The men’s field at the World U23 Championships in Pontevedra is brimming with talent. Even with the withdrawal of the defending champion, Connor Bentley, the remainder of the 2022 podium returns.
Gergely Kiss, last year’s silver medallist, and Hamish Reilly, who won bronze, both have proven themselves at the U23 level and can be expected to be in the thick of the action. Both also have recent results that suggest they will be big threats in Pontevedra.
Reilly finished 3rd at the European U23 Championships (taking 5th in the Senior classification) which will have provided a real boost. Prior to that, he had not quite recaptured the magic of his performance in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2022. A 25th place at the Tiszaujvaros World Cup was a promising result, although his bronze medal at the European Championships out-stripped that.
Meanwhile, Kiss finished 11th on home turf in Tiszaujvaros. More recently, he finished 13th in the French Grand Prix final at Saint-Jean-des-Monts.
One important thing to note is that Reilly’s and Kiss’ form is similar to that of last year ahead of their medals at the World U23 Championships. The pair thus likely have another gear in them when they step onto the pontoon this weekend.
At the same time, there are a lot of rivals for them to beware.
Although Kiss and Reilly are great runners, they will have to contend with David Cantero del Campo. The Spanish athlete recently won the Valencia World Cup in a display that combined maturity and panache. As one of the best runners in the field, Cantero will be a massive threat.
His theatrics in Valencia also showed that he thrives racing in front of a home crowd. That will be on offer in Pontevedra and so expect him to draw a lot from the local support.
Yanis Seguin of France will be racing after enjoying a sterling season. He got his campaign off to a good start with a 4th place in a stacked field at the Quarteira European Cup. He then finished 11th at the European Championships (over the duathlon Olympic distance) and 4th at the European Games.
At every international opportunity afforded to him this year, Seguin has stepped up.
Moreover, his recent form will give him plenty of optimism. He finished 3rd at the French Grand Prix in Saint-Jean-des-Monts with a brilliant performance.
The twin German threat of Simon Henseleit and Henry Graf will also likely be factors.
Henseleit is the slightly more developed of the two and made his WTCS debut earlier in the summer. This year he won two European Cups and finished 5th at the World Cup in Karlovy Vary. To go with that, he finished 7th at the European Games and added a bronze medal at Bundesliga Düsseldorf.
He is a well-rounded athlete with no real weakness. Having missed last year’s race due to injury, Henseleit will look to make a splash this time.
Graf likewise could be a danger. He took 2nd place at Bundesliga Hannover in a bold showing, proving his form. Earlier in the year, he also finished 8th at the European Cup in Caorle. At this stage, he is not quite as far along as Henseleit, which makes sense as he is two years youngers. Graf, though, is rising fast.
From further overseas, John Reed won the Americas Championships in a fantastic performance. In Veracruz he was utterly dominant on the run which will provide him with plenty of confidence to take down the likes of Cantero, Kiss and Reilly.
On the note of the Americas Championships, Andree Buc, the Americas Junior champion, will also be racing.
Reed won a silver medal at the Americas Cup in Sarasota at the start of season so his recent form is no flash in the pan. Moreover, he finished 9th at the World U23 Championships last year. His compatriot, Zach Leachman, will also be one to watch.
Leachman won two Americas Cups this summer and added a bronze medal at the Americas Cup in Edmonton. He is another rapid runner although thus far his best performances have come over the Sprint distance. At this level, the Olympic distance is a little less of a known factor for him and Pontevedra will be a step up.
Another continental champions, Brad Course, will be on the start line. Course claimed the Oceania title in stylish fashion earlier in the year. A silver medal at the European Cup in Holten followed.
The Australian was a little underwhelming at World Junior Championships after a sensational run of form, but that is to be expected with young athletes. On his day Course is a super talent, but it has been a long season. He was racing internationally as far back as February. Being still a Junior, that load could take its toll and well-earned rest is on the horizon.
For now, his focus may be on building experience before making a run at the podium in the next few years.
Course’s teammate, Oscar Dart, may end up as the leading Australian men. Dart earned double Asia Cup win in Subic Bay and Lianyungang and has enjoyed an impressive season.
There a myriad of further athletes that could end up on the podium.
Saxon Morgan of New Zealand finished 8th in the 2022 version of the event. World Cup medallist Alessio Crociani is another candidate and should be a big factor on the swim and bike. At the same time, his compatriot Nicolò Strada might be in the better form after finishing 7th in Karlovy Vary.
In such a deep field, it will take a mature race to win and confidence could play a big role.
Whatever happens, though, the racing should be fairly spectacular.
TriStats Predictions
- David Cantero del Campo
- Yanis Seguin
- Simon Henseleit
- John Reed
- Gergely Kiss
