Two triathletes died at the Sprint Triathlon World Championship

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What should have been one of the biggest triathlon celebrations of the year was marred by tragedy yesterday when two athletes died during the World Triathlon Age Group Sprint Championship in South Wales. Spain, according to world triathlon officials.

A Mexican athlete lost his life after having difficulty swimming and another British competitor died on the Torremolinos running course on October 17. An investigation is underway into both incidents, amid allegations of poor organization and lax medical procedures by participants.

A statement from World Triathlon confirmed the news, saying: “Our deepest condolences go out to family, friends, national federations and the entire triathlon family. World Triathlon, the Spanish Federation and the LOC (local organizing committee) are in contact with their families and their FNs (national federations) to provide all the necessary support in these difficult and sad times.

British Triathlon also confirmed that the family of a member of its age group team had been informed and were being supported, adding: “British Triathlon and the age group team send their condolences and we ask that their lives privacy is respected at this time. » World Triathlon said both families had requested that the names of the deceased remain confidential.

Branden Scheel, a professional triathlete and coach from Colorado, who was on site and witnessed the incident while swimming, raised organizational shortcomings on social media in the hours that followed.

“I just came back from a sprint distance,” he said. “I just want to say World Triathlon has been one of the worst rescuers, worst outreach, worst communication I’ve ever seen at an event.

“There was an older man clearly asking for help a few hundred meters from the finish. Everyone on the ground saw it, everyone was screaming for someone to go. (The) kayaker is completely unconscious and walks away.

World Triathlon responded by rejecting the claim that swimming conditions were poor and said Triathlete that swimming conditions were rated “optimal” for the event by local maritime authorities. He also added that there were more dedicated water safety resources deployed than are legally required.

Triathlete later contacted another person working in an official capacity at the venue who wished to remain anonymous but said: “The racing conditions were horrible to be honest. (It was) too late in the day, so very windy, making any visibility impossible when swimming. People were swimming in all directions, which took hours. And after a week of rain, it was pretty warm today while they were running.

Weather records from the UK Weather Bureau show the average high temperature on race day in Torremolinos was 74 degrees F with humidity between 50 and 60% during the day. Hourly average wind speeds were reported between 12 and 18 mph during the race.

Compounding the allegations, another undisclosed source working at the site said attempts to resuscitate the British participant, who collapsed during the 5 kilometer race, were delayed by the absence of medical staff who was rushed to the swimming incident, leaving the individual on the run without any medical expertise for nearly 20 minutes.

World Triathlon said it was working with local authorities, including police, to investigate both incidents and could make no further comment at this time. Asked directly about the allegations of poor organization, he reconfirmed this position.

These deaths follow another recent tragedy at the Calella-Barcelona Ironman less than two weeks ago, when Elena Smirnova, a 41-year-old Russian, was pulled from the water and died while was on his way to the hospital.

Another participant died following a medical emergency during the swim leg of Ironman 70.3 Oregon in July and two triathletes also had success while competing in Ironman Ireland last year.

The event in Torremolinos, near Malaga, is the highlight of the world triathlon season. From October 17 to 20, more than 5,500 triathletes from more than 80 countries are expected to compete in categories ranging from amateur to elite, juniors, under-23s and paratriathletes.

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