Maritzburg Girls High old girl, Mikaela Jonsson, leaving her mark across Europe
Pietermaritzburg Girl’s High old scholar, Mikaela Jonsson (20), and Jeep Team SA international triathlete is having an impressive first season as a professional athlete competing across Europe.
Jonsson who only turned professional a few months ago is flying the South African flag across the toughest elite Cross-Triathlon and MTB races in Europe.
Two weeks ago, Jonsson raced in Austria’s well-attended Salzkammergut Trophy, in the highly competitive 55km MTB marathon, and raced to 6th place overall elite. Over 5000 participants from 43 nations compete in eleven different events at this meeting.
This past weekend in Romania, Jonsson raced in the 2017 Târgu Mures ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships – Elite Women. She crossed the line in an outstanding 2nd place in the Women’s U23 category and 7th Elite Women overall.
The Triathlon European Champs started with a 1km swim at the Complexul Weekend, a recreational and sports complex, with Jonsson exiting the water 9th elite female in a very fast 00:17:05.
The technical MTB leg was a 3.75km race to the forest Platou Cornesti, followed by 4 x 5km laps in the forest. Jonsson finished the leg in 01:23:22.
The trail run covered two technical 3.1km laps through the forest. Jonsson finished the 6.2km run in 00:33:19. Jonsson’s overall time was 02:15:09, just over a minute behind the Russian U23 winner, Daria Rogozina.
Says Jonsson, “I had the race of my life in Romania! I finished 2nd u23 and 7th elite overall at the European Cross Triathlon Championships. I am so stoked and exhausted! It was a successful Euro racing trip and the first season out of Junior.”
Results – Women u23 – 2017 ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships
- Daria Rogozina (RUS) 02:13:58
- Mikaela Jonsson (RSA) 02:15:09
- Antoanela Manac (ROU) 02:19:55
ELITE WOMEN – 2017 ETU Cross Triathlon European Championships
| 1 | Brigitta | Poór | 1989 | HUN | 01:59:49 | 00:15:51 | 00:00:37 | 01:12:02 | 00:00:46 | 00:30:35 |
| 2 | Morgane | Riou | 1986 | FRA | 02:02:51 | 00:16:33 | 00:00:29 | 01:14:35 | 00:00:48 | 00:30:28 |
| 3 | Carina | Wasle | 1984 | AUT | 02:05:45 | 00:16:28 | 00:00:43 | 01:16:32 | 00:00:46 | 00:31:18 |
| 4 | Eleonora | Peroncini | 1985 | ITA | 02:06:02 | 00:17:42 | 00:00:28 | 01:13:59 | 00:00:36 | 00:33:19 |
| 5 | Yulia | Surikova | 1982 | RUS | 02:10:35 | 00:21:54 | 00:00:35 | 01:16:45 | 00:00:47 | 00:30:37 |
| 6 | Daria | Rogozina | 1996 | RUS | 02:13:58 | 00:22:19 | 00:00:35 | 01:19:02 | 00:00:38 | 00:31:25 |
| 7 | Mikaela | Jonsson | 1997 | RSA | 02:15:09 | 00:17:05 | 00:00:39 | 01:23:22 | 00:00:45 | 00:33:19 |
| 8 | Antoanela | Manac | 1995 | ROU | 02:19:55 | 00:14:35 | 00:00:41 | 01:29:38 | 00:00:46 | 00:34:18 |
| 9 | Aina | Picas Zorilla | 1985 | ESP | 02:20:01 | 00:18:50 | 00:01:02 | 01:24:01 | 00:00:50 | 00:35:19 |
| 10 | Marica | Romano | 1997 | ITA | 02:22:12 | 00:15:58 | 00:00:24 | 01:28:43 | 00:00:33 | 00:36:36 |
Maritzburg Girls High old girl, Mikaela Jonsson, leaving her mark across Europe https://t.co/eoIl6ZySwk #ArriveAlive @jeepteamsa pic.twitter.com/SyurV7Cacs
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) August 1, 2017
