De Smet stunned crowds at the Cornesti Plateau Sports and Recreation Area as he was crowned champion in the elite and under-23 men's categories with a time of 1 hour 52min 41sec.

He was neck-and-neck with compatriot Sebastien Carabin after the first 6.5 kilometres run, but a slick transition saw him pull decisively clear and carve out an insurmountable lead.

Carabin continued a tenacious performance and clawed back some time over the closing 3.3km run and although it was not enough to catch De Smet he won the silver medal with 1:54:27 on the clock.

Last year's Europe Cross triathlon and Cross Duathlon Championships runner-up Alessandro Saravalle of Italy bagged the bronze medal thanks to a rapid display over the 23.2km cycle helping him to cross the line after 1:56:45.

Peroncini bid farewell after her 2:19:05 triumph in Romania as she announced her retirement.

The Italian passed Austria’s Carina Wasle on the first lap of the middle segment and pulled clear with a powerful 90-minute bike on a demanding hilly and technical course to follow up her 2019 Cross Triathlon title in fashion.

"I never expected this result, I’m very happy because this will be my last event," said Peroncini.

"The type of bike course is always important for me, and the run was super tough."

Wasle clocked in 3min 13sec later before The Netherlands’ newcomer Noor Dekker finished with a brilliant bronze with a time of 2:23.46.

"That means a lot to me," said Wasle.

"The last few years weren’t easy, I thought my career was finished so to win a medal makes me very happy.

"I changed my coach, had not a lot of racing, but I got more experience and that helped me a lot.

"I’ve known Eleonora a long time, I was sure she would pass me at some point, and I felt good on the final run and show I was stronger on the bike."