Salou's sun-soaked Spanish holiday town was the perfect backdrop for the OTSO Challenge Salou triathlon, which brought together athletes from 43 nations. With a competitive field of professional and age-group athletes, the race delivered stunning performances and a dramatic sprint finish, with Guillem Montiel (ESP) and Aurélia Boulanger (FRA) taking home the OTSO Challenge Salou 2024 titles in 3:43:20 and 4:15:22, respectively.
The men's race saw Kurt McDonald (AUS) take an early lead during the swim and extend it on the bike. However, Montiel's relentless pace on the run was the game-changer. McDonald, who had dominated the bike course with an impressive split of 1:49:26, finished a fraction of a second behind Montiel in 3:43:20. Great Britain's Thomas Davis secured third place with a time of 3:44:13, showcasing his consistent performance throughout the race. In a thrilling conclusion, Montiel clinched victory in a nail-biting sprint finish, clocking a time of 3:43:20. Montiel, who had been steadily closing the gap during the run, overtook McDonald in the final kilometres.
The shifting dynamics among the top contenders kept spectators on edge, culminating in one of the most exciting finishes in recent Challenge Family history.
“I pushed my limits all the time and had a strong finish in the end, so I just tried my best to take the win,” – said Montiel about his sprint finish.
In the women’s race, after a great swim, Natalie Lawrence (GBR) made a strong start, emerging from the water with a lead of about a minute ahead of Boulanger. However, Boulanger took the lead halfway through the bike and never looked back, extending her lead to five minutes by the end of the run. Boulanger, who had previously won the Challenge Cesenatico, dominated the race and showcased her prowess again by maintaining a significant lead throughout the run. Rachel Brown (GBR) put up a strong fight, overtaking Lawrence halfway through the run to claim second place with a time of 4:20:04, while Natalie Lawrence finished third in 4:21:31.
“I felt pretty strong on the bike so I could start the run with good legs, but I wasn’t sure until the finish line that I would win the race” – said Boulanger about her race.
For further information, visit www.challenge-salou.co
For full results: www.challenge-salou.com/en/results-2024