Year: 2023

Can Triathlon Defy The Gravity Of Money For Much Longer?

Benjamin Eastman

When the armistice is signed, there are always winners and losers. More often than not, though, the ripples of the truce extend far beyond the parties at the table. When the PGA Tour and LIV Golf signed their ceasefire recently, they ended the bitter divide that has gripped the heart of golf for the better part of two years. For those unfamiliar with the story, LIV Golf presented a new format of the sport and, backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, set about pumping the money pipes…

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Who’s Who At The Men’s World Junior Champs 2023 – Part 1

Benjamin Eastman

The biggest event on the Junior calendar is around the corner. As the countdown to the World Junior Championships in Hamburg enters its final month, the start lists for the races have been made available. Seventy men and seventy women will dive into the water in Hamburg and one (per gender) will be crowned the best Junior triathlete in the world. To even make the start line is an achievement. On the one hand, it is hard enough to actually be selected by one’s national federation. Then there is the…

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First Look at the WTCS Hamburg 2023 Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

The start lists for the fifth installment of the 2023 WTCS season are now available as the Series returns to what might just be its spiritual home: Hamburg. The German city has been an ever-present in the WTCS, hosting a race every year since the inception of the competition. During the uncertainty of 2020, it managed to cobble together a single-day world championships in lieu of the Series. Indeed, there has been a world-level short distance triathlon in the city in every year since 2002. As races to win go,…

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Will Anyone Rain on Mexico’s Parade in Huatulco?

Benjamin Eastman

Mexico have a fabulous squad of athletes slated to race at the Huatulco World Cup. On the women’s side, they have several that can fight for the win. The obvious place to start is with Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal after her outstanding silver medal at WTCS Yokohama. Her run in Japan was so good that it is hard to see anyone being able to overpower her on the final discipline this weekend. Moreover, given that she made the breakaway in Yokohama, she should be untroubled on the swim and bike.…

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Velasquez and Duchampt Win Chinchiná Americas Cup

Benjamin Eastman

After a Saturday of Olympic distance racing in Europe and Asia, Sunday’s Americas Cup saw a shift to Sprint racing. With lush jungle surrounding the course, Chinchiná made for a beautiful event location. The morning start saw the temperature stay low and tolerable, although the warm water ensured a non-wetsuit swim was on the cards. As hosts Colombia had several hopes for medals, with one athlete in particular standing out. Women’s race Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto arrived in Chinchiná having gone unbeaten so far in 2023. As she lined up…

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Knibb Taking On USA Time Trial Plus Two More Stories

Benjamin Eastman

Taylor’s Time Trial At the weekend, Taylor Knibb won Ironman 70.3 Boulder. Perhaps the bigger news about the multiple WTCS medallist, though, came from beyond the race. It was confirmed that Knibb will race at the USA National Time Trial later this month. She will be competing under the colours of Trek Segafredo Pro Team. The news throws up several possible implications. It has long been established that Knibb is one of the best cyclists in the women’s short distance circuit. Maybe she is even the best, although Flora Duffy…

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Young Pretenders Line Up To Seize Opportunity In Huatulco

Benjamin Eastman

When it comes to the men’s race at the Huatulco World Cup, it seems that wherever one turns a young prodigy waits in the wings ready to strike ahead of an established contender for the win. The obvious point to start is with the Spanish double threat of Genis Grau and David Castro Fajardo. Castro comes into Huatulco having just won the European Championships in Madrid. He produced an awesome run to seal the win (albeit in a duathlon) and will likely be a factor throughout the race. Castro also…

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Scholl Nabs Final German World Junior Slot in Jena

Benjamin Eastman

The DTU Youth Cup marked the last chance for German Junior triathletes to earn their places on the team for the World and European Junior Championships later this summer. On the women’s side, Marielle Bouchti, Kjara Reckmann and Felipa Herrmann had booked their places for the World Junior Championships in Hamburg based on their performances at the European Junior Cup in Caorle. No men, however, had earned their place. More pertinently, no German men had actually qualified a slot for Hamburg in Caorle. Instead, the only slot came from Germany’s…

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Guerrero and Henseleit Make It Look Easy in Rzeszów

Benjamin Eastman

The Olympic distance action did not stop today. In addition to the races in Samarkand and Lianyungang, there was a European Cup in Rzeszów, Poland. In Poland, though, two very different races were on display. Whereas the women’s race had a kind of structure to it, the men’s was all over the show. For those that have ever tried herding cats (or children, for the parents out there), the array of different things happening at once in the men’s event would have felt reassuringly familiar. In both cases, though, the…

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Kuriackova and Beisenbayev Triumph in Samarkand

Benjamin Eastman

Doubling as an Asia Cup race, the Central Asian Championships took place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. One of the most notable aspects of the race preview was that two athletes that are currently in line to seal New Flag slots for the Paris Olympics, Ivana Kuriackova and Ayan Beisenbayev, were due to start. Samarkand therefore presented a perfect opportunity for them to reinforce their position. Both already had international wins to their name this season and so could be confident heading into the Olympic distance challenge. However, several athletes awaited on…

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Dart on Target and Sosinski Surprises in Lianyungang

Benjamin Eastman

A third Asia Cup in China in the space of two months took place today. In Lianyungang, as had been the case with the races in Dexing and Taizhou earlier in the year, the athletes took on the Olympic distance. The men’s winner from Taizhou, Jumpei Furuya, started however none of the women’s medallists appeared this time round. As a result, whereas the men’s race had an obvious pre-race favourite, the women’s event was a little more open. Men’s race Qili Bai of China led the way in the water…

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World Triathlon Rises Up The Global Federation Ranks

Benjamin Eastman

Social media has increasingly become a vital part of the toolbox utilised by international federations when it comes to growing their sport. Now, there is an indication of which federations play the social media game better than others. Redtorch, a research and ad agency based in London, has compiled a list of the top-40 international sports federations based on social media. For a full breakdown of their report and methodology, click here. All things considered, World Triathlon has performed well in the rankings. It was the highest climber of any…

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Final Chance For German Juniors To Earn 2023 Champs Places

Benjamin Eastman

This weekend will see Germany’s top Junior triathletes compete for the final slots for this year’s World and European Junior Championships. The DTU Youth Cup in Jena (Thuringia) will double as a last-chance saloon for many of the country’s brightest young talents. Following the results of the European Junior Cup in Caorle, the German Junior women have qualified three slots for the World Junior Championships, the allocation of which was determined by the outcome of the racing in Italy. Felipa Herrmann, Kjara Reckmann and Marielle Bouchti sealed their places in…

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Central Asian Champs and Four Other Races To Track

Benjamin Eastman

Central Asian Champs Samarkand The racing in Uzbekistan will double as an Asia Cup, allowing for a number of additional athletes to contest the Olympic distance event. The big talking point will be the battle between Ayan Beisenbayev of Kazakhstan and Jason Tai Long Ng of Hong Kong. At this moment in time, the pair are the front-runners to take the sole available New Flag slot for Asia at the Paris Olympics. Beisenbayev currently has the lead in the race but a big showing in Samarkand would help Ng close…

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What Would Be The Coolest Next Location For Elite Triathlon?

Benjamin Eastman

In light of the recent news of the World Cup race in Rome being added to the 2023 calendar, we thought we would ask a question. What are some of the most exotic locations in which World Triathlon could hold a WTCS or World Cup race that have never previously hosted an event? Under the umbrella of previously hosted, we will include any and all World Triathlon events since the inception of the organisation. That rules out Ibiza after it hosted this year’s World Multisport Championships. Likewise Paris would not…

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