ITU superstar Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal made her 2010 debut at the Quarteira ITU Triathlon European Cup in her home country last week, and it appears the 2008 Olympic silver medallist hasn’t missed a beat, as she won in convincing fashion.
The Elite women were the first to face the big Atlantic swell, with high winds and strong currents making for a challenging swim. The conditions didn’t seem to bother Fernandes, who was first to exit the swim with Russia’s Olga Dimitrieva right behind. The pair started the 40K bike leg with a small advantage over Great Britain’s Jodie Swallow and Poland’s Maria Czesnik. All four women continued to stretch their lead over the chase pack throughout the ride. Dimitrieva punctured a tire on the fourth lap of the ride, which put Fernandes on her own at the front. At the wheel stop Dimitrieva used a wheel that didn’t belong to the Russian team and was later disqualified.
Fernandes stretched her advantage throughout the 10K seaside run, finishing over two minutes ahead of her closest competition. Crossing the line second was Russian Alexandra Razarenova, who was later disqualified for failing to make a penalty stop. As a result, France’s Emmie Charayron, the reigning Junior world champion, earned the second place on the podium, with Italy’s Alice Betto finishing third.
| 1. | Vanessa Fernandes | POR  | 02:03:45 |
| 2. | Emmie Charayron | FRA  | 02:06:12 |
| 3. | Alice Betto | ITA  | 02:06:16 |
| 4. | Jodie Swallow | GBR  | 02:06:38 |
| 5. | Maria Czesnik | POL  | 02:07:35 |
| 6. | Anna Burova | RUS  | 02:07:57 |
| 7. | Maria Pujol | ESP  | 02:08:24 |
| 8. | Mariya Shorets | RUS | 02:09:28 |
| 9. | Agnieszka Jerzyk | POL | 02:09:44 |
| 10. | Laurie Belkadi | FRA | 02:09:48 |
