2016 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships

2016 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships

24 November 2016, 1:38PM
In2Adventure

It was a memorable weekend at Lake Crackenback Resort as athletes from 28 countries from around the globe gathered together to compete for the title of Cross Triathlon World Champion. The weekend officially opened on Thursday evening with the launch of the Opening Ceremony on the banks of spectacular Lake Jindabyne in the heart of the Snowy Mountains, NSW.

The opening ceremony began with the Parade of Nations, with competitors and supporters proudly marching to represent their country as the whirlwind of colour of national flags filled the amphitheatre.
Audiences enjoyed world-class performances, including entertainment by Adam Thompson, the lead man of top Australian band, Chocolate Starfish. Our two amazing local schools also provided the night’s entertainment, with Jindabyne Central School and the Snowy Mountains Grammar School singing and dancing the night away with some Aussie rock favourites.

The world gathered as we payed tribute to Banjo Patterson and the Man from Snowy River.  As the words of this immortal poem rang out throughout the ceremony, it was only surpassed by the memorable entrance of our very own Men from Snowy River, which delighted the locals and international visitors alike.

Families, spectators, locals, officials and athletes came together as one in the spirit of the local Snowy Mountains Community.  The Opening Ceremony left competitors and their fans bursting with excitement for the beginning of the Women’s Age Group races the following day.

It was close competition between the Age Group women, but Kim Beckinsale (AUS), one of our Aussie locals from Noosa in Queensland, and reigning NSW Dirt Mistress Champions, raced hard and came out on top, followed by Kate Bramley (AUS) and Penny Slater (AUS).By the close of Friday’s race, the crowd was primed for more action and the next few days did not disappoint.

Competitors were out-and-about early on Saturday morning, with crowds gathering to cheer for the Male Age Group races in the morning and the Elite and U23 races later in the afternoon. The training was done and the men were prepared to leave it all on the race track as they swam, mountain biked and ran for their dreams.





In the men’s age group race Hayden Wilde (NZL) took line honours followed by Lewis Ryan (NZL) and Rowan Charles Beggs-French (AUS).

Tensions were high as the countdown for the Elite race began. The athletes walked to the starting line as the sharp cracks of the whip from the Man from Snowy River and his horse entered the arena followed by cheers, and well-wishes from family, friends and fans.

As the starters horn exploded across Lake Crackenback, the Snowies erupted in cheers and shouts for the elite and Under 23 athletes. Ruben Ruzafa (ESP) had a rocky start, coming out of the water in 11th place a long way behind leader, Ben Allen (AUS) in first position.

But when it comes to the mountain bike Ruben Ruzafa (ESP) is king and a hard and fast first bike lap saw him move back into that every familiar position at the front of the pack with a stunning lead on the following field.

With podium places still up for grabs, it was Josiah Middaugh (USA) and Braden Currie (NZL) taking silver and bronze respectively.

Flora Duffy (BER) had a clear lead throughout the entire female elite race, exiting the water first and gaining time on the mountain bike.

Barbara Riveros (CHI) consistently held onto her position in second place with Suzanne Snyder (USA) and Charlotte Mcshane (AUS)batting it out for third.

At the end of this grueling Aussie pain fest, our world champions were determined with Ruben Ruzafa (ESP), Josiah Middaugh (USA)and Braden Currie (NZL) crowned first second and third 2016 male ITU Cross Triathlon World Champions and Flora Duffy (BER), Barbara Riveros (CHI) and Suzanne Snyder (USA) as the gold, silver and bronze 2016 female ITU Cross Triathlon World Champions.

As the crowd cheered the champions on into the night, In2Adventure prepared themselves for the final day of racing, and the Inaugural 2016 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championship’s Mixed Team Relay.
Sunday’s activities drew large crowds as the Mud Rats and the Dirt Kids were cheered on as our off road champions of tomorrow eagerly chased Australian National Champion, Ben Allen (AUS) to the finish line. The kids came out on top when Allen tripped ad fell only metres away from the finish.

Following the kids was the action packed Mixed Team Relay that earned Australia two spots on the podium in first and third place, with New Zealand taking out the silver medal in second place.

Later in the day tears of joy could be seen from the crowd as family friends and the local community cheered on the Junior U19 world champs competitors and the awe-inspiring Para triathletes which saw TreX hero Justin Godfrey (AUS) take the world championship title in the PT3 category and Peter Boronkay (HUN) in the PT4.

The excitement continued to grow as the Trex events kicked off, with spectators cheering their local favourites as they crossed the finish line.  The crowd was buzzing with anticipation of the Official Closing Ceremony later that night.

The closing ceremony certainly did live up to it’s reputation as the ‘Party to end ALL Parties’ as favourite Aussie Rock Gods Chocolate Starfish played into the night as the crowd danced, sang and celebrated what has been hailed as “one of the best ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships so far”.

In the wake of the 2016 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships the team at In2Adventure are now gearing up for the coming weekend’s Snowy Mountains Mountain Bike Festival as we do it all again and #GetDirtyDownUnder with athletes from across the globe in this 5 stage race across 3 days with a massive $10,000 prize purse.





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