State Championships

Triathlete Pertl outclasses the competition

Lukas Pertl was clearly crowned national champion.

(Bild: zVg)

Lukas Pertl is state champion! The triathlete makes things clear at the Mostiman and crosses the finish line three minutes ahead of his closest rival. His performance on the bike was the deciding factor.

Lukas Pertl is the new state champion over the Olympic distance in the triathlon. The man from Gastein won the Mostiman in Wallsee (Lower Austria) ahead of his national team colleague Leon Pauger by an incredible three minutes. "It was one of my best days. I'm super proud to have won my third national title after 2014 and 2015 - for the first time over the Olympic distance," said the Pongau native jubilantly.

The two favorites left the water together. On the bike, however, the 29-year-old Pertl made things clear. "I launched an attack at kilometer five. Thank God it was enough for me to break away. I then opened up a huge gap," reports Pertl. Then he was able to enjoy the run. He will now take a break from competition and then start preparing for the competitions in the fall, when he will most likely be racing around the world again and also for the European Championships in France.

Brother Philip Pertl fulfilled his childhood dream and competed in the World Series in Hamburg, where he finished 39th. "That's extremely positive for such a young guy," said Salzburg association president Max Weißensteiner.

No chance against the Tyrolean
Tanja Strohschneider, who has been competing for Team Hotel Jakob - Ausdauer Sportverein in Salzburg since this year, was runner-up in the women's event behind the Belgian Tabea Huys (Triathlon Zillertal). Huys' tactic of swimming fast and building up a good lead on the bike worked perfectly and she crossed the finish line as the women's national champion. 

"I am very happy with the race. I've been competing in this event for 10 years now, it's already a tradition and it's even better that I was able to win it this year," said the 18-year-old Tyrolean junior athlete Tabea Huys, who won her first national triathlon title (sprint distance) here last year.