Month: March 2024

Thorn Upsets Luis To Claim Maiden World Cup Win In Lievin

Benjamin Eastman

Four French men lined up in the final of the Lievin World Cup with the thunderous home support ringing in their ears. Aurelien Jem had impressed in his semi-final earlier in the evening while Antoine Duval started having won a European Cup last autumn. Leo Fernandez, the 2022 European Junior champion, brought a touch of youth the the home finalists. And then there was the hero. The biggest cheer of the evening had been reserved for Vincent Luis as he walked out to the final. A winner of the Lievin…

Read More

Lindemann Times Sprint To Perfection To Win Lievin World Cup

Benjamin Eastman

After a hectic day of racing through qualifiers, repechages and semi-finals, twelve women took to the start line in the final of the inaugural Lievin World Cup. Any lingering weariness from the earlier rounds, though, was swiftly set aside as the athletes tore into the race. Zuzana Michalickova made the most of the 150m (25m pool) swim. The Slovakian athlete powered into a considerable lead in no time at all. She would officially lead out in 1:43, although her actual swim time was closer to 1:35 (the timing split was…

Read More

First Look at the Chengdu World Cup 2024 Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

In a shift from its autumn slot in 2023, the Chengdu World Cup will take place next month in April. Upon taking a first glance at the start lists, it soon becomes clear that the event has a very similar story to the Wollongong World Cup a week prior. Plenty of athletes will be racing with Olympic qualification in mind and points-hunting will be at a premium. Given the turnaround between Wollongong and Chengdu, it makes sense that much of the field is the same. However, the same outcome might…

Read More

How the 2024 French Junior Tests stack up against history

Benjamin Eastman

At the latest instalment of the French Junior test weekend in Cannes, there were a number of superlative performances. World Junior Championships medallist Manon Laporte dominated the women’s competition to win by over a minute. Meanwhile, Martin Hubner triumphed in the men’s test on the back of a storming 14:24 5000m run. The question to ask is how does this latest cohort compare to those that came before. In this respect, the current batch of Junior athletes are against some of the biggest names in the sport. Four of the…

Read More

Laporte and Hubner Light Up 2024 French Junior Tests

Benjamin Eastman

While the stars of the red carpet often draw attention in Cannes, at the weekend the potential future stars of triathlon were on display in the south of France as the French Junior tests returned. The test itself consisted of three parts. The first stage was an 800m swim (long course). This was followed on the Saturday afternoon with a 3.6km bike test in a time trial format. The weekend then concluded on the Sunday with a 5000m run on the track. The order changed slightly from the 2023 test…

Read More

Taylor-Brown the favourite in Lievin as Spivey drops out

Benjamin Eastman

A last minute withdrawal has changed the complexion of the Lievin World Cup before it has even begun. Taylor Spivey, who was due to wear number one at the French race, has pulled out of the event and no longer appears on the start list. As a double WTCS medallist last season, Spivey would likely have been in contention for the win this weekend. Moreover, she is currently deep in the hunt for a spot on the American Olympic team and a positive performance would have done her prospects no…

Read More

Vincent Luis Eyeing a Statement World Cup Win in Lievin

Benjamin Eastman

As the first ever indoor World Cup, Lievin will be a step into the unknown for the athletes racing this weekend. However, one athlete will start in the men’s field with an advantage over his rivals. Vincent Luis won the event when it was a European Cup back in 2022. As such, he has invaluable experience to fall back upon. An injury-hit 2023 season prevented him from showing his top form. However, it should not be forgotten that he finished 4th at WTCS Abu Dhabi last year and won WTCS…

Read More

First Look at the Wollongong World Cup 2024 Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

The next World Cup is on the horizon as the 2024 season begins to ramp up. As things stand, the race has attracted fairly small start lists. One factor behind this may be the travel involved. The Olympic qualification window closes a little over a month after Wollongong and so several athletes may be loath to compromise their final training block ahead of the May WTCS and World Cup events. Nevertheless, Wollongong will hold significance beyond the 2024 season. The event will welcome the triathlon world for the World Cup…

Read More

Cantero, Klamer and Westermann lead Bundesliga changes

Benjamin Eastman

The first race of the 2024 Bundesliga season is now less than two months away. Before the first division teams descend upon Kraichgau, though, there has been plenty of action in the transfer window. More than perhaps any year in recent memory, this winter truly has been a “silly season” of switches like no other. Among the biggest recent announcements was that David Cantero del Campo has signed to race for Köln. Cantero dramatically out-kicked Lasse Nygaard Priester on his way to victory at the Valencia World Cup last September.…

Read More

The Geopolitical Backdrop To The World Triathlon Series

Benjamin Eastman

In less than a week’s time, the opening race of the WTCS season will take place in Abu Dhabi. Both the men’s and women’s fields have at least half a dozen legitimate world title contenders and the medals at the first round could go in any number of directions. Moreover, with the Olympics looming on the horizon there will be plenty of narratives to track throughout the triathlon season. However, as easy as it would be to take sport in isolation, there is a wider reality beyond the racing to…

Read More

The Active Medal Winning Streaks In The 2024 WTCS

Benjamin Eastman

As we enter the new WTCS season, two athletes will do so with a four medal streak behind them. Should either land on the podium at the season opener in Abu Dhabi, they could enter rarefied territory. Beth Potter arrives on the back of a 2023 run that saw her claim gold in Montreal, silver in Hamburg, gold in Paris and gold in Pontevedra. After winning WTCS Abu Dhabi last year, she will be confident of earning a fifth consecutive medal in the Series. Cassandre Beaugrand is in the same…

Read More