[ad_1]
Vasco Vilaça became vice world champion in Hamburg.
Portuguese Vasco Vilaça, who this Saturday became runner-up in the triathlon world in Hamburg, told Lusa that this race was “almost” the race he dreamed of, winning a silver medal in the World Cup at age 20.
“It was almost the test of my dreams. I never thought I could be ahead of the best athletes in the world, although that is the dream. After so many years of watching television, being there running with them is something very difficult to describe. “said the Portuguese to the Lusa agency.
In the sprint distance race (half the Olympic distance), which, in the face of a reduced World Series calendar, due to the covid-19 pandemic, crowned the new world champions, the Portuguese, junior European champion in 2017 ended Stay two seconds from the title, completing the distance with the time of 49.15 minutes.
After losing a few seconds to Frenchman Vincent Luis in the swimming section, he ended up gaining time on the bike earlier, in the race to the finish, having a worse time, occupying second place, after an acceleration by the French “veteran” in the final sprint .
Further back, the also French Léo Bergere was third, six seconds behind the winner, who revalidated the title of triathlon world champion, achieved in 2019 in the usual series of several races.
According to Vilaça, the goal from an early age was to join Vincent Luis, even because he is “the best athlete in the world at the moment”, thus having “the pace to fight for the podium.”
“The bike was very hard and I was very tired. (…) At the end, in the sprint, [o Vincent] had more energy. It was an excellent result, I am very happy ”, he shoots.
This result gives “a lot of energy to stay among the best,” he confesses, and has as a “secret” a specific job in swimming during the break due to the covid-19 pandemic. “It is my weakest point, and that work made the difference in the race. I have been working a lot in the race and on the motorcycle as well, but I would say that what made this result so unusual was the evolution in swimming”, confesses the athlete, who will compete again in Hamburg on Sunday, in mixed relays.
In the same race, with a 750-meter swim in Lake Stadtpark, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a five-kilometer run, João Silva placed 22, when he cut the goal in 50.14 minutes.
For Vasco Vilaça, after Hamburg, the World Cup in Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic) will follow on September 12, in a year in which qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is already “very difficult”, postponed to 2021 and whose the rating was not integrated in the initial phase.
“But I want to be in the 2024 Games, and of course the dream is an Olympic medal”, dreams Vasco Vilaça.
Born on December 21, 1999, the Benfica athlete, born in Amadora, Lisbon district, currently lives in Linköping, Sweden, accumulating triathlon with university studies, and at 20 he already admits that he will be more “marked” in future tests.
“It makes it more difficult to start today. It will not be so easy for the bike to slip away to start running forward and better control the race. When athletes start to know the name, they no longer let it slip. [Mas] It is a beautiful moment, to be recognized by other athletes, and he does it very well ”, he confesses.
The ‘adventure’ in triathlon began at the age of six, still in the duathlon, leaving gymnastics behind, seven years before moving to Sweden, in a year of 2013 in which he had already achieved victories in the Nationals of all levels juveniles.
Until arriving in Hamburg, in what was only his second participation in a World Series event, he was vice-champion of juniors and European champion of juniors, in 2017, now reaching the highest point of his career.
Speaking to the International Triathlon Union, today’s third place winner, Léo Bergere, highlighted the “great feeling of sharing the podium with a friend like Vincent and a pure talent like Vasco”.
[ad_2]
