The biggest event on the Junior calendar is around the corner. As the countdown to the World Junior Championships in Hamburg enters its final month, the start lists for the races have been made available.
Seventy men and seventy women will dive into the water in Hamburg and one (per gender) will be crowned the best Junior triathlete in the world.
To even make the start line is an achievement. On the one hand, it is hard enough to actually be selected by one’s national federation. Then there is the matter of earning the right to start for each country. Over the past eighteen months, the slots for Hamburg were allocated for each of the five continental associations. You can read about how the slot allocation worked here, plus how the final split went here. With the places locked in, the countries have made their selections.
With many of the best young triathletes in the world due to race in Hamburg, we will survey the fields and give a who’s who of the names on the start list.
Today’s post is part one of three for the men (the women will have their own three part series) and we will kick things off with Europe.
For the eagle-eyed readers, you will see that there are thirty-three men listed here for thirty-four places. In some cases a national federation does not take up their slot. In other cases, they may have entered their athletes after the deadline. Such late entries can run the risk of forfeiting the place. Should that happen, the slot will be added to World Triathlon’s list of invites.
Europe
Austria will have two representatives in the men’s race in Hamburg: Patrick Leitner and Simon Freisinger. By finishing 17th at the European Junior Cup in Caorle, Leitner sealed the first of the two Austrian slots. More recently, he won a bronze medal at the European Junior Cup in Olsztyn.
Meanwhile, Freisinger has a best international finish of 20th at 2022 European Junior Cup in Rzeszów. He finished 37th in Caorle to sneak in as one of the last men to earn a slot for his country. Freisinger is a year younger than Leitner, so chances are he will use this year’s championship as an opportunity to build experience.
Jens Smolders of Belgium is one of the younger members in the field. Born in 2006, he sealed Belgium’s only slot with a 31st place in Caorle. He will likely be in a similar boat to Freisinger and use Hamburg as a learning experience rather than actively fighting for a medal.
Andreas Nikolajsen will be Denmark’s representative. He qualified on the back of an 18th place finish in Caorle. Although Nikolajsen won his heat in Caorle, his swim and run splits in the final were actually quicker than those from his heat. He then followed that result up with a 5th place in Olsztyn.
Spain will be sending an extremely talented trio of men.
The sensible place to start is with Pelayo González Turrez. Already this year González has won a European Junior Cup in Melilla and claimed the World Junior Duathlon title with an utterly dominant performance. Last year he also won the European Junior Cup in Izvorani.
In all three disciplines, González is incredibly strong. His challenge in Hamburg will therefore be tactical. At the European Junior Cup in Quarteira, he ended up in 4th place after being caught out in the sprint finish. Similarly, he finished 10th in Caorle after missing the key move. He has shown that he is more than capable of setting the tone for the entire race. The question is, can he maintain absolute focus at the crucial moments?
In addition to González, Hector Tolsa García will be one to watch from the Spanish team. He got his year started with a silver medal in Melilla before following it up with finishes of 6th in Quarteira and 4th in Caorle, showing remarkable consistency.
Tolsa also showed in Quarteira that he is not afraid to make bold moves. He took on the lead group during the run and his attack very nearly paid off. As an athlete born only in 2006, he will be one to watch this year and at championships to come.
The Spanish team is completed by Jesús Vela Vela, After a 3rd place in Melilla, he earned finishes of 8th in Quarteira and Caorle. In practically any other team, Vela would be the star of the show. However with González and Tolsa he has two compatriots standing in his way to the podium. Indeed there is every chance he could log another top-10 finish and still be the third Spaniard.
Vela will therefore need to dig deep in Hamburg. He has the talent to put himself in the hunt for a medal, but to see the job through he will need to find a way past his teammates.
Estonia will be represented by Gregor Rasva. He is coming off a bronze medal at the Baltic Championships (over the Super Sprint distance). Moreover he finished 6th in Olsztyn. Right now, Rasva appears to be a little stronger in the water and on the bike compared to his run. He will still have another year in the Junior ranks in 2024 but if he is to pull off a heist this year he will realistically need to try something ambitious early on in the race.
Luckily for him, there are plenty of athletes with swim-bike profiles that could prove useful allies.
We then come to the defending champion. Thomas Hansmaennel will be a core component of the French team having added his name after a win at the French Junior Championships in Gravelines.
He also won the European Junior Cup in Quarteira back in March in which he demonstrated that, on his day, he is extremely difficult to beat. A 13th place in Caorle will give hope to the rest of the field that he can in fact be beaten. However, if he is anywhere near the front in the closing stages he is one of the safest bets to seal the win.
Hansmaennel will be joined by Nils Serre Gehri who could be one of the unluckiest athletes on the start list. He got his international season off to a start with a silver medal in Quarteira. Another silver followed in Caorle. Then, at the French Junior Championships in Gravelines, he finished (you guessed it) 2nd.
So far, it seems that another athlete (often Hansmaennel) has always just been able to get their nose over the line ahead of Serre Gehri. Such is his form, though, a win has to be on the cards soon.
Pablo Isotton completes the French team. He won a bronze medal in Caorle with a classy performance. One point that also marks him out is that he finished 5th at World Junior Championships in Montreal last year. A year older and stronger, Isotton will be looking for a medal and has all the skills required to make it happen.
The British team was decided quite late with the selection race in Mallory Park. Solomon Okrafo-Smart came out on top that day having previously earned a slot for the country after sneaking into the final in Caorle. A great runner, if he can come through the swim unscathed, he will be able to fight for honours.
Also racing will be Brandon Pye. He is a hugely promising athlete and pushed Okrafo-Smart close at Mallory Park. He won the British Youth performance assessments back in April on the back on a fantastic run split. While he may be a tad young this time round to expect anything too great, he could prove a dark horse.
The third man on the team will be Oliver Mills. Mills will be making his international debut after sealing his place on the team at the domestic selection race. How he adapts to the step up will govern his prospects.
Henning Scholl is currently due to be the sole German male representative in Hamburg. Jakob Von Müller is currently listed on the start list although he was entered as a placeholder while the team was decided over the weekend at the DTU Youth Cup in Jena. After winning in Jena, Scholl has subsequently been confirmed as the German pick.
To date, Scholl has limited international experience. However, with home support behind him he will look to impress. He has a well-rounded skillset and a handy sprint finish under his belt.
Three Hungarian men will be starting as the country continues its rise in the sport.
Gyula Kovács’s confidence will be running high after he won the European Junior Cup in Olsztyn. Having also won the European Junior Cup in Riga in 2022, he will be worth keeping tabs on. All three of the Hungarians are strong in the first two disciplines but Kovács really stands out as a runner too.
Whereas some athletes tend to rely on one particular discipline, Kovács should be able to succeed almost regardless of how the race unfolds.
Kovács’s teammate, Zalán Hóbor, took 5th place in Caorle. He has quite a swashbuckling style on the bike and could enliven the race in Hamburg. Indeed, it seems unlikely that he will be content to simply sit in a pack and wait for a running race.
Similarly, Márton Kropkó will look to push the pace. He won a silver in Olsztyn and also claimed the World Junior Aquathlon title in Ibiza. With Hóbor and Kropkó lurking in the field, there is every chance that a breakaway forms in Hamburg that could turn the race on its head.
At the end of the day, then, Hungary could be among the most influential teams at the World Junior Championships.
Mathys Bocquet earned Ireland’s slot with 34th in Caorle. He will be one of the younger athletes in the field and is relatively inexperienced internationally. As Ireland’s most promising youngster, his federation will be counting on him to build upon his showing in Hamburg over the next iterations of the championships.
The Italian team will be led by Euan De Nigro. His win at the European Junior Cup in Caorle is his biggest success to date. He took down a world-class field of Juniors and displayed a devastating sprint finish; should he be in the lead pack in Hamburg, his rivals will need to try to burn him early otherwise he will likely make them pay.
More recently, De Nigro had a successful outing at Bundesliga Kraichgau. He nudged inside the top-15 legs of the day with a good all-round display. Given the race dynamics in which he had time to make up, too, it was an impressive performance. By way of comparison, he was around 20 seconds slower than the likes of Jonas Schomburg and Henri Schoeman but dealt with a much more fragmented field than them.
Dropping back down to the Junior level might give him the chance to exert himself over the rest of the field.
Italy will also be sending Pietro Giovannini, last year’s Italian Junior champion. Giovannini won a bronze medal at the European Junior Cup in Izvorani in 2022 so has enjoyed nascent success internationally. He did only finish 23rd in Caorle so is still searching for best form. However if it comes together in Hamburg he could be among the standout athletes.
The third and final Italian man will be Miguel Espuna Larramona. He took a brilliant 6th place in Caorle and has a lot of talent. Back in 2021 he also finished 7th at the World Junior Championships. Now two years older, he will be looking to take home silverware this time.
Luexmbourg surprised a little when they managed to seal three men’s slots in Caorle. David Lang led the way with his 20th place, Aurelien Carre finished 33rd and Poli Stoffel took 35th place.
Lang is probably the best runner of the trio and on his day will be a real handful for the rest of the field. Carre, meanwhile, finished 22nd at the World Junior Championships in Montreal so has valuable experience to call upon.
Stoffel is the youngest of the team (born in 2006). As such, Lang and Carre will likely carry the bulk of Luxembourg’s hopes. Given Lang’s running speed, it will be interesting to see if any team cooperation comes into play. If the three Luxembourgers can work together, they could put perhaps Lang or Carre in contention for a top-10 finish, or better.
Norway’s only athlete will be Eirik Berling Grande. He qualified by dint of his 21st place in Caorle. His heat performance in Caorle was a little more impressive than his final and he certainly has a quick run under his sleeve. Earlier in the year he also finished 15th in Quarteira.
How he gets on will likely depend on how well he manages his effort. If he goes too hard too early, he will likely slip outside the top-10. Yet in the back of his mind, he will also know that if he does not go hard enough he might lose too much ground. His race management will therefore have to be perfect.
Kuba Gajda will be the sole man racing for Poland. He recently finished 4th in Olsztyn and prior to that took 12th place in Caorle. Right now, his swim is a slight weak point; on balance, it is what cost him a medal and probably the win in Olsztyn. However his running is tremendous.
Gajda is up there as one of the best runners in the field. He will therefore have one goal in Hamburg: to limit any time lost in the water so that he can bring out the big guns at the end of the race.
Portugal qualified two slots and one will go to an early favourite for the win.
João Nuno Batista won a bronze medal in Quarteira early in the year and is one of the most exciting young talents in the world. In 2021, he was a silver medallist at the World Junior Championships despite being among the youngest men in the field. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength.
Perhaps his most impressive recent performance actually came at the Senior level. In October 2022, he finished 15th at the European Cup Ceuta against a good field. He also won the European Junior Cup in Holten last year.
Batista is a great runner and after his near-miss will be looking to take home the gold medal.
Gustavo Do Canto will be the second Portuguese man after taking 27th place in Caorle. Like Batista, he is a very good runner. He also has experience of racing at the World Junior Championships; last year he finished 45th in Montreal.
Carol Popa qualified for Romania after finishing 16th in Caorle. Last year he finished 3rd at the Senior Romanian Championships and raced with real maturity. He also took a silver medal at the European Cup in Chisinau in 2022.
Again, he is one of the younger athletes so a top-10 might be as far as his aspirations realistically go this year. If he can find an extra gear on the run to rival the likes of Hansmaennel, Batista and González, though, then he could pull off an upset.
Ul Denša will be racing for Slovenia after taking 30th in Caorle. His better performance in 2023 came in Melilla, where he finished 6th. Denša is definitely one of the faster swimmers in the field and will be looking to use the first discipline to his advantage.
He has experience of racing at the World Junior Championships, although last year was not his day. It has to be noted, however, that Montreal was held as a duathlon because of water quality issues. As a result, Denša’s strength was essentially cut out of his race before it even began. With a triathlon actually on the cards this year, he can expect a much better result.
Antoine L’hôte is the only Swiss man on the start lists. He will arrive in Hamburg on the back of an 11th place in Quarteira, a 26th place in Caorle and a 21st place in Olsztyn. He is strong across the board, with his cycling probably standing as his best discipline. Quarteira showcased some of the best of his talent where he was very active on the bike and set a lot of the tempo in his group.
Wherever L’hôte emerges from the water, he will likely be a big help on the bike to anyone that ends up in his pack.
Finally, we come to the last European man on the start list.
Oscar Lilja of Sweden is the reigning World Junior Cross Triathlon champion and finished 19th in Caorle and 13th in Olsztyn. Like L’hôte, he is a superb cyclist and will try to utilise the that in Hamburg. Who knows, with a couple of other athletes that are fast on two wheels around him, Lilja could create a breakaway and ruffle a few feathers.
With his ability on two wheels, if he is allowed to escape there is a chance he will not be seen again until the finish line.
