Following the 750m swim a huge pack had formed on the 20km bike and there were a dozen athletes still well in contention as the run slowly boiled the field down until eventually just Grau, Mislawchuk (CAN) and Miguel Hidalgo (BRA) remained. It was cat-and-mouse for the final 500m, but ultimately Grau found the best line and some precious daylight at the final turn, pressing on to take the tape by just a second from Canada’s two-time winner, Hidalgo repeating last year’s result with bronze.
Post race the Canadian reflected on the event, “Bit of a strange race, on the run it was kind of like a championship style track event where I pushed the first bit but realised there was fifteen or twenty guys with us, tactics until the end and I got caught off guard going into the last corner. Second, I mean after I tore my achilles last year I didn’t know if I was ever going to be on one of these podiums again. You never know when your last podium is. I am happy to be standing up here. It’s been a long road, you never know when your last one is or your next one so I’ll enjoy this one.”
“I didn’t even know how many guys were behind us but I had the inside line but he just got around me by shuffling around like this so I expected someone to come from the outside so I just kind of caught my vision and with 50-metres to go, it was too late, I don’t know if I would have had the legs but either way, he outdid me.”
“I took the swim pretty hard, Miguel (Hidalgo) was right beside me, I know the class he is. I mean he was leading (WTCS) Leeds all last weekend so I figured I will let him lead and just tuck in. We started the bike with a few of us but it wasn’t to be as this course doesn’t do so well for breakaways, I am happy with the overall race.”
“Thanks to my coach, my training group, the last few months have been a blast. I love waking up every day and doing what I do, I am honoured. Honestly blessed to do triathlon as a living and World Triathlon put on events like this, it’s pretty special, it makes us able to have a living and do what we do.”
“Next week in Montreal. I have only raced two WTCS races in the past three years because of COVID and injury so it will be a bit of a shock to the system, the super-sprint and eliminator format but anytime I can line up at the start line healthy and I am a happy man. As I said last year, maybe a time for mojito.”
