The triathlete sponsored by Pamesa Cerámica came fourth in the Grand Prix at Dunkirk, France, this Sunday. In this competition Javier Gómez Noya got his 2016 season underway, a year in which his target is to prepare for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The Galician athlete came in with a time of 53 minutes and 58 seconds in an event over a sprint distance, crossing the finishing line behind the Australian Jacob Birtwhistle, the Norwegian Kristian Blummendfelt and the British athlete Jonathan Brownlee.
The triathlon did not get off to a good start for Gómez Noya however: “I got blocked in at the beginning of the swimming and then I was kicked, which left me with a black eye. So I didn’t do very well in the water and I had to go all out in the cycling to catch up with the leaders. There were just six in the lead to start with and but by the end there were ten of us”. With three from Sartrouville (Gómez’s team) in this leading group, things looked good for the running stage, although he admits: “I’m still not in peak form to go all out running 5km against triathletes who have already competed extensively this season. But there’s no doubt it was a great feeling. Finishing in second, third and fourth places means as a team we have easily classified, which is what counts in this championship”.
The current world champion now has next Saturday, 28 May in his sights – at the Parque das Nações in Lisbon his first great challenge of the season awaits him, the European championship. Gómez Noya is chasing his fourth European title following his victories in 2007, 2009 and 2012.