With a start list packed with talent, the European Super Sprint Championships will come down to the athlete best able to navigate the demands of the multi-round event.
On that front, it is hard to look past the credentials of Alberte Kjaer Pedersen. Last year, the Danish athlete finished 4th at WTCS Montreal at which a similar multi-round Super Sprint format was used. At the equivalent event this year in Hamburg, she managed 19th place, although that was the best of any female athletes starting in Balikesir.
As one of the best runners in the field, it is hard to see anyone getting past her at the finish.
This summer, Pedersen completed her degree in dentistry and has transitioned into becoming a full-time athlete. Capping her shift with a European title would be the perfect way to signal the next step of her career.
At the same time, there will be no shortage of rivals for the win.
Audrey Merle has had a strong season to date and is one of the few women with the speed to upset Pedersen on the run. The winner of the 2022 Tongyeong World Cup earned a silver medal at the European Cup in Quarteira, then finished 7th at the European Championships in Munich. A 5th place at the European Games then followed.
Merle, then, has been a consistent force across her races this season and will likely push for a medal.
Her teammate, Mathilde Gautier, will likewise be a contender. Gautier may be best served trying to push the pace in the swim and bike. By playing to her strengths, she could breakaway or at least sap the legs of Pedersen and Merle. She also has plenty of running speed and as a World Cup medallist cannot be discounted.
Someone like Jessica Fullagar on the British team may be a useful ally for Gautier in the first two disciplines.
Equally, Fullagar could turn the whole race on its head by herself.
At the opening French Grand Prix race in Fréjus, she launched a brilliant solo move on the bike that culminated in her finishing 5th. There are few women in the field will the dynamism that Fullagar possesses on the bike. Having won at the British Super Series in Sunderland at the weekend, she is clearly in good form too and could be the best of the British team.
Her compatriot Tilly Anema should also be a challenger. Like Fullagar, Anema has performed well in the French Grand Prix this season. On balance, she is a slightly better runner than her teammate so, if the field sticks together, could have a better shot of medalling. Yet Anema also is fairly inexperienced internationally so her focus could be on the U23 race within the Senior race.
Maria Tomé had a good start to the year as she finished 6th at the New Plymouth World Cup, 3rd in Fréjus and 9th in Madrid. Since then, she has raced sparingly and finished 35th at WTCS Sunderland. The Portuguese athlete definitely has the speed to trouble the podium, though.
The Italian pair of Costanza Arpinelli and Angelica Prestia will also be in the mix. Arpinelli made her WTCS debut in Montreal and has been on the rise over the past year. Prestia also recently logged a personal best World Cup finish in Tiszaujvaros last month.
Then there are the Germans.
With a wealth of talent, any of the German team could nab a medal or even the win. Former World Junior champion Jule Behrens will have a good chance of making the podium. The likeliest to win, though, might be Tanja Neubert or Selina Klamt.
Both Neubert and Klamt have multiple Continental Cup gold medals to their name this season and have top-5 finishes at the European Championships and European Games, respectively.
While Klamt made her WTCS debut in Hamburg, Neubert stepped up to anchor the German team to the U23/Junior Mixed Team Relay world title. Moreover, Neubert and Klamt have medalled in the Bundesliga in 2023.
Given their form this year, it will be hard to look past the German pair.
TriStats Predictions
- Alberte Kjaer Pedersen
- Audrey Merle
- Tanja Neubert
- Selina Klamt
- Maria Tomé
