Marfell second in world duathlon champs

Marlborough athlete Ryan Marfell represented his country with distinction today, finishing second in the under-19 world duathlon sprint distance championships in Australia.

The event was part of the 2024 Multisport World Championships, staged over 12 days in Townsville.

The sprint duathlon comprises a 5km run, followed by a 20km cycle then a 2.5km run to finish.

Ryan went into the world champs in fine form, having placed first in the national under-19 age group duathlon championships in Auckland two weeks ago.

In what he modestly described as “a pretty good day”, the 19-year-old was joined by a couple of fellow Kiwi team members on the Townsville podium, eclipsing 18 other athletes from all over the world.

Book-ending Ryan’s second place were Trident High School twins Oliver (first place) and Xavier Christie (third).

Ryan, who finished in 56 minutes 8 seconds, was 37 seconds adrift of the winner and around two minutes ahead of third. He said the Kiwis performed well together on the bike leg.

“We got a clean sweep of the podium which was very satisfying and we worked amazingly together, planning attacks,” Ryan said.

He came into the final transition in first place but was caught by Oliver on the run, cramp in his calf slowing him down in the latter stages.

A factor on race day was the heat, with the mercury rising to around 25 degrees by the conclusion of the event. Ryan described the race conditions as “quite brutal”.

“I wish there could have been a little breeze … that would have cooled us down a bit,” he added.

Next on his agenda is a shot at the Sprint Triathlon Age Groups World Championships, to be held in Torremolinos, Spain in October, the three-discipline event remaining Ryan’s main focus.

At this stage he is planning to race a sprint-distance triathlon, an Olympic-distance triathlon and perhaps a mixed team relay.