Places on the British team at the European Sprint Championships in Balikesir, Turkey, will be on the line this weekend.
In the latest instalment of the British Super Series, many of the country’s top athletes will be competing in Mallory Park to make the Senior, U23 and Junior championship teams.
With the racing in Balikesir taking place over the Super Sprint distance, the British trials will follow a similar format. On the Saturday evening, the Senior and Junior athletes will take on a 350m swim, 8km bike and 2km run. Note that the Saturday heats will be time trials with athletes departing at 20 second intervals. Although drafting will not be allowed, they will still race on standard draft-legal equipment.
Then, on the Sunday, the top finishers from Saturday will contest the final. In the final, the distances will be comprised of a 400m swim, 10km bike and 2.5km run (and drafting will be allowed).
Whoever gets over the finish line first on Sunday, will likely put themselves on the plane to Turkey.
On the Junior front, there are several ways to seal automatic qualification. The first two, being a reigning World Junior Championship medallist or a medallist and the first British finisher at the European Junior Cup in Caorle, are redundant. No British Junior medalled in either event.
As such, the most important criteria for automatic selection is to be the first Junior across the line this weekend.
Thereafter, the runner-up will be selected if they have also achieved a relevant 400m swim time of 4:20.0 (for the men) or 4:40.0 (for the women) within the past 18 months. Should any quota places remain, the 3rd place finisher in Mallory Park will be taken if they have hit the same 400m time standards.
If places are still available following the automatic selections, athletes may be added on a discretionary basis should their performances at the trial “indicate them to be capable of delivering the level of performance required for a top-30 finish at the (European) Junior Championships”.
The final selection will be made on 30th June 2023. You can view the British selection policy for the European Junior Championships here.
On the Senior front, to earn automatic nomination an athlete must be the first eligible senior (born 1999 or earlier) past the post at the trial on the condition that they are in the top-4 athletes overall (including Juniors and U23 athletes).
Meanwhile, the first two U23 athletes across the line at the trial will earn automatic selection. The next available slots will go to any reigning World U23 medallists (looking at you, Connor Bentley and Hamish Reilly) or European U23 medallists from last year. If places still remain, the 3rd and 4th place U23 finishers can be added to the team.
If further places are available, British Triathlon may add two more selections (with at most one being a Senior athlete) based on the order of finish in Mallory Park. You can view the Senior and U23 selection policy here.
With the European slots on the line, plenty of talented athletes will be chomping at the bit to impress.
On the Junior front, Solomon Okrafo-Smart and Isla Heldey will step up to bat once more after winning the equivalent trial for the World Junior Championships back in May. Look for their World Junior Championships teammates, Brandon Pye, Oliver Mills, Bethany Cook and Olivia Logan, to also make a statement and put themselves on the team.
At the same time, Mallory Park will offer a chance at redemption for several Juniors.
Millie Breese was particularly impressive in the heats at the European Junior Cup in Caorle. Although the final did not quite go as well, she will nonetheless be an athlete to feature prominently. Likewise, Eve Whitaker will look to rebound from missing the World Junior Championships team. As the winner of the British Junior performance assessments in April, she will no doubt be a contender.
After recovering from injury, someone like Isabella Hayes could also earn a slot.
Thomas Hattee cruelly missed the World Junior Championships team after a bold attack at the trial did not ultimately pay off. A similar aggressive race plan can probably be expected from him again this weekend. Alongside Hattee, there are several men that could qualify, such as Johnny James, Struan Bennet and Oliver Conway. Furthermore Lawrence Martindale is slated to start but after a nasty crash in Caorle it remains to be seen where he will be fitness-wise.
An early favourite in the Senior/U23 ranks will be Jessica Fullagar. She took 5th place at the French Grand Prix in Fréjus and was by far the best cyclist in the field. With form on her side, look for her to do some damage this weekend.
Tilly Anema also performed well at the season opener of the French Grand Prix, taking 11th place. Like Fullagar, she skipped the second round in Bordeaux and will be dialled in on making the team in Mallory Park.
Sophia Green and Annabel Morton will also be in the mix while Lizzy Edge will fancy her chances on the U23 front after impressing at the Senior performance assessments in April.
The men’s Senior field is rather open and any one of several men could take the win.
Cameron Main could be a good shout to cross the line first, while Christopher Perham is a fairly reliable performer. Jackson Stanton-Stock, Ollie Turner and James Chantler-Mayne should all be in the mix too but there is not a great deal to separate them. Rather than one man standing out over the rest, the final will likely come down to whoever gets their tactics right.
