British Bella Comerford won among the women while Gregorio Cáceres from Lanzarote finished fifth

Belgian Bert Jammaer surprises Juhanson and wins the 2008 Ironman with authority

The favorites, Estonian Ain-Alar Juhanson and Spaniard Virginia Berasategui, give way to the recent champion of Vulcano and the winner of the Ironman of South Africa, Comerford

May 26 2008 (01:22 WEST)
Belgian Bert Jammaer surprises Juhanson and authoritatively wins the 2008 Ironman
Belgian Bert Jammaer surprises Juhanson and authoritatively wins the 2008 Ironman

Photos: Sergio Betancort

Belgian Bert Jammaer and British Bella Comerford were the winners of this seventeenth edition of the Ironman Lanzarote Canarias. The race produced discreet marks and was developed with a strong wind that marked the passage of the triathletes through El Mirador. Gregorio Cáceres from Lanzarote, sixth in the 2007 edition, finished in an excellent fifth place despite having a puncture during his bike tour. Niko Muñoz, also from Lanzarote, champion of the Canary Islands in Arinaga, abandoned during the bike tour.

The competition once again broke its participation record by registering a total of 1,256 triathletes, an amount that decreased to 1,989 athletes in the massive water start in Playa Grande. The entrance image of almost two thousand athletes to the beach, as usual, was the spectacular sensation of the event.

Bert Jammaer proved to be dominant from start to finish, leaving the water in second place and taking first place from the start on the bicycle. He exhibited the same forcefulness and regularity observed a few weeks ago in the Vulcano Triathlon. He crossed the finish line with a time of 8 hours, 59 minutes and 38 seconds, ahead of the Finn Teemu Toivanenn (9:08:15) and the Estonian Ain-Alar Juhanson (9:08.37).

The Estonian Ain-Alar Juhanson started in the previous pools as a favorite along with the Spanish Virginia Berasategui to the absolute triumph in this edition of the Ironman Lanzarote. The Estonian, winner in the 2005 and 2007 editions, had a solvent race, but was surpassed in the marathon by the Finn. In fourth place, the Austrian Frederic Kohl crossed the finish line in Puerto del Carmen (9:09:50).

Cáceres improved one position

About 12 minutes after the winner, the best triathlete from Lanzarote in history in his participations in the Ironman, Gregorio Cáceres Morales, touched the finish line, who finished fifth with a time of 9:11.32; he was accompanied again by his little one, in his arms. Cáceres had a puncture on the bike and owed his good race to the improvement shown on the foot route, where he was faster than last year. He looked happy at the arrival, where he analyzed the test very positively. There he highlighted the value of his good marathon, the strength in the last kilometers of the race and the delay caused by the puncture on the bike.

In the women's category, the British Bella Comerford (10:02.38) also surprisingly won, because it was the Spanish Virginia, winner in 2004 and 2005, who was the most likely winner. The good role of the British in South Africa was no coincidence. In second place was the Dutch Heleen de Vaate (10:12:08), and the Canadian Tara Norton (10:13:17) completed the podium. Virginia Berasategui was fifth (10:22:34).

On the debit side, we must place the withdrawal of Niko Muñoz, champion of the Canary Islands, at the height of El Mirador, after having many problems with his bicycle route; as well as the discreet races of Dirk van Gossum and Loic Hélin, or the German Alex The Belgian Bert Jammaer and the British Bella Comerford were the winners of this seventeenth edition of the Ironman Lanzarote Canarias. The race produced discreet marks and was developed with a strong wind that marked the passage of the triathletes through El Mirador. Gregorio Cáceres from Lanzarote, sixth in the 2007 edition, finished in an excellent fifth place despite having a puncture during his bike tour. Niko Muñoz, also from Lanzarote, champion of the Canary Islands in Arinaga, abandoned during the bike tour.

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