Year: 2023

Who Produced The Top-10 Triathlon Swims Of 2023

Benjamin Eastman

The end is nigh. Of the year, that is: for guidance on when to expect the end of the world, please confer with your local cult leader. Before attention completely turns to 2024 and the blockbuster schedule laid out, it is time to take a look back at some of the highlights of the past year. In this article, we will kick things off with a review of the ten best swims in triathlon this year. Given the disparity between courses and events, what constitutes a best swim is a…

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German Triathlon Union Takes Over WTCS Hamburg From Ironman

Benjamin Eastman

For several years, WTCS Hamburg has been under the purview of the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC, otherwise known as Ironman), a status quo that stood as a relic of a previous relationship between World Triathlon and the WTC. In recent times, though, several WTC-owned WTCS stops have vanished from the schedule. From Stockholm to Gold Coast to Cape Town, to name a few, the WTC had a major presence in the WTCS circuit. Those stops have since disappeared. Indeed today none of Stockholm, Cape Town or Gold Coast are WTCS…

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Running Roundup: What Have Those Triathletes Been Up To?

Benjamin Eastman

For some triathletes, the arrival of winter marks of time of deep training, with racing a distant prospect on the horizon. As the mercury plummets, hours are spent grinding through weeks of immense hard work in preparation for the coming season. However, while international triathlon may not be on the cards, single-sport competition remains very much on the menu. Two international triathletes have recently taken the chance to maintain their race sharpness. Rather than sticking to the realm of triathlon, they entered the cross country sphere. Lisa Tertsch, a previous…

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Comparing the Best WTCS Debuts of 2022 and 2023

Benjamin Eastman

A WTCS debut is what many young triathletes dream of as they imagine their rise through the ranks of the sport. Sometimes, a debut goes swimmingly as athletes break into the top-10 at the first ask, or even win a medal. On other occasions, an athlete can be in for a difficult day. The level in the WTCS is a considerable step above anything a debutant will have usually encountered beforehand, making the first race a baptism of fire. The 2023 season saw several athletes make their first forays into…

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Bröcker, Castro and Szalai Making 2024 Bundesliga Moves

Benjamin Eastman

The men’s 2023 European champion will be suiting up in the colours of Absolute Teamsport KTT 01 in next season’s Bundesliga. David Castro Fajardo, the gold medallist at the European Championships in Madrid, has been revealed as the latest signing of the KTT 01 men’s team. The winner of the World Cup in Huatulco this year and the World Cup in Vina del Mar in 2022, Castro brings a wealth of experience to the team. More pertinently, he also instantly provides a race-winning threat to the KTT 01 squad. With…

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How Can Katie Zaferes Solve Her Rankings Conundrum in 2024?

Benjamin Eastman

Katie Zaferes faces a conundrum. As things stand, she is the seventh American women in the world rankings, putting her on the wait list for the biggest races of the 2024 season. Although a busy 2024 schedule is on the cards, given her current ranking Zaferes faces a battle to get into the right races. The crucial race for her will likely be the third and final American Olympic selection race, which will likely either be at WTCS Yokohama or WTCS Cagliari in May. That race will serve as the…

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No Sleep ‘til Paris: Busy 2024 Continental Cup Plan Unveiled

Benjamin Eastman

The final Continental Cups of the year may have just brought the curtain down on the 2023 season, but eyes are already turning to the 2024 campaign that is right around the corner. A packed preliminary Continental Cup calendar has been revealed, in addition to the WTCS and World Cup schedule, offering plenty of opportunities for athletes to boost their hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games. The Asia Cup in Xiamen and African Cup in Kilifi concluded the current season but in less than three months the 2024…

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Ortfeld Wins and Perterer Leads Austrian Success in Kilifi

Benjamin Eastman

The final Continental Cup of 2023 took place at the weekend with the African Cup in Kilifi, Kenya. Amid small fields, with seventeen men and twelve women starting, the race saw healthy representation from the home team, offering hope for the long-term growth of triathlon in new regions. Both race winners from the 2022 iteration of the race, Stefan Zachaeus and Tanja Stroschneider, were present and gunning for another gold medal. Over the Sprint distance affair, though, both would ultimately be denied this time as new winners stepped up to…

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The New Flag Races To The Paris Olympics – Oceania Women

Benjamin Eastman

After Oceania failed to earn a New Flag slot at the Tokyo Olympic Games, the situation looks different in the women’s event ahead of the Paris Olympics. Manami Iijima of Guam is slated to take the Oceania New Flag slot after two recent Asia Cup medals pushed her up the world rankings. First came her 2nd place at the Asia Cup in Kota Kinabalu. A week later, she repeated the trick with a 2nd place at the Asia Cup in Hong Kong. Those two results have lifted her to 161st…

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Yang On Top At Xiamen Asia Cup As Edgar Wins Again

Benjamin Eastman

After an extended absence from the international triathlon scene, China played host to the final Asia Cup race of the year today in Xiamen. Having not hosted a regular triathlon since 2019, mainland China has now hosted seven events in a packed 2023. With the Olympic distance on offer once again, and Christmas being only a month out, an extended rest may be on the wish-lists for some of the participants. Be that as it may, in Xiamen the athletes ended the year with a bang. Men’s race After winning…

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The New Flag Races To The Paris Olympics – Africa Women

Benjamin Eastman

In 2024, there will likely be a major showdown between South Africa’s leading female triathletes in the hunt to claim the women’s African New Flag slot at the Paris Olympic Games. By way of reminder, to earn a New Flag place, an individual must be the highest ranked athlete from their continent and race for a country that has not already qualified an athlete of the same gender to Paris. Moreover, they must be inside the top-180 of the world rankings. Unlike their male counterparts, the South African women do not yet…

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The New Flag Races To The Paris Olympics – Americas Women

Benjamin Eastman

In the female Americas New Flag race, it could be a repeat scenario from the Tokyo Olympic Games. In 2021, Romina Biagioli of Argentina earned the Americas New Flag slot. Looking ahead to 2024, she is in pole position to claim it again. As an aside, Felix Duchampt is in the same boat with respect to the European men’s New Flag place. To earn a New Flag place, an individual must be the highest ranked athlete from their continent and race for a country that has not already qualified an athlete of…

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The New Flag Races To The Paris Olympics – Asia Women

Benjamin Eastman

In contrast to the European women’s New Flag race, the contest to earn the female Asian New Flag is not a particularly open affair. This is largely due to the fact that the athlete leading the way, Ekaterina Shabalina, is the highest ranked woman of any female athlete in contention for one of the five New Flags. Following her recent win at the Asian Sprint Championships, Shabalina sits in 50th in the world rankings with 2027 points (rounded) to her name. In addition to her Asian title to Saudi Arabia,…

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The New Flag Races To The Paris Olympics – Europe Women

Benjamin Eastman

With a little over six months to go until the end of the Olympic qualification window, time is running out for athletes to stake their claim to race in Paris next summer. At this point in time, the races to take the New Flag slots at the coming Olympic Games are perhaps the most intense of any remaining contests. The Mixed Team Relay will have a qualification event in Huatulco next May, which will offer up plenty of drama, while the final few slots allocated in the individual Olympic qualification…

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The New Flag Races To The Paris Olympics – Oceania Men

Benjamin Eastman

The final men’s New Flag slot for the Paris Olympic Games does not currently have an eligible candidate. As things stand, Oceania does not have a male athlete (not from Australia or New Zealand who are all but guaranteed qualifiers) in side the top-180 of the world rankings. The crucial number is 841 points (rounded to the nearest integer) to take 180th in the rankings. The closest man from Oceania is Benjamin Zorgnotti of Tahiti. With 765 points, Zorgnotti finds himself 192nd in the world. Strong performances at the 2023…

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