Year: 2023

What Happened To Hayden Wilde At The Paris Test Event?

Benjamin Eastman

For Hayden Wilde, it may have been safe to assume that he had served his fair share of bad luck. At WTCS Abu Dhabi, in the opening race of the season, a mechanical ended his hopes of contending for the win. He nonetheless finished, claiming 46th place, but it was an unfortunate start to the year. At the end of 2022, he had also suffered a slice of bad luck. A bout of COVID coincided with the WTCS Final at which he entered as the favourite to claim the world…

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Which Men Hit Olympic Criteria At The Paris Test Event

Benjamin Eastman

The Paris Test Event represented the first chance for many athletes to secure their places at next year’s Olympic Games and several men seized the opportunity. The men’s race winner, Alex Yee, became the first man to qualify for the Games as he decimated the field. As a defending individual Olympic medallist (and subsequent WTCS medallist since the Tokyo Olympics), Yee only needed to medal at the Test Event to confirm his place on the British team. He went above and beyond that with a dominant performance. In light of…

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Yee Stakes Olympic Claim With Peerless Test Event Display

Benjamin Eastman

If you woke this morning hoping for drama on the streets of Paris, you may have been best served streaming a few episodes of Emily in Paris. For those searching for a display of total assuredness, though, Alex Yee’s commanding victory at the Olympic Test Event was not to be missed. Moreover, after much of the race had been spent navigating the pressures of the day and the looming spectre of Olympic qualification, the showdown for the minor medals exploded into life in the final stretch. On his return from…

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Matt Hauser Out of Paris Test Event After COVID Positive

Benjamin Eastman

Matthew Hauser, the winner of WTCS Montreal earlier this summer, has revealed that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be racing at the Paris Olympic Test Event. In an Instagram story, the Australian star revealed a picture of the positive test and confirmed that he will not be starting. Instead, he will look ahead to the WTCS Final in Pontevedra in September. As per the Australian Olympic selection policy Hauser would have needed to finish inside the top-8 in Paris to book his place on the Olympic…

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Which Women Hit Olympic Criteria At The Paris Test Event

Benjamin Eastman

Beth Potter managed to out-gun Cassandre Beaugrand with a late burst on the run to win the Paris Olympic Test Event. In doing so, she solidified her leadership of the WTCS and took a step closer to becoming world champion. Olympic qualification, however, was one of the biggest talking points of the day. In this article, we will break down which athletes have secured their selection for next year’s Games. One important thing to note is that only France, Britain and Germany have officially secured places at the Games. Any…

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Potter Downs Beaugrand To Win Paris Olympic Test Event

Benjamin Eastman

With two WTCS wins apiece in 2023, Beth Potter and Cassandre Beaugrand, the home favourite, stepped onto the pontoon in Paris as the women to beat. In an early show of strength, Beaugrand set the pace in the water and established herself at the front of the race. To date, she had never medalled over the Olympic distance in the WTCS. Her recent form, however, had been nothing short of irresistible. Even with Beaugrand’s speed, though, she had to cede her place as Bianca Seregni moved ahead. Having asserted her…

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Should the Olympic Test Event Count Towards the WTCS?

Benjamin Eastman

The Paris Olympic Test Event is a strange race. It will take place on an iconic course in a storied city and, aside from a mild concern over the Seine, the race looks like it will be the highlight of the year. At the same time, though, there is a point of confusion insofar that is it not quite clear what we are looking at. Given the strength of the fields, a case can be made that it could be the best triathlon event of the year. Moreover, there are…

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Flora Duffy Withdraws From Paris Olympic Test Event

Benjamin Eastman

The reigning world and Olympic champion, Flora Duffy, has withdrawn from the Paris Olympic Test Event The women’s race is due to kick off at 08:00 (CEST) tomorrow, however Duffy shared on social media that she will not be starting. On Instagram, she wrote that she is “not quite ready yet to race so unfortunately I have pulled out of the Paris test event. Very frustrating. However, it was great to see the venue, ride and swim the course. It is all amazing!” With Duffy not ready to race and…

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Update On The Water Quality At The Paris Olympic Test Event

Benjamin Eastman

Water quality has become a hot topic in the world of triathlon following the issues that arose at WTCS Sunderland. Across the weekend in Sunderland, over a hundred athletes reported falling ill and it later emerged that the E.coli levels at Roker Beach had been unacceptably high. World Triathlon issued a communication to the athletes that stated the high readings were not relevant to the WTCS event. Nevertheless, the widespread bouts of sickness that followed indicated that something was amiss. Shortly after, the Open Water Swimming World Cup in Paris…

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The Start List Cheat Sheets For The Paris Olympic Test Event

Benjamin Eastman

What can be expected at the Paris Olympic Test Event? In the below cheat sheets, we look at the average performances of the athletes starting over the course of this year and last year to determine a base line for each. We look at the average time behind the fastest swimmer as well as the average position out of the water to give an indication of how close an athlete has been to making the front pack at recent races. We then include the same information on the run. When…

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Beaugrand To Make It Three In A Row At Paris Test Event

Benjamin Eastman

With the Olympic Test Event taking place on home soil, Cassandre Beaugrand and the French team will be an incredibly difficult proposition to overcome. At this stage, Beaugrand appears to be the favourite to win the race (57.6% of TriStats voters concurred). There is obviously a real possibility that she does not win and with that in mind she has shown one prominent weakness this season. Despite her incredible swimming ability she has been susceptible to being caught out by breakaways. At both WTCS Abu Dhabi and WTCS Cagliari, Beaugrand…

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Cassandre Beaugrand Voted The Likeliest Winner At Test Event

Benjamin Eastman

After Alex Yee was voted the favourite to take the win in the men’s race at the Paris Olympic Test Event, Cassandre Beaugrand has been determined as the women’s favourite to an even more decisive extent. The French athlete claimed a whopping 57.6% of the vote. With two straight WTCS wins to her name, she is in wonderful form. At both WTCS Hamburg and WTCS Sunderland, she was a class apart and will arrive in Paris with her confidence soaring. Given how much emphasis the French federation have placed on…

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Gustav Iden Speaks Out On Paris Olympic Test Event Snub

Benjamin Eastman

One of the more surprising omissions from the men’s start lists of the Paris Olympic Test Event was that of Gustav Iden. The former WTCS medallist had started at every WTCS race in the 2023 season prior to Sunderland as he sought to boost his ranking in pursuit of a second Olympic Games appearance next summer. However, he will not take to the pontoon in Paris. Instead, the Norwegian team will be represented by Kristian Blummenfelt, Vetle Bergsvik Thorn and Casper Stornes. On Instagram, Iden noted he was deemed “not…

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Alex Yee Will Have a Target On His Back at Paris Test Event

Benjamin Eastman

Alex Yee is the favourite to win the men’s race at the Paris Olympic Test Event. After winning WTCS Abu Dhabi and WTCS Cagliari, he was the most popular pick for the gold medal among TriStats readers, claiming 42% of the vote. However, Yee’s status as favourite becomes a little blurrier when taken out of isolation. On his day, he is simply untouchable. When everything clicks into place and his running is in full flow, there is hardly a better sight in the sport. He does not simply win; he…

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Studer Takes Silver Medal At Engadiner Sommerlauf

Benjamin Eastman

In a switch-up from triathlon at the weekend, Max Studer took on the hills of the Swiss Alps at the Engadiner Sommerlauf. Less than a week out from racing at the Paris Olympic Test Event, Studer took on the challenging 25.5km over a course that gained 365m of elevation while also losing 401m. It was not a race for the faint-hearted and one that many other triathletes may have steered clear from at the peak of the season. Studer’s decision to race paid off. As well getting a tough training…

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