06 T1 00:48 B 31:49 T2 00:32 R 18:46
10. Brea Roderick (NZL) 1:02:01 S 10:13 T1 00:39 B 31:51 T2 00:25 R 18:54
