Soaring temperatures make for tough going. Aileen Morrison finished 14th in the Elite Women’s race at the European Triathlon Championships in Pontevedra, Spain this weekend. The Derry native struggled with the 42 degree heat in the Gallician town and whilst being part of the lead pack following the swim, Morrison found the heat very challenging on the bike and in the run.
Morrison later commented she was “A bit disappointed, but you can’t win them all”. Triathlon Ireland High Performance Coach, Chris Jones noted “the hot conditions played a big part in the race. While Aileen may be disappointed with the result it’s still top 15 in Europe which puts her well up there on the world stage.”
The race was won by France’s Emmie Charayon whose run pace was almost as blistering as the soaring temperatures. Morrison’s focus will now turn to preparations for the Hamburg World Championship Series race on July 16 – the very same event she won a bronze medal in last year.
Up and coming elite athlete, Conor Murphy placed 38th in the elite men’s race – a great result for the Armagh athlete. Murphy took some high profile scalps including 2010 World Champion Javier Gomez who suffered on the run with a stitch.
Some 50 Age Group Athletes represented Ireland across the weekend with Mark Horan taking gold in the Men’s 30-34 Sprint distance event; Mark Nolan from Cork claiming bronze in the Men’s 30-34 Olympic distance event and Killaloe’s Andree Walkin also taking bronze in the Women’s 30-34 Olympic distance race.
