Rapidly-emerging triathlon star Hugo Milner agonisingly missed out on a medal in the senior men’s race at the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels on Sunday.
The 25-year-old qualified for the Championships with a clear-cut victory at the Liverpool Cross Challenge in late November.
But after a near-disastrous start in old-school muddy conditions when he nearly slipped as the race began, he barely put a foot wrong.
Animating the race
He was the one driving the pace at the front with eventual winner Yann Schrub of France for the first three quarters of the 9km event.
But when Schrub kicked on the fifth of six laps he put daylight between himself and Milner, who switched to triathlon just a couple of years ago and this season notched a breakthrough success when running through the field to land the World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki in Japan last month.
Norway’s Magnus Tuv Myrhe and home hope Robin Hendrix then bridged up to Milner and relegated him to fourth but he fought back in great style and the three of them settled down to fight for silver and bronze.
Unfortunately for Milner he was the one to miss out but it was a fine performance and a massive improvement on last year’s 32nd place as he stopped the clock in 30:27, 10 seconds behind the winner and seven and five seconds adrift of Myhre and Hendrix respectively.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland ended a memorable day with seven gold medals at the Championships, their best ever tally.
The focus now switches back to triathlon for Milner, with a training camp in Australia coming next and going into 2024 he’ll aim to be one of the men battling for a spot alongside already-qualified Alex Yee in the Team GB squad for the Paris Olympics.
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.
Latest News
11 Dec 2023
PTO World #3 Jason West reflects on early-season lessons after incredibly succesful 2023
10 Dec 2023
Baby joy for Rinny and Tim as they announce arrival of Jameson Felix O’Donnell
10 Dec 2023
Javier Gomez ends season with penalty and puncture at turbulent IRONMAN 70.3 Taupō
9 Dec 2023
“Nothing beats racing at home” – Kiwis Kyle Smith and Hannah Berry overjoyed with Taupō triumph
9 Dec 2023
Beth Potter Pontevedra win earns Sporting Moment of the Year at Scottish Sports Awards
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Tri247 – https://www.tri247.com/triathlon-news/elite/hugo-milner-fourth-european-cross-country-championships-2023?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hugo-milner-fourth-european-cross-country-championships-2023