PARIS, 2 Sep. (by EUROPA PRESS special correspondent Ramón Chamorro) –
Spanish triathlete Susana Rodríguez was crowned double Paralympic champion on Monday after winning the gold medal in the triathlon event for visually impaired athletes at the Paris Games, giving Spain its seventeenth medal, fifth gold and second in this sport after Dani Molina’s win a few hours earlier in PTS3.
The Galician athlete was the great dominator in the French capital, as she had done three years ago, then accompanied by Sara Loehr. On this occasion, with Sara Pérez she was the best in swimming, cycling and running to win her second Paralympic gold with great authority.
Hours earlier, Dani Molina, finally making his debut at the Games in this sport, slowly worked his way up to winning the gold medal in PTS3 for athletes with physical disabilities, culminating in his magnificent running race, his strong point and where he made a great comeback after controlling his rivals well after the cycling segment.
The five-time world champion from Madrid was the favourite in this event, a new addition to the programme for Paris 2024, an inclusion that finally allowed him to aspire to the only thing missing from his enormous list of achievements, which also includes six European golds. A Paralympic swimmer in Athens 2004, he ended a long wait in the best possible way, with a very authoritative victory that allowed him to enjoy it on the finishing straight where HM Queen Letizia was also in the front row, supporting the triathletes this morning.
The Spanish triathlete showed his strength from the start. In the waters of the Seine he fought against the current and his rivals to come out on top, although closely followed by the Dutchman Nico van der Burgt. In the cycling race, where he can suffer the most, he handled the situation well. Van der Burgt and the German Max Gelhaar passed him and tried to open up the maximum distance.
When he switched to running, the time was 47 seconds, which was a very easy one for the Madrid native, who is the best in this speciality in his category and who spared no effort. He overtook his two rivals after almost a kilometre and a half, escaped and was able to enjoy Paralympic glory after finishing his triathlon in 1:08.05, 38 seconds faster than Gelhaar.
MORAL, 7 SECONDS AWAY FROM ANOTHER BRONZE
In the wheelchair category, Madrid-born Eva Moral was unable to repeat her podium finish from three years ago and finished in fourth place, seven seconds away from another bronze medal, after a cycle in which she became a mother.
The Spaniard came in second after the swimming segment behind Australian Laura Parker and after a start in which all the participants were “very close” to the wall to avoid the current as much as possible. Then in the cycling she suffered a little more because of the cobblestones on the circuit and that “are horrible for a handcycle”, but where she also felt “very good”.
She was a bit behind in the start of the race, but then gradually recovered to place fourth before the final stretch of the wheelchair race, where she was ahead of Canadian Leanne Taylor. Moral was close, but the American held on and took the bronze.
In addition, athletes from the PTS2 and PTS3 classes also competed, with debutants Lionel Morales and Diego Lardón taking home a Paralympic diploma with their sixth and eighth places respectively, while in PTS2, Rakel Mateo was tenth. Morales was the one who theoretically had the most chances of fighting for the podium, but he did not come out of the water well and his chances slipped away.
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