The Luxembourg athlete completed the course – which included a 750-metre swim, a 20-kilometre cycle, and a 5-kilometre run – finishing just ten seconds behind Portuguese winner Artur Gaspar. Despite his strong showing, Vanolst said he was slightly disappointed not to have taken gold.
To adapt to the hot conditions in Senegal, Vanolst trained in a sauna ahead of the event. A few weeks earlier at the European Youth Championships in Spain, he had also finished behind Gaspar, making this silver his second podium behind the Portuguese competitor in recent weeks.
