Year: 2024

Luke Willian Steps Up To Deliver Home Gold In Australia

Benjamin Eastman

The story had looked a simple one. Fresh off opening his 2024 campaign with a win at the Oceania Championships in Taupo, WTCS gold medallist Matthew Hauser was the favourite to deliver gold in front of a home Australian crowd. Then, shortly before the race started, he revealed that he was out of action with food poisoning. In his absence, Australia needed a new star for the weekend.  Over the 750m swim, Diego Moya served a reminder of the dangers to the home team; he clocked 8:16 to build a notable…

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Månsson Wins Another Sprint At Wollongong World Cup

Benjamin Eastman

When it works, it works. Tilda Månsson served a reminder of her class as she won the Wollongong World Cup. As had been the case with her previous World Cup victories, she left it late and relied upon her near-patented sprint finish. In the early part of the race, the field had seemed on the verge of breaking apart. Sophie Howell and Emma Jeffcoat had led the 750m sea swim in 8:37. Tara Sosinski and Sian Rainsley, the winner of the Hong Kong World Cup, then followed a few seconds…

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2024 WTCS Season Revamped As Montreal Cancelled

Benjamin Eastman

Earlier today, World Triathlon confirmed that the 2024 WTCS season will see a series of major changes before it gets under way in Yokohama next month. The first major item is that WTCS Montreal, originally due to take place in September, has been cancelled. Delays in funding approvals for the local organising committee have been raised as a cause of the switch. The cancellation of Montreal is particularly ill-timed as it comes on the back of the abandonment of WTCS Abu Dhabi in March. As such, two of the six…

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First Look at the Huatulco World Cup 2024 Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

The final World Cups of the Olympic qualification window will take place as a double header in the middle of May. The first of the two races will be the classic stop in Huatulco, Mexico. With its reputation for brutal conditions and a fast Sprint distance course, Huatulco usually offers lively racing. With the close of Olympic qualification likely on the minds of the athletes starting this time, it could throw up some of the tightest finishes of the season. Who’s there? Returning to defend her gold medal from 2023…

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Australian Women Hunt Home Win In Wollongong

Benjamin Eastman

On paper, the Australian team could have suffered at the Wollongong World Cup from the absence of Sophie Linn, their only female World Cup winner of recent times. However, in reality, the home team will be optimistic of doubling their World Cup gold medal tally for the season. Several in-form Australian women will be starting. Ellie Hoitink is only a few days removed from her triumph at the Oceania Championships over the Olympic distance. She will be up against Jaz Hedgeland who won the equivalent title over the Sprint distance…

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Home Sweep On The Cards At Wollongong World Cup

Benjamin Eastman

Wollongong will welcome the triathlon world this weekend for a first ever World Cup ahead of hosting the WTCS Final in 2025. Amid a strong men’s start list, it is hard to look past the Australian team for the potential medallists. Not only do they have the home advantage, with the creature comforts and reduced travel that accompanies it, they boast a squad that is in good form virtually across the board. Indeed, any number of combinations of Australian men could make up the podium in Wollongong. Leading the way…

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Vrablova and Edo triumph at Melilla European Junior Cup

Benjamin Eastman

While WTCS medallists Emma Lombardi, Kate Waugh and Sophie Coldwell showed the field how its done in the women’s race at the Melilla European Cup, plenty of athletes hoping to mimic their success took to the start line at the European Junior Cup. Racing over the Sprint distance, both Junior races saw smart breakaways and were won in decisive fashion. Women’s race Margareta Vrablova returned to a scene of previous success having won the race in 2023. This time round, she found herself in the perfect position after the swim.…

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Salinas Victories Claimed By Antoniades and Schlebusch

Benjamin Eastman

After racing took place in Oceania and Europe (with the Oceania Championships in Taupo and European Cup in Melilla), the Americas Cup in Salinas, Ecuador, concluded a long Sunday of triathlon. A Sprint distance affair was on offer, attracting small but cosmopolitan start lists and the home team faced a fight to make it onto the podium. Women’s race The women’s race belonged to one athlete. Amber Schlebusch was in impeccable form in Salinas as she powered to a breakaway victory. She got the ball rolling with a field-leading split…

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Lombardi and Main Speed to Melilla European Cup Golds

Benjamin Eastman

The second European Cup of the season took place in the Spanish enclave of Melilla at the weekend and the event saw a pair of quick-fire races that were settled with decisive late breaks on the run. Women’s race The lingering effects of the cancellation of WTCS Abu Dhabi were also on show at the Sprint distance race as WTCS medallists were on hand to start their seasons. Each of Emma Lombardi, Sophie Coldwell and Kate Waugh won medals in the 2023 Series and were looking to launch their 2024…

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Hauser and Hoitink star in Taupo as they win Oceania Champs

Benjamin Eastman

Taupo, New Zealand, played host to the Oceania Championships over the Olympic distance earlier today as Antipodean rivalries were resumed. Earlier in the year, Australia claimed a triple gold on New Zealand territory and the Napier World Cup and Mixed Team Relay event. The Oceania Sprint Championships then took place in Devonport, Australia, in March. That day, honours were split as New Zealand won the men’s race and Australia secured the women’s title. In Taupo, the New Zealand team looked to sweep both golds however they were confronted with an…

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France Favoured To Take The Triathlon Spoils In Paris

Benjamin Eastman

Earlier in the week we put out a poll asking readers to predict which country will win the most medals across the three triathlon events at the Paris Olympics. At this point in the season, the hosts came out as the favourites. France claimed 39% of the vote. Although the WTCS season has not yet started, they have enjoyed outstanding recent success in the Series. France can call upon the last two men’s world champions, Dorian Coninx and Leo Bergere. Both men also made the overall WTCS podium in 2023.…

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First Look at the WTCS Yokohama 2024 Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

After the WTCS season got off to a false start in Abu Dhabi, the first event of the campaign will take place next month in Yokohama. The race has attracted a star-studded field as plenty of athletes look to kick-start their seasons. With the now-shortened WTCS season, one big performance in Yokohama could create an invaluable advantage in the race to the world title. Moreover, with the race coming a little over two months before the Olympic Games, it will likely be one of the best indicators for who the…

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Poll: Which team will win the most triathlon medals in Paris

Benjamin Eastman

By its nature, the Olympic Games is a contest between countries as much as it is between athletes. Whereas a single medal is reward for a lifetime of work for an athlete, it is often the overall medal table that garners most attention in some quarters. With that in mind, today you can take your pick as to which country will win the most medals across the three Olympic triathlon events this summer. At the last Olympic Games, Britain and America each came away with multiple medals. For the former,…

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Paris 2024 President Admits Olympic Swim Could Be Cancelled

Benjamin Eastman

Over the past twelve months, water quality has been a central talking point in the triathlon world. From the European Championships in Madrid to WTCS Sunderland to the Hong Kong World Cup, stories of swim cancellations and athlete sickness have become significant issues. One event, however, stands out above the rest. At last year’s Paris Olympic Test Event, doubts were raised over the safety of the water after the open water swimming test in the Seine was postponed due to safety concerns. The individual triathlon races took place as planned…

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Noelia Juan Earns Silver Medal At Spanish 10km Champs

Benjamin Eastman

As she continues her pursuit of making the Spanish Olympic team this summer, World Cup medallist Noelia Juan dropped a noteworthy performance at the Spanish 10km Road Running Championships. Juan clocked 34:56 to take home the silver medal in Crevillente. Her time stands as an improvement on the 35:34 she recorded over the same distance in Valencia back in January. As such, it signals that Juan’s fitness is progressing as the triathlon season gets underway. Moreover, as per World Athletics, her recent performance in Crevillente stands as a new personal…

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