The 2022 CITY TRIATHLON Karlovy Vary has started. The busy weekend opened on Friday, 9th August with the Czech Pupils’ Cup, in which 167 children took part at the Rolava Lake!
Even though the sky over Karlovy Vary clouded over an hour before the start and rain began to fall, the sun was already shining on Rolava during the races. Thanks to this, the pupil categories were able to enjoy the last cup races of the season.
The first to jump into the water of the Rolava Lake were eight- and nine-year-old competitors, who had to swim 100 metres, cycle 2.2 km and run 1 km. Even on the shortest courses, there were great battles to be seen. The happiest after them were the winners Veronika Křížová and Antonín Rolný.
The same distances were also prepared for pupils in the 10-11 years category. The fastest among them was Alžběta Malochová. Adam Šiška was the winner in the boys´ category.
In the category of the 12-13-year-olds, longer distances were waiting for the Czech Cup participants, particularly 0.3+ 6.8 km + 2 km. Ondřej Plic and Nela Markova ranked first.
The category of older pupils aged 14-15 was the best attended, with 61 of them taking part! After 400 meters of swimming, 8.2 kilometers of cycling and 3 km of running, Matěj Procházka, who managed to break away from Michal Švarc in the run, was happy with the victory. Karolína Rutarová did the best in the girls’ race.
On Saturday the racing program will continue in Karlovy Vary. In the morning, the Geis Baby Duathlon for the youngest children and their parents will be held. In the afternoon there will be Age Groups races, which are included into the Czech Cup. Youth and junior triathletes will fight for the national titles at the championship.
Complete results of Friday´s races can be found at:
Due to the location of the venue in the historical centre of the spa town, the organizer is not able to ensure parking lots for participants. We recommend using municipal transportation or parking lots on the town outskirts:
> parking lot Kouzelné městečko – KOME, Slovenská 2003/2A (near Richmond Hotel and Post Yard Hotel)
> park house Libušina, Libušina 2120/21 (near the Imperial Hotel)
> parking lot near the Marttel Hotel, Lidická 447/12
> parking lot at the Lower Railway Station, Západní 2080/2A
BUS SCHEDULE BETWEEN ROLAVA AREAL AND THEATRE SQUARE:
Important: The cable car stop on Divadelní náměstí (Theatre Square) is on the corner between the old Savings Bank and the Olympia Hotel – the cable car then follows the bus. The times given are always the times of DEPARTURE from the given stop. The journey time is about 20 minutes.
Dear fellow citizens, Dear visitors, We would like to inform you that the World Cup in Olympic triathlon will be held in Karlovy Vary on 9th September – 11th September. This is the most significant event of its kind in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. Our aim is to ensure the highest standard and security for world elite athletes and the general public, there will be some traffic restrictions related to the event in place.
Our goal is to reduce as much as possible its impact on life around the venue. Please, therefore follow the instructions of the Municipal Police, the Police of the Czech Republic and the organizers, who are fully informed about the entire sporting event.
Thank you very much for your understanding and we invite you to watch the top triathlon race.
In a case of any questions or suggestions, please contact us on the contact below.
Road closures and restrictions:
Theatre Square/ Divadelni namesti
Friday, September 9th from 6 am – Sunday, September 11th to 12 midnight – closures of the main part of Theatre square, public transport stop is moved to Spa House I, there will be no possibility to park at Theatre square, it will be possible to go around the Theatre square – Divadelni Street – Vridelni Street.
Complete closures of the Theatre square will be:
Saturday, September 10th: from 1:30 pm to 8pm
Sunday, September 11th: from 9:45am to 12:45pm and from 2:45pm to 4:40pm
Marianskolazenska Street (from crossroad close to Spa House I), Nova Louka Street – entrance only for vehicles with special permission. There will be no parking possibility at Nova Louka Street in dates:
Saturday, September 10th from 10 am to 9 pm and Sunday, September 11th from 6 am to 12 midnight
Friday, 9th September
From 12:15 pm to 3:50pm – closure of Mlynska Street, Trebonska Street and cycling path around Rolava at Cankovska housing estate
From 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm – closure of Mlynska → Trebonska → Cankovska → Zeleznicni → Sokolovská (shuttled) → 17. listopadu Square → Pozarni → Cankovska
Saturday, 10th September – Czech Cup AGE Groups race
bridge 17. Listopadu → I. P. Pavlova → Karla IV. → Vridelní → Theatre Square → Trziste → Zamecky vrch → Petra Velikeho → Krizikova → Krale Jiriho → Dr. Davida Bechera (part) → T.G. Masaryka → nabrezi Osvobozeni
2 pm- 4:30 pm and 6 pm – 8 pm
Marianskolazenska (crossroad close to Spa House I) → Goethova stezka
The Olympic stars will shine again in Karlovy Vary, where the most beautiful and at the same time the most demanding course in the World Triathlon calendar awaits them. “We are happy that the start list is packed with great names! Just taking the last two World Cup races in Valencia and Bergen, we have both women’s winners and the winner of the men’s race from Spain heading our way,” says race director Vladimír Malý.
Tereza Zimovjanova will be the only Czech female triathlete in the women’s race. Petra Kuříková was sidelined by a shoulder injury, Alžběta Hrušková and Michaela Štěrbová will represent the Czech Republic at the Academic World Championships in Brazil, and Vendula Frintová is saying goodbye to her career. She now has a completely different challenge ahead of her – maternity duties await her. “Two of us wouldn’t be able to go up the steep climb of the Chateau hill,” says the Czech triathlete who won the World Cup race in Karlovy Vary twice.
Only Zimovjanova will face the world competition this year. “I will go into the race with the same ambitions as a year ago, when I wanted to finish in the top ten. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish the race last year after a fall on my bike. Hopefully I will meet the goal this year,” said the Czech national team member, who ranked 7th at the World Cup in Mexico this season.
Her rivals at the Karlovy Vary World Cup are among the world’s top triathletes. On the start list there are, for example, France’s Leonie Periault (5th at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, 2nd at the World Championships in Yokohama 2022), American Summer Rappart (8 times winner of the WC race, 1st at the World Championships in Edmonton 2016) or the defending champion and last year’s European champion Julie Derron from Switzerland. Six athletes who are ranked in the world top 30 will come from Germany!
Czechs Radim Grebík, Jan Volár, David Martin and Tomáš Zikmund, who preferred the Karlovy Vary race to the World Championships in Brazil, will take part in the men’s race. “The goal is to finish in 33rd place to qualify for the final race at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Radim Grebik, who finished seventh at the World Cup in Arzachena and 18th at the World Championships in Hamburg, will be looking to repeat his great results from the start of the season. Since then, however, his life situation has changed – since August he has been doing triathlon in addition to his new profession, as he started working as an engine driver.
The Brazilian Manoel Messias, who dominated the World Cup race in Valencia a few days ago, will go into the race as the biggest favourite with the starting number 1. Young Hungarian Csongor Lehmann, last year’s U23 World Champion, is gaining ground. American Matthew McElroy has silver in the World Championship and three World Cup wins. Switzerland’s Max Studer has an interesting collection of World Cup medals, but is still waiting for gold. Will he win it in Karlovy Vary?
As usual, the race will start at the Rolava Lake, where participants will swim 1500 metres. They will continue on a 40km cycling course. The triathletes will approach the spa centre and complete seven circuits past the beautiful colonnades, but also with a challenging climb to Chateau Hill, which is unprecedented in the triathlon world. Finally, they will run 10km in the valley of the Teplá River.
The centre of the race will be located on the Theatre Square, where a grandstand for several hundred spectators will be built near the finish line, from which it will be possible to watch a live broadcast on a large screen. You can also watch the entire race live on Czech TV channel Sport and on the triathlonLIVE.tv website.
Children and hobby triathletes will be competing in Karlovy Vary
The day before, the Age Groups race, which is the last race of the Czech Olympic Triathlon Cup, will take place on the same venue but at half the distance. It is intended for hobby and professional triathletes who will enjoy the same beautiful courses and professional conditions as the World Cup participants.
The programme also includes races for children – on Friday, the Czech Pupils’ Cup will take place at Rolava, and on Saturday morning, the Geis Baby Duathlon, which combines running and cycling and is intended for children from one to 12 years old, will take place at the same venue. They can also take part in the race on bicycles or tricycles.
The weekend in Karlovy Vary can also be varied by a cultural programme – on Friday and Saturday, the spa buildings will be lit up after dark thanks to the VARY°ZÁŘÍ festival, during which they will be illuminated by video mapping.
Karlovy Vary will be dominated by the Olympic atmosphere. For the sixth time, the beautiful spa centre will host the Olympic Triathlon World Cup race, which will be attended by stars from the Tokyo and Rio Olympic games. A new addition to the programme will be the highly attractive mixed relay race, which is held over extremely short distances and is also part of the Olympic programme. However, the CITY TRIATHLON Karlovy Vary will also offer races for the public, children and an attractive cultural programme on the weekend of September 9-11.
Two years ago, Olympic champions Blummenfelt of Norway and Duffy of Bermuda competed in Karlovy Vary. Last year, German triathlete Priester and Swis triathlete Derron, two of the world’s greatest triathlon talents, were the first to cross the finish line on the beautiful Theatre Square. Who will enjoy victory in the World Cup this year?
“The start list will not be unveiled until a month before the race, but we already have information that the star Dutch pair Richard Murray and Rachel Klamer should be back,” says race director Vladimír Malý. Murray is the fourth man from the Rio Olympics and the winner of the final race of the 2015 World Championships. Klamer has long been one of the world’s top triathletes.
The complete Czech top team, including Olympians Petra Kuříková and Vendula Frintová, will also be at the start. “World Cup in Karlovy Vary? There is nothing more. It is the most demanding course in the world triathlon. The competitors leave completely finished, yet every year so many stars come. It’s super competitive,” said another representative Tereza Zimovjanova about the race, which takes place over the distances of 1500 m swimming, 40 km cycling and 10 km running.
The World Cup is the culmination of the entire competition, which will open on Friday with the Czech Pupils’ Cup and also a new addition to the Karlovy Vary programme: a mixed relay race over very short distances. The organizers have big plans for it. “This year it is a test event, so it will take place at Rolava. In the following years, however, we would be happy if it would be swum in the Teplá riverbed and the whole race would take place in the spa centre. We will also try to include it in the World Cup calendar,” says Vladimír Malý.
On Saturday, the Age Groups race will take place, which is open to all recreational athletes looking for an amazing race experience on the most beautiful triathlon course in the world. The 750m swim course will take place at Rolava Lake, the 20km bike course will take the competitors to the spa centre and the 5km run will then finish right on Theatre Square, where the centre of the whole race will be again.
For sport and cultural experiences
It is from Theatre Square that fans will have the best overview of all the event, as there will be a beautiful triathlon arena with a large grandstand, a big screen, a stage and partner stands.
This year, CITY TRIATHLON Karlovy Vary is also joining forces with the popular cultural event VARY°ZÁŘÍ, which will see the most beautiful buildings in Karlovy Vary illuminated with lasers and video mapping, and for which tens of thousands of visitors come to the city every year. There will also be a cultural programme on the Theatre Square, which will feature performances by popular music groups and DJs.
For the fifth time, the spa centre of Karlovy Vary has welcomed the prestigious Triathlon World Cup race! In a fantastic atmosphere created by thousands of fans, German Nygaard-Priester and Swiss Derron won.
Of the eleven Czech triathletes, Jan Volár performed best in 15th place at the CITY TRIATHLON Karlovy Vary race.
The beautiful spa centre of Karlovy Vary welcomed participants of the Olympic Games, elite world triathletes and eleven Czech triathletes. Awaiting them there were the following distances: 1,500 metre swim in the Rolava Lake, 40 km of cycling with seven hard climbs to the Castle Hill, which make the Karlovy Vary race one of the toughest Olympic triathlons in the world. Finally, they completed a 10 km run along the colonnades along the Teplá River.
In the men’s race, Hungarian Márk Dévay was the first to run out of the water of the Rolava Lake. The best swimming performance from the Czech Republic was given by David Martin, who, like Jan Volár and Radim Grebík, reached the second cycling group of 25 triathletes. A four-member leading pack was riding with more than half a minute gap, with Japanese Hojo, Italian Crociani and Portuguese Silva in addition to Dévay.
Lukáš Červenka joined the group after the first transition are in 37th to 42nd place. He managed to catch up with the competitors in front of him during the race and in the second transition area he jumped down from the bike at the 31st position.
Tomáš Zikmund and Tomáš Kříž completed a challenging cycling track with seven climbs in the group to 41st to 48th position. At first, Jan Čelůstka also rode with them, but the experienced triathlete withdrew from the race during the cycling part. Filip Václavík, on the other hand, was able to group up with other two competitors. However, he wasn´t able to keep up with the high pace, so he arrived at the transition as the 50th.
In the running section, all four leaders paid for the cycling section, which cost them significantly more forces than the members of the large second group, and began to fall through the ranks. The victory was secured by a superb running performance by Lasse Nygaard-Priester of Germany, who finished in 1:53:31. British Grant Sheldon finished second and Hungarian Csongor Lehmann took bronze from Karlovy Vary.
“The absolute best and definitely the biggest victory of my career! It was only my second World Cup race and I managed to win right away,” Priester laughed after the race. “I enjoyed the race immensely. There was a great atmosphere, a very demanding track and there were a lot of fans standing alongside it.”
Of the three Czech competitors in the second group, Jan Volár, who took the 15th place, finished at the best position. “I haven’t done well here in the last few years, so I hope I broke the bad luck today. Swimming didn’t work out here again because there were many clashes in the water. And cycling is difficult for me in the hills when I weigh over 80 kilos,” said Jan Volár. “While it is true that some of the best people have been missing in Karlovy Vary this year, the starting field was of good quality and hopefully today’s result shows that I already belong to the wider world elite and if I continue like this, I will make my way to the podium in bigger races.”
Only eleven seconds worse was Radim Grebík, who finished 19th. “The running performance was negatively affected by the health complications I had, but I think I did quite well despite them,” Grebík said. “Compared to last year´s World Cup here and past races, this is a result and performance shift for me, for which I am very happy. I am also very happy with all the Czech results here.”
Czech female triathletes struggled
Of the four Czech female triathletes on the starting list, only one was targeted in the crowded Theatre Square. Two-time race winner Vendula Frintová did not start due to the illness. And the bad luck kept accompanying the Czech team during the race itself. Tereza Zimovjanová, who came out of the water ranked best, caught up with the second group of cyclists, but she fell while crossing to the spa centre and the damaged wheel rim did not allow her to continue.
Petra Kuříková rode her bike in the third group, in which she was ranked 17th-25th, but after the fourth of seven cycling circuits she withdrew due to a severe headache that had plagued her from the start.
Of the Czech triathletes, only Alžběta Hrušková remained in the race field, completing the swim course with a one-minute loss to the fastest swimmers. During the cycling part, she was around 30th place – she led a group of five competitors to 31st position into the second transition area. She finished 33rd. “The Karlovy Vary race is beautiful and I am very glad that so many people came to watch and cheer us up. However, at the same time I am terribly disappointed because I had nothing to take from today and I do not know how I got to the finish,” she said frustrated after her result.
The victory from Karlovy Vary was taken by the Swiss Julie Derron, who exited the waters of the Rolava Lake on the 15th position, but soon worked her way up to the leading group on the bike. It numbered 13 triathletes when the female triathletes arrived at the second transition area. She shot from this transition area as the eighth, quickly getting to the lead, where she was fighting the Italian Seregni, but soon she built up her leading position and ran the last lap on her own. Her winning time was 2:06:57.
From behind, Japanese Ai Ueda was appoaching her in the running section. Ueda demonstrated her running skills which she turned into a spectacular running performance that received a huge ovation and moved her from the 13th rank to silver! The bronze was awarded to Italian Bianca Seregni.
Results
2021 World Cup Karlovy Vary, September 12
Men: 1. Lasse Nygaard-Priester (Germany) 1:53:31, 2. Grant Sheldon (Great Britain) +34, 3. Csongor Lehmann (Hungary) +41… 15. Jan Volár +2:07, 19. Radim Grebík +2:18, 29. David Martin +4:40, 42. Lukáš Červenka +7:48, 45. Tomáš Zikmund +8:20, 50. Tomáš Kříž +9:21, 52. Filip Václavík +12:28, Jan Čelůstka did not finish
Women: 1. Julie Derronová (Švýc.) 2:06:57, 2. Ai Ueda (Jap.) +24, 3. Biana Seregni (It.) +35 … 33. Alžběta Hrušková +14:20, Petra Kuříková and Tereza Zimovjanová did not finish.
