New On triathlete Lisa Tertsch impresses with European Championship silver medal
The recent reinforcement of the On Triathlon team finished second to claim the silver medal after an intense fight at the European Triathlon Championships in Madrid.
Madrid, Spain, June 5, 2023 - German triathlete Lisa Tertsch had a dream start in her partnership with Swiss sportswear brand On. In one of her first competitions wearing On, Tertsch showed a convincing performance at the European Triathlon Championships in Madrid and claimed the silver medal behind winner Jeanne Lehair of Luxembourg.
With no swim possible in Madrid due to the water quality, the race instead began with a shorter run, before continuing the traditional Olympic distance format (40km bike and a 10km run). As there was no swimming portion to draw out the field, a big group started the run together and by the time the athletes transitioned to the bike, Tertsch led the field in a leading group that also included Miriam Casillas Garcia, Kate Waugh, Sian Rainsley and Olivia Mathias.
Even with the stronger cyclists like Switzerland’s Cathia Schär pushing the speed to thin the group, Tertsch held firm. By the time the athletes returned to their running shoes, Schär had taken the lead and Spaniard Casillas Garcia, Lehair, Germans Lisa Tertsch and Tanja Neubert, France’s Audrey Merle and Petra Kurikova of the Czech Republic, were all still in contention for the podium results.
Lehair immediately took the lead, and with the exception of Lisa Tertsch, none of the other contenders were able to follow. Tertsch and Lehair battled out the win over the entire 10 kilometers of the race and entered the final stretch neck and neck. Coming closer to the finish line, Lehair edged ahead, and despite her best efforts the German could not hold her off but came home in a time of 01:59:59 after a brilliant battle until the last second.
“I am really happy with my race. I felt strong in the first run and just tried to not get caught up in the back and have a good transition into the first bike group. I felt that was the key to having a good result. I was surprised to have such a big gap going out on the bike but obviously, being alone in such a race doesn’t help you, so I waited for the group to catch up and to conserve some energy", Tertsch said about her race. "The last run turned into a battle between me and Jeanne Lehair, we stayed together the entire time. I tried to attack on the third lap but unfortunately she caught me again and could drop me on the last 500 meters. I really tried my best but she was just physically stronger in the end. But overall, I am actually very happy with my race because I gave it my absolute best.”
Fellow On athlete Petra Kurikova (CZE) finished 6th, Sandra Dodet (FRA) was eleventh, and Nora Gmür (SUI) was 29th. Rostyslav Pevtsov (AZE) claimed position 15 in the men’s race.
An unconventional path
Next to this triumph, the 24-year-old’s merit list already contains one World Cup victory and two podiums achieved in 2022 and the German Championship and Vize Championship titles in the individual and Mixed Team Sprint Distance events in 2021. Tertsch became U23 European Champion in 2019, an achievement that earned her the honor of the ETU Athlete of the Year in 2019 award.
Despite all of these achievements, Tertsch’s way to the top of the triathlon sport has not been conventional. After her first successes (silver at the Junior World Championships in Cuzomel), 17-year-old Lisa Tertsch decided to put her triathlon career on hold in 2016 to begin a bachelor's degree in economics and evolutionary biology at Harvard in Boston. In her college years, the German ran in the collegiate track and field team where she concentrated on 3000, 5000, and 10.000-meter races. She competed successfully at renowned U.S. events like the Ivy League Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field championships or the Penn Relays. Only after over two years, Tertsch started to think about a return to triathlon, which she successfully put into practice in 2019.
But she didn’t stop there. Multitalented Lisa Tertsch regularly competes in Cross Country running races as well and placed 8th at the European Cross Country Running Championships in Portugal.
“Lisa is not only a very young talent but also a very smart and well-educated, which serves her on the tactical side when it comes to racing”, says Maria Ortega, On Athlete Partnership Manager Triathlon. “She really has all the ingredients to become a very successful athlete in the future at Olympic Games, hopefully already in Paris but she will have definitively gained the experience necessary by Los Angeles 2028. We are very excited to be at her side in her future journey.”
About On
On was born in the Swiss Alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running by empowering all to run on clouds. Thirteen years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel, and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, and all-day activities. Fueled by customer recommendation, On’s award-winning CloudTec® innovation, purposeful design, and groundbreaking strides in sportswear’s circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base — inspiring humans to explore, discover and dream on.
On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on.com.