Spirig cruises to Challenge Gran Canaria win

Gold medalist Nicola Spirig likes to use half-distance races to prepare for the Olympics – before her win in London in 2012 and her silver-medal performance in 2016 she dialed in her fitness through the longer distance efforts, winning them all.

Today the Swiss star kept the streak going as she prepares for another Olympic appearance, easily taking Challenge Gran Canaria thanks to an all-around performance that saw her among the best on the day in all three disciplines.

Spirig led the women out of onto the bike after finishing the swim in 27:04, a few seconds behind Spain’s Sara Perez Sala, but using a quicker transition to start the ride in first. Sarissa de Vries (NED) was 17 seconds back, while the 2012 Olympic silver medalist Lisa Norden (SWE) trailed by 58 seconds after the swim.

By the end of the bike Spirig had opened up more time on her competition, hitting T2 with a two-minute lead on de Vries, with Norden a few seconds behind her in third.

Out on the run course Spirig’s domination continued as she gained even more time on the rest of the women, coming across the line in 4:05:52 for the win. De Vries would hang in for second (4:11:17), with Norden taking third (4:11:43).

You can find results from today’s race here.