Prior to WTCS Montreal, Matthew Hauser was quoted as having drawn inspiration from the victory of the Australian men in the opening Test of the Ashes. In a performance to out-do that of his cricketing counterparts, Hauser brought a little of his own “Bazball“* to Montreal
In the absence of Vincent Luis and Márk Dévay, there would be a new leader in the swim for the first time since 2021. It was none other than Hauser himself that stepped up to the seize the day.
Having lined up on the right-hand side of the ponton with Kenji Nener for company, the Australian had a great start to the race and led the way in a time of 8:02, 2 seconds up on Nener and Nicolò Strada.
Among Hauser’s rivals, Vasco Vilaca emerged in 18th place and 12 seconds down, while Manoel Messias lost 30 seconds. Hauser continued to push ahead after executing a flawless T1.
Nener and Tim Hellwig were quick to join him, as were Strada and Marten Van Riel. Once Jonas Schomburg has bridged to the front, a six man pack looked settled and had a slim advantage. As much as they pushed to make their gap stick, a large group hovered behind.
Matthew McElroy pulled a particularly big turn on the first lap to bring the chase group onto the wheel of the Hauser group. Vilaca was in the pack, as was Messias after recovering the time ceded in the water.
One man not to make the twenty-three man front group was Kristian Blummenfelt. Having lost 34 seconds to Hauser in the water, he trundled in the third pack for much of the opening laps.
If the race had been all about Hauser thus far, during the bike phase he seemed content to let his ally Nener take control. It is hard to recall a race in which the Japanese has been so assertive at the front of a race. Jonathan Brownlee moved up to the front to and, alongside Nener, set the tempo as the pack strung out behind.
Then Nener was at the front again, driving the pace as he almost escaped from the front. Such was the pace, McElroy and Messias were amog a small group that were briefly dropped.
Several men in the field will owe Dylan McCullough a drink after the New Zealander produced a Stakhanovite turn to bring the chase back to the leaders. Not long after, the Blummenfelt group succeeded in their chase and the Olympic champion was back with the leaders.
As the group swelled in size, Van Riel had a dig and enjoyed a brief 5 second lead. Shortly before entering the final bike lap, Hellwig also launched an attack in a display of great confidence. Further behind, bad luck struck Mislawchuk once more as he slipped from his bike around a dead turn; luckily the Canadian was able to limit his losses.
One a slick course, though, there was further damage to be done. Vilaca come unstuck around a fast corner and went sliding across the road into some cones. He picked himself up and continued but the pack was gone.
Tjebbe Kaindl took up his place at the front of the pack to reel in Hellwig. After big bike splits in recent European Cups, Kaindl was in great form and it showed as he made his presence known. By the end of the bike, though, Nener and Brownlee were back at the head of the lead group of almost forty men. Showing their racing nous, they kept to the front and stayed out of trouble.
It was Nener that therefore led into T2, with Blummenfelt beside.
Roberto Sanchez Mantecon flew into an early lead on the run. Jelle Geens was the next to take over. A small group of men, including Hauser, Hellwig, Van Riel and Blummenfelt, settled at the front of the race. Nener and Schomburg also tucked in behind Geens. A slow start on the run had put Messias behind yet the Brazilian cruised through the field to regain contact with the leaders.
Towards the end of the first of the two run laps, Schomburg began to lose touch as he could not quite summon the magic of Cagliari. Bence Bicsák and Charles Paquet rounded out the lead group of ten.
Upon starting the final lap, Blummenfelt stepped across Nener and almost caught him with an elbow in an example of the Norwegian’s dogged determination to take the line of his choosing, if an uncourteous one at that.
The Olympic champion then hit the front but with the remaining nine men cruising on his feet he looked around to share a choice word or two. Over the final lap, Blummenfelt was a bull in a China shop, bumping athletes left and right, at times staggering like a punch-drunk boxer that could not quite force his opponent to stand still. That he held with the pack is a testament to his fitness and stubborn refusal to give up.
With rules in place to govern behaviour on the swim, bike and run, Blummenfelt might be wise to take a little more care in future. Until triathlon comes a contact sport, his style risks looking a little less bulldozing than bullying.
There was one man, though, that was ready strike. Hauser attacked early on the final lap and the lead group sagged behind. Messias took up the chase, with Hellwig and Geens in hot pursuit.
Hauser, however, was simply untouchable.
The Australian cruised to the finish on a completely different plane to his rivals and claimed his first ever WTCS win. Having been the best swimmer of the day, he took the quickest run split for good measure and won in comprehensive fashion.
Messias was next home, 9 seconds down, to claim a second WTCS medal and the first silver of his career. Like Hauser, he is very much a rising force in the Series.
Geens then summoned all of his experience to outsprint the young Hellwig and win the bronze medal, his first medal of any colour this year. Hellwig, though, could be thrilled with a brilliant return to the WTCS and claimed 4th.
Blummenfelt came home in 5th after a stoic effort once Hauser had kicked clear. Bicsák then led Paquet and Sanchez over the line while Van Riel took 9th. After a sterling race, Nener had to settle for 10th.
The day, though, belonged to Hauser and the Australian has delivered on his immense promise. The future is here and now he will be gunning for Alex Yee and Hayden Widle.
View the full race results here.
*to cricket fans and non-cricket fans alike, please excuse the use of the term Bazball. We will try not to do it again.
