Ricardo Coelho and Rui Lacerda made history this Sunday, clinching the European marathon title in C2. Their win marked the eighth podium finish for the Portuguese team in Ponte de Lima.
The duo completed the 26.2-kilometer course on the Lima River in 1:40:37, outpacing Spanish rivals Jaime Duro and Óscar Grana by 1:24 minutes, and Manuel Campos and Diego Romero by 3:18 minutes.
Another Portuguese pair, Sérgio Maciel and Júlio Lopes, finished seventh in the same event. Portugal’s medal haul also includes gold for Fernando Pimenta in the K1 short race, where José Ramalho took bronze before winning silver in the long race.
The country also topped the podium in the C1 junior category, with Leonardo Barbosa and Lara Lopes taking gold and silver, respectively. Rui Lacerda won silver in the senior C1 event, while Francisco dos Santos claimed silver in the K1 sub-23 category.
Hard work pays off
Coelho and Lacerda attribute their success to months of dedication and sacrifice. “This is a dream come true, the result of hard work and sacrifice,” Lacerda said in a statement. “We’re not professional athletes, so we have to juggle our training with other responsibilities and often put our families and other things on the backburner.”
Lacerda credited his partner Coelho for pushing him to his limits. “We’ve been training together for years, and Ricardo has improved so much. He’s an tireless training partner who’s helped me reach my best form.”
The duo’s victory was met with jubilation, with the pair proudly listening to the Portuguese national anthem.
