Year: 2023

Hayden Wilde Forced to Change Wheel in Abu Dhabi

Benjamin Eastman

One talking point heading into WTCS Abu Dhabi was what impact Hayden Wilde’s winter of swimming would have. In the end, Wilde emerged from the water 42 seconds down on the leader, Vincent Luis, and in 57th place. It should be noted, though, that he left the water one place ahead of Manoel Messias who went on to win bronze. As such, Wilde was still in the game at that point. However, Wilde’s day was over almost instantly out of T1. He was forced to change his wheel in the…

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Strong Starts to the Year at the Abu Dhabi Para World Cup

Benjamin Eastman

PTWC Florian Brungraber kicked off his season in style with a comprehensive win in the men’s PTWC category. Last time out, Brungraber won the silver medal at the World Championships in November. The silver medallist today, Jose Cristobal Ramos Jimenez, had the novelty of logging identical swim and run times. For both disciplines, he produced splits of 13:13. This time round, Eva Maria Moral Pedrero was the only woman competing in the PTWC category. She put together a very balanced race to finish in 1:14:09. Moreover she narrowly missed matching…

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Gustav Iden Facing Shoe Protest at WTCS Abu Dhabi

Benjamin Eastman

Norwegian athlete Gustav Iden is facing a shoe protest at WTCS Abu Dhabi. Iden finished in 52nd place in the race won by Alex Yee. However, he currently faces being disqualified for a shoe violation. At the start of this year, World Triathlon updated its rulebook to address a number of changes. One of these changes was the introduction of a frozen ranking for athletes taking maternity leave, while another was the banning of aero bars in draft legal races. The pertinent rule change here, though, was that they brought…

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Alex Yee Storms to the Win at WTCS Abu Dhabi

Benjamin Eastman

Bad memories can quickly become demons if not expunged in time. For two of the favourites for this year’s world title, Abu Dhabi held harsh memories from a mere three months ago. Both Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde had astonishing seasons last year but tripped at the last and saw Leo Bergere win the world title. Back at the same venue, they had a chance to put that right. Morgan Pearson was a pre-race hopeful that did not start but otherwise the men dove into the pristine waters of Yas…

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Potter Holds Off Coldwell for First WTCS Win

Benjamin Eastman

Sometimes, it takes one athlete to light up a race. At the opening race of the WTCS season, Sophie Coldwell took it upon herself to be that one athlete. From the start, it was like someone had set off a firework. She was lightning quick off the pontoon and emerged noticeably ahead in the water. If something looks too good to be true, though, it often is. Such was the case with Coldwell. As she dominated the early portion of the swim, it was confirmed that she had indeed started…

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The Start List Cheat Sheets for WTCS Abu Dhabi 2023

Benjamin Eastman

In case you haven’t heard, WTCS racing starts tomorrow in Abu Dhabi. Below you will find the information you need for each athlete on the start list. A cheat sheet, if you will. Note that the data shown applies for Sprint races in the 2022 season. That way, we can bring to bear the most recent and pertinent information for the athletes, particularly as WTCS Abu Dhabi will be over the Sprint distance. For every athlete, you will find their average position out of the swim as well as their…

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Abu Dhabi to Host First World Para Cup of 2023

Benjamin Eastman

Para-Triathlon at the world level returns for 2023 with the first World Cup of the year. The athletes will be racing in Abu Dhabi alongside those taking on the opening WTCS race of the season. Abu Dhabi will also represent a valuable opportunity for athletes to score points towards qualifying for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. PTWC and PVTI In the wheelchair racing category, a big name will be absent in the form of Jetze Plat. Plat was dominant in 2022 (as he has been for years) and we suggested…

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The Key Course Information at WTCS Abu Dhabi 2023

Benjamin Eastman

WTCS Abu Dhabi 2023 will take place on a completely different course to the one used at the 2022 WTCS Final. This time round, the athletes will return to the Yas Marina F1 circuit. The swim will mostly be an out and back through Yas Bay. Unlike 2022, there will not be any great advantage to certain pontoon positions. Whereas at the 2022 Final the athletes stood to benefit by positioning themselves on the right of the pontoon to avoid the hypotenuse created by the first buoy, there won’t really…

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Liepa Races Latvian Nationals On Track and In Pool

Benjamin Eastman

Artūrs Liepa has been a busy man. Recently, he ran the 3000m at the Latvian Indoor Athletics Championships. In what he described as a tactical race, he ran 8:46.52 which was good enough to take the bronze medal. His personal best remains 8:42.55, a time he ran in March 2022. As a point of comparison, world U23 silver medallist Gergely Kiss ran 8:23.85 indoors a couple of weeks ago. We noted Liepa as one of the five Junior men ageing up in 2023 to watch. This year he will be a…

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A First Win in Abu Dhabi on the Cards for Beaugrand

Benjamin Eastman

On paper, Georgia Taylor-Brown is the favourite going into the first race of the new WTCS season in Abu Dhabi. It is hard to make the case against her. The only woman that has beaten her more than once over the past 18 months will not be on the start line, clearing the path for what should be a fairly comfortable victory. Whether the race evolves into a breakaway or comes down to a foot race out of T2, Taylor-Brown has the versatility to compete in any situation. After two…

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ASICS World Triathlon Team Taking New Members in 2023

Benjamin Eastman

World Triathlon have announced that applications for the 2023 World Triathlon Team are now open. The ASICS World Triathlon Team was created to provide a developmental pathway for athletes outside the traditional routes into elite triathlon. A more detailed background into the Team is available here. Two current Team members, Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR) and Diego Moya (CHI), are currently in line to qualify for the Paris Olympics Games through the individual Olympic qualification rankings. Indeed, Abdelmoula and Moya are two of the current success stories of the programme. Historic successes…

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First Blood of 2023 To Go to Wilde in Abu Dhabi

Benjamin Eastman

The men’s race at WTCS Abu Dhabi essentially boils down to one question. Will the French make their strategy stick? We noted that several of the French men have highlighted their swimming on social media in the run up to the first race of the season. This came after swim-driven breakaways saw French athletes win the last two WTCS races of 2022. If the French are able to pull the same trick again, that will set the table for how the race can pan out. The obvious beneficiary of the…

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Another Win For Velasquez as Sobey Also Wins in La Habana

Benjamin Eastman

The racing in South America continued with an Olympic distance Americas Cup in La Habana, Cuba. The main story line heading into the race was whether Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto would win a third race in row. She won last week in Venezuela and at her last race of 2022. Men’s race Darr Smith wore number 1 while last week’s silver medallist in La Guiara, Venezuela, Irving Perez, wore number 2. All eyes at the start, though, were on Slovakian athlete Richard Varga. As one of the best swimmers in…

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