Portugal occupies 11th place in the mixed triathlon relay in Abu Dhabi

A portuguese selection ended today in the 11th position the mixed relay of the stage of Abu Dhabi of the World Triathlon, which had been postponed due to the war in the Middle East.

Maria Tomé, Ricardo Batista, Mariana Vargem and João Nuno Baptista finished the race in 1:19.57 hours, 1.43 minutes from Spain, who saw David Cantero leave for victory in the final meters, benefiting from a punishment to the Swiss Max Studer, who had to stop a few seconds, falling from first to sixth.

In the second position was Australia, two seconds away from the Spaniards, with Brazil, who had seen Miguel Hidalgo win the individual race on Friday, to be third, to six seconds.

Maria Tomé was the first Portuguese to enter the race and even was ahead in the transition from cycling to racing, passing the testimony to Ricardo Batista in the sixth position, but integrated into the group at the front.

A longer transition from cycling to the race ended up delaying the Portuguese team, with Ricardo Batista leaving in third position Mariana Vargem, who finished his race on the 11th, 1.17 minutes ahead, with João Nuno Batista, who walked almost always alone, not able to recover.

The postponement of the competition in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, scheduled for March 28 and 29, was due to the conflict in the Middle East, after the United States and Israel launched, on February 28, a military attack against Iran, which retaliated on targets in neighbouring countries.

The race in Abu Dhabi no longer counted for the individual World Cup, won by Portuguese Vasco Vilaça, with Ricardo Batista in third place, but scored for the qualifying ranking for the Los Angeles Olympic Games2028.