Triathlon · national
Tertsch's late surge and Graf's breakaway secure German triathlon titles
Lisa Tertsch won a close women's sprint final on 2 August, while Henry Graf claimed his first elite national title the next morning at Die Finals in Dresden.
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Contrasting routes to the national titles
Lisa Tertsch and Henry Graf won Germany's elite sprint-distance triathlon championships during Die Finals in Dresden on 2 and 3 August. Tertsch completed the women's event in 56:07, three seconds ahead of defending champion Annika Koch. Nina Eim finished third in 56:25. Graf won the men's race in 50:19, with Jonas Osterholt taking silver in 50:54 and Lasse Nygaard Priester bronze in 51:16.
Both winners represented DSW12 Darmstadt, but their victories followed different patterns. Tertsch needed a late acceleration to settle a prolonged running duel, whereas Graf established clear separation near the beginning of the run. The women's contest gave Tertsch a third individual national title after 2021 and 2023; the men's result delivered Graf's first elite championship win after two bronzes and a silver.
Tertsch waits for the final opportunity
The individual races comprised 750 metres of swimming, 20 kilometres of cycling and five kilometres of running. In the women's event, the leading group expanded to roughly ten athletes during the bike leg and remained together until the second transition. The title would consequently depend on the run rather than a decisive gap established in the water or on the road.
The group gradually narrowed to Tertsch and Koch. Koch led for almost all of the running distance, but Tertsch accelerated with approximately 300 metres left and preserved a small advantage to the finish. The final three-second gap captured how late the decision came. Koch followed her 2024 title and 2022 silver with another podium, while Eim finished 18 seconds behind Tertsch to complete the national medal positions.
Graf separates early and stays clear
Graf was part of a three-man leading group from the early stages of Sunday's men's race. He moved into a solo lead at the start of the run and continued to an uncontested finish, 35 seconds ahead of Osterholt. Osterholt had also been in the leading group and held second, improving on his bronze from the previous year's championship.
Priester, the 2023 German champion, advanced from the larger chasing group to claim third, 57 seconds behind Graf. The men's under-23 classification also went to Graf, ahead of Luca Fahrenson in 51:21 and Justus Töpper in 51:27. Alongside the age-group title, the first elite national crown gave Graf a new milestone after his earlier podium finishes at this championship.
A successful week for Darmstadt
Graf had already helped DSW12 Darmstadt win the national mixed relay on 31 July alongside Carlotta Bülck, Fabian Kraft and Finja Schierl. The Hessian federation's report described that relay as four legs of 340 metres swimming, 7.8 kilometres cycling and 1.35 kilometres running. The team overcame two time penalties to defeat the Hylo Team Saar/Viernheim combination.
The individual national championships were held alongside Bundesliga racing, producing separate team results. PV Triathlon TG Witten won the women's third league round, while HYLO Team Saar won the men's. Those team outcomes should not be confused with Tertsch's and Graf's individual titles. Taken together, the relay and individual performances gave Darmstadt a prominent role in Dresden's triathlon programme, while the two elite races supplied distinct tactical examples of winning at sprint distance.
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