Three weeks after winning the silver medal at the World Championships in Hamburg, the Hungarian mixed triathlon relay team has written another chapter in sports history. With Márta Kropkó, Márk Dévay, Fanni Szalai, and Csongor Lehmann, the quartet was crowned European champions in the sprint distance on Saturday in Elbląg, Poland. In a dramatic race made more challenging by a sudden change in weather, the Hungarians deservedly prevailed over the competition from Spain and Germany.
The competition demanded a grueling sprint program from each of the four team members: a 300-meter swim, an 8-kilometer bike ride, and a 1.6-kilometer run. A total of 20 nations competed, but the Hungarian team delivered by far the most consistent team performance over the entire race distance. In the end, anchor runner Csongor Lehmann crossed the finish line first, six seconds ahead of the second-place Spaniards and 20 seconds ahead of the third-place Germans.
Lead runner Márta Kropkó laid the foundation for the eventual victory.
She handed off the baton in second place, 11 seconds behind the leading Polish rival, but had already managed to build a small lead of one to two seconds over the rest of the chasing pack.
The second Hungarian athlete, Márk Dévay, had already cut the gap in half during the swim and caught up to the leaders on the first cycling leg. From there on, he and his Polish rival took turns leading the pack, increasing their lead over the main field to 20 seconds. Although Márk Dévay had to let the Pole pass him in the final meters after a thrilling sprint to the finish during the run, the tactic paid off.
Fanni Szalai took over in third place, three seconds behind the leader. She had already passed the Polish athlete during the swim, further extended her lead on the bike, and held onto that advantage through the run.
She handed off to anchor runner Csongor Lehmann with a 29-second lead over a strong group of five pursuers (Great Britain, France, Spain, Germany, and Poland).
Things got dramatic once again in the final kilometers. A heavy rain shower flooded the course and slowed the pace. While Csongor Lehmann crashed on the wet asphalt, the final cyclists from Great Britain, Spain, and Germany made up a lot of ground. The Hungarian athlete, however, showed nerves of steel. He jumped back on his bike and preserved a lead of seven to eight seconds heading into the final leg. There, only Spain’s Pelayo González Turrez was able to keep up with Csongor Lehmann, but the Hungarian accelerated once more in the final meters and sealed the historic gold medal.
After the triumph, Márta Kropkó offered insights into the emotional experience of a lead runner. “Being the first runner is actually a thankless job. Once you’re done, you have to spend another hour on the edge of your seat while your three teammates battle it out on the course. I screamed my heart out and hoped that no one would make a mistake. The only thing I did not have to worry about was everyone’s absolute determination. When Csongor fell, my heart skipped a beat for a moment, but he handled it brilliantly,” she explained. The Hungarian athlete also emphasized that
the World Championship silver medal in Hamburg gave the team the final boost of confidence that this lineup “has a lot of potential.”
Fanni Szalai also gave an all-around positive assessment. After a strong performance at the World Cup series in London the previous week, she arrived in top form. “We all came here feeling that gold was absolutely within reach. There was not a single decisive moment today—every single one of us gave it our all. This victory is the result of pure, perfect teamwork,” she emphasized.
With this European Championship title, the Hungarian delegation celebrates its third medal at the continental championships, after Zalán Hóbor won bronze medals in both the elite and U23 age groups on Friday.
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Via MTI; Featured photo: Pexels (Illustration)
