Year: 2023

How Important Has WTCS Abu Dhabi Been in Past Seasons?

Benjamin Eastman

Since 2015, Abu Dhabi has been the first race on the WTCS calendar. The exceptions were in the past few years, starting with 2020 when the WTCS season was abandoned. In 2021, WTCS Abu Dhabi was postponed from its usual slot to November due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, it was the host of the 2022 WTCS Final and so was also held in November. In 2023, it returned to its old place as the March season opener. We therefore have the 2015-2019 seasons as a model to compare 2023 against.…

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Summer Rappaport is On Track for Olympic Qualification

Benjamin Eastman

After a difficult end to her 2022 season, Summer Rappaport bounced back in style by taking 4th place at WTCS Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi, she was one of the fastest swimmers before riding as part of a six woman breakaway. Already, she has surpassed her best WTCS result from last year. Indeed, Abu Dhabi was her best finish since taking bronze at WTCS Hamburg in 2021. 2022 proved to be a tricky year for Rappaport as illness and injury hampered her. Injury was a particular problem in the last…

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Katie Zaferes to Race in Sarasota this Weekend

Benjamin Eastman

One of the biggest stories at WTCS Abu Dhabi was that former world champion Katie Zaferes made her return to racing. Having taken a maternity break after the Tokyo Olympics, Zaferes took the first steps on her road towards the Paris Olympics in 2024. In Abu Dhabi, she had a solid swim and made the main pack on the bike. Thereafter, she held her own in the group and barely missed a beat. In T2, Zaferes lost a little bit of time as the effort began to show and her…

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Is Nina Eim the Fastest Sprinter in the WTCS?

Benjamin Eastman

There are few athletes in the World Triathlon Championship Series with as much speed as Nina Eim. From her teenage years, she has track personal bests of 8.08 over the 60m and 26.15 over the 200m (both indoors). It is not only uncommon for an elite triathlete to come from such a sprint background. Eim possesses a level of sprint speed that many in the men’s field would quietly envy. Indeed, she might be among the most lethal triathletes in a sprint finish. Eim’s closing speed was on display in…

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Biagioli and Willy Prevail in Tense Races in Villarrica

Benjamin Eastman

The Americas Cup in Villarrica, Chile, doubled as the South American Championships. With world rankings points on the line, though, Villarrica saw a number of athletes from around the world take on the Olympic distance race. Men’s race Long term fans will not be surprised to hear that Richard Varga led the men into T1. The Slovakian put together a masterful swim, logging a time of 16:52. Only four men were able to get within 30 seconds of him. Among that group were Kauê Willy of Brazil and Ramon Armando…

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Watch the Highlights of WTCS Abu Dhabi 2023

Benjamin Eastman

Women’s race Beth Potter took her first WTCS win with a tremendous performance. Sophie Coldwell won her first WTCS silver medal while Taylor Spivey rounded out the podium. You can read the full race report here. Men’s race There was no stopping Alex Yee on the final lap of the run as he powered to victory. Vasco Vilaca hung on to a brilliant silver medal while Manoel Messias nabbed his second WTCS bronze medal. You can read the men’s race report here. Stay tuned for the next WTCS race in…

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Dorian Coninx Satisfied With Return to the WTCS Top-5

Benjamin Eastman

Dorian Coninx smiled as he reflected on his first race of the year. A 5th place finish was a good way to open his account for the season. “It went very well for me,” he said. “It was smooth from the beginning to the end and I was very happy with my race. It was nice to start the season like that as Abu Dhabi has not always been great for me.” His past five races at Abu Dhabi included three DNFs and a highest finish of 37th. Relief was…

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Stories You Might Have Missed at WTCS Abu Dhabi

Benjamin Eastman

With so much going on at a WTCS race, it is easy for some story lines to be missed. With that in mind, read on to find five stories you might have overlooked from this weekend’s action. Lena Meißner backs it up Lena Meißner ended her 2022 season in fantastic form. Consecutive 11th place finishes at WTCS Cagliari and WTCS Bermuda suggested that she had elevated herself to a new level. Her performance at the WTCS Final in Abu Dhabi kicked that to an even higher gear. She won a…

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Double Canadian Win at the La Paz Americas Cup

Benjamin Eastman

Last weekend saw plenty of action in Cuba at the Americas Cup races and several of the athletes were back racing in Americas Cup events. One such event took place in La Paz, Mexico. The athletes took on a challenging Olympic distance course, with a particularly unforgiving sea swim. Women’s race The non-wetsuit swim proved an arduous task for the field as the ocean currents were not favourable. Sarah-Lee Hevey of Canada led the women out of the water in 24:21. At her feet was a line of seven women.…

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Poetry in Motion at WTCS Abu Dhabi 2023

Benjamin Eastman

Chapter 1: Abu Dhabi From skies, so bright, the gods cast down their gaze to where victors old and new stood and swayed on a pontoon, so blue, one so laden with hope. Stage right, the pretender Hayden. How short was time against disappointment, how long to right last year’s cruel excitement. What small battle were those that stood beside against the doubt that surely lurked inside. The mind, you see, can all too frequently be a foe more fierce than the Eastern heat. Et tu, Leo, the vanquisher, the…

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Breaking Down the Splits at WTCS Abu Dhabi 2023

Benjamin Eastman

There were a number of exceptional splits at WTCS Abu Dhabi. Only two athletes, though, managed top-10 splits in all three disciplines. That honour went to Beth Potter and Sophie Coldwell, the gold and silver medallists in the women’s race. The Swims We have written about the French men’s strategy for the WTCS this year and the swim splits show that in full force. Vincent Luis and Dorian Coninx battled to take control of the race from the front of the swim. However, they could not quite force a gap.…

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The Statistical Breakdown of WTCS Abu Dhabi 2023

Benjamin Eastman

There was plenty of data to dig into at WTCS Abu Dhabi. We have a separate post for the splits breakdown from the race, but that only tells half the story. Below, you will find all the graphs and plots you need to analyse what happened at the first WTCS race of the year. Swim The women’s swim distribution really demonstrates just how strong Sophie Coldwell was in the water. The Density of Athletes shows how many athletes exited the water at each interval behind Coldwell. As the line marking…

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The Debuts and Personal Bests at WTCS Abu Dhabi 2023

Benjamin Eastman

The first race of the WTCS season saw a number of athletes record their best ever WTCS finishes. In addition, the race also saw three athletes make their first appearances at the WTCS level. The Debutants Jannick Schauffer had a good day at his first WTCS race. He spent much of the race alongside silver medallist Vasco Vilaca. Coming into T2, Schaufler was a part of the main pack and was well-positioned to record a strong finish. He was also quick through transition to get onto the run among the…

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How Did the French Strategy Perform at WTCS Abu Dhabi?

Benjamin Eastman

Prior to WTCS Abu Dhabi, we wrote that the French men’s team had effectively broadcasted their strategy for the upcoming WTCS season. With a range of posts about their swimming coming almost simultaneously, it seemed the French were making a subtle point. This came after wins for Vincent Luis and Leo Bergere at WTCS Bermuda and WTCS Abu Dhabi last year. At each race, the French set a stiff pace in the swim to break up the field. Once they made it onto the bike, they formed a small breakaway,…

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Matthew Mcelroy Has Been Stealing Shoes and Making Moves

Benjamin Eastman

They say to understand someone, you have to walk a mile in their shoes. While he did not quite make it to a mile, Matthew Mcelroy may have gleamed a little from the life of Gabor Faldum after trying to wear his shoes in T2 at WTCS Abu Dhabi. Mcelroy became a father in December and the stresses of looming parenthood make people do strange things. Racking your bike in another athlete’s slot, dropping your helmet in the wrong box and reaching for someone else’s shoes might be a little…

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