WTCS athletes Richard Murray and Miguel Hidalgo showed off their running prowess on different continents over the weekend.
Racing in the Netherlands, Murray took on the Hardenberg City Run and clocked a time of 14:34 for the 5km. That represents a very solid in-season time for the triple WTCS race winner.
Over in Brazil, Hidalgo ran 14:06 on the track. Hidalgo was racing at the Paulista Athletics Championships and his performance appears to be a personal best. Indeed, he is on the precipice of entering the vaunted 13 minute realm. Right now in the WTCS only a select few athletes have run under 14 minutes on the track, such as Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde.
Hidalgo, then, is in good company. Last season he had the honour of being the highest ranked man born in the 21st century in the WTCS. With his speed clearly improving, look for him to rise further through the rankings.
He has already opened his season with finishes of 16th at WTCS Abu Dhabi and 14th at WTCS Yokohama. When the WTCS enters its short format swing through Montreal, Hamburg and Sunderland, Hidalgo should be at the fore.
Murray’s season, meanwhile, has been a little more up and down. A 14th place at Abu Dhabi preceded a 7th place at the African Cup in Nelson Mandela Bay.
He rallied to win the African Cup in Swakopmund but then finished 36th in Yokohama.
His run in Hardenberg indicated that Yokohama was an aberration and that his form is in a much better place than his result suggested. With Murray due to race at WTCS Cagliari at the weekend, look for him to hit the fray with a vengeance.
Hidalgo is next scheduled to pop up at the Huatulco World Cup. In 2022 he medalled at the race and so another medal may be on the cards this time round.
