Pedro Luis Alonso
Malaga triathlete Alberto González claimed the second World Cup win of his career in Tongyeong, South Korea, on Saturday, crossing the line in 50:03 to finish seven seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Max Studer.
Heavy rain and strong wind dominated the race, much like at last week’s World Cup in Beijing, where González took bronze. This time, however, he put the lessons from China to good use. After being held up on the bike in Beijing, this time he joined a nine-man breakaway that left Studer, the winner there, stuck in the chasing pack.
González then attacked the 5km run straight out of the second transition and, although Studer staged a strong comeback, the gap proved too big to close.
"I went flat out from the start. I wasn’t scared. I just dropped the bike, put my shoes on and went for it without looking back. It looks like the strategy worked and I’m really happy to have won," he said.
The result moves him up to fifth in the Olympic rankings, keeping him in contention for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
González started the season late because of a small tear in his Achilles tendon. He will now take a short break before beginning pre-season training in Girona in December, and his first race of 2027 is expected to be the World Series event in Abu Dhabi in March.