Year: 2023

The race to claim the men’s African New Flag race once again highlights the importance of Continental Championships. As is the case in the Americas men’s race, in which Matthew Wright has assumed pole position in the race to Paris after winning the Americas Sprint Championships, a championship medal is currently making all the difference. Jean Gael Laurent L`entete of Mauritius is primed to take the African New Flag slot in large part due to his 3rd place at the African Sprint Championships in Blue Bay. That result earned 301…

Read More

There is a clear front-runner in the race to claim the Americas male New Flag Olympic slot. In contrast to the Asian race, in which Jason Tai Long Ng and Ayan Beisenbayev are a hair-width apart in the world rankings, Matthew Wright has a considerable margin in the Americas contest. With a buffer of almost 500 points, Wright will head into 2024 as the prohibitive favourite to claim the New Flag place. As a reminder, a New Flag place at the Games is awarded to one man and one woman…

Read More

Yesterday we kicked off a series of articles investigating the state of play in the New Flag races to the 2024 Olympic Games, starting with the European men. As a reminder, a New Flag place at the Games is awarded to one man and one woman for each of the five continental associations. The recipient 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. In addition, an athlete needs to be in the top-180…

Read More

In 2023, only two women and four men managed to win more than two medals in the World Triathlon Championships Series. At the next rung down in the sport, the World Cup circuit, fewer athletes still matched the feat of winning more than two medals. Moreover, in total fourteen athletes won multiple WTCS medals this season. At the World Cup level, that number stood at eleven. Of course, one factor behind this is that the WTCS is structured to incentivise repeated attendance at the race. To be in contention for…

Read More

In the wake of the final World Cup of 2023, the Olympic qualification rankings will be frozen in place until the first World Cup of 2024 takes place in Napier, New Zealand, in February. However, one pathway into the Olympic Games remains very much alive and kicking. One of the more exciting aspects of the qualification process is the New Flag system. One New Flag slot is available per gender for each of the five continental associations (Europe, Asia, Americas, Africa and Oceania). To earn a New Flag place at…

Read More

Fourteen World Cups over eight months: the 2023 World Triathlon calendar has offered precious little respite for the athletes chasing points around the globe. Throughout the array of racing, there have been a multitude of bright spots, of athletes that have had the joy of winning their first ever World Cup medals. Some of the athletes were in the early chapters of their careers. Some were towards the end. What united them was the sense of achievement, the validation of the years of hard work and sacrifice. Any world level…

Read More

Swim Alessio Crociani was the fastest man in the water at the Vina del Mar World Cup and used an impressive surge over the second half of the swim to emerge clear of the field. He clocked 8:41 for the 750m. Home favourite Diego Moya was the next man out of the water in 8:45 while Daniel Dixon was the last man to remain within 10 seconds of Crociani as he completed the swim in 8:51. Panagiotis Bitados then followed in 8:53. Chase McQueen, Gianluca Pozzatti and Seth Rider were…

Read More