Based on even a cursory glance at the start lists, the Caorle European Cup seems to be designed with one particular question in mind. What happens when you take a collection of rising athletes with a point to prove and throw them all into the same race?
Last year’s world U23 champion, Connor Bentley, is one of the leading names in the men’s field. In Abu Dhabi, back in November, he announced himself as a serious prospect and one of the leading runners of his cohort.
Bentley will be joined in Caorle by his team mate and fellow world U23 medallist Hamish Reilly.
Neither had the best days at BUCS Sprint Triathlon recently as they finished out of the medals in 5th and 19th, respectively. BUCS will not have been a major target in either of their seasons. Nevertheless, Caorle provides an early opportunity for them to reassert their credentials as two of the most promising athletes in the sport.
Moreover Ben Dijkstra will be an interesting athlete to watch. A bronze medallist at the World Junior Championships in 2016 and 2017, Dijkstra went on to claim the European U23 title in 2019. Prior to 2020, his star was on the rise. Since then, he has slipped behind some of his contemporaries. He not struggled per se. Rather, he has suffered a combination of being forced to miss races (which cost him almost all of 2021) and then producing quietly solid performances upon his return.
Finishes of 12th place in his last two World Cups (in New Plymouth and Miyazaki) indicate he is starting to find his feet at the Senior level. Given how high his ceiling appeared to be leading up to 2020, World Cup medals should not be too far away.
He is still 24 and should be on the precipice of a major breakout. Like Bentley and Reilly, his point to prove comes not from any “failure” (their careers are still too young for that) but rather a need to prove themselves against one another. With the competitiveness of the British ranks and Alex Yee a lock on any future team, one of the trio will be left out in the cold at some point in their career.
Over the coming seasons, then, when they race against one another a sense of domestic pressure may grow, even if they remain friends.
Similarly a large German line up will start in Caorle with all holding aspirations of becoming Germany’s next leading man.
Henry Graf has been highly regarded in German circles, especially since his win at the European Junior Championships in 2021. Now in his third year out of the Junior ranks, his test will be to establish a firmer foothold in the Senior ranks.
Eric Diener and Jan Diener will also be looking to push forward their claims in the German team in Caorle. Eric is the older of the pair and finished 4th at the World U23 Championships last year. Jan, however, scored the better finish of the two as he broke into the top-10 at the European Cup in Quarteira in March (earning 9th).
Then there is Simon Henseleit. Injury robbed him of the second half of his 2021 season after making positive steps in the summer. In his World Cup debut in Pontevedra in July, he finished 11th and looked at home at that level. It was a similar story in 2021 when he made his WTCS debut in Hamburg and finished 24th.
Partly due to recurring injury issues, Henseleit has not quite raced as often as some of his rivals. However he has shown plenty of ability, particularly at European Cups, when has been able to. With his injury misfortune hopefully behind him, he will look to push his name forward in Caorle.
Nicola Azzano, Alessio Crociani and Nicolo Strada will all be among the home athletes in Caorle. Perhaps the most intriguing member of the Italian team, though, is Sergiy Polikarpenko.
Polikarpenko was a silver medallist in the 10,000m at the European Junior Championships in 2017. Later, in 2019, he ran 14:05.75 in the 5000m. He is an extraordinary runner and could very quickly develop into one of the best in the sport, in the right conditions.
If Polikarpenko can translate his potential, he could be a real boon for the Italian team.
He will face off in Caorle against another good runner, Hugo Milner. If the field stays together the showdown between Milner and Polikarpenko could be brilliant.
In addition Maxime Fluri will be arriving in Caorle off of 5km and 10km best times. After being in the mix with the likes of Bentley, Reilly and Diener at the U23 level, it would be no surprise to see him in the mix.
On the youth front, the European Junior champion from 2022, Léo Fernandez, will be an athlete to keep an eye on.
There’s no obvious name to seize control of the race. It is tantalisingly open and anyone of a dozen athletes could produce something spectacular. As such, expect it to come down to the run unless someone attempts a Hail Mary on the bike.
On the women’s side, Jolien Vermeylen is realistically the best swimmer in the field. So far she has not yet found a way to fully exert herself in the swim in the way she might like, but that is partly due to her being fairly new to the sport. If she can really hone in on her strength and take control the race in the first discipline, she could set the tone of the proceedings.
She already has a World Cup silver medal and so should be in the conversation for a medal at virtually any European Cup. The difference is that Vermeylen has the capacity to dominate the race. With times in the pool that several in the men’s field cannot match, it would be fascinating to see what would happen if she really let rip and detonated the field before T1.
Sian Rainsley is returning from injury and will be making her first start of the year in Caorle. At her best, she would be in the conversation as a potential race winner. However, given the extent of her ankle injury back in January, it would be first wise to see how she fares before predicting anything.
Lotte Miller is also on the road back and has recently placed her focus on enjoying her racing as she gets back to her best. When at full strength, Miller and Rainsley would be key athletes in Caorle; given their injuries, it will simply be interesting to see where they are at.
Miller also poses one half of a double Norwegian threat with Solveig Løvseth. After Løvseth’s maiden World Cup medal in New Plymouth, she will be one to watch. Whereas Vermeylen is the leading swimmer, Løvseth might just be the best cyclist of the field.
If she can put down some big turns on the bike, she could sap the field or even break it en route to T2.
Jule Behrens and Tanja Neubert will lead the German women in Caorle and can be expected to fight for the medals. Likewise Candice Denizot one of France’s most promising U23 athletes and could be an outsider for the win.
Through the likes of Luisa Iogna-Prat, Costanza Arpinelli and Angelica Prestia, there will be lots of Italian talent starting. All have produced strong performances this year, either internationally at the World Cup in New Plymouth or domestically in Lignano. They should all therefore be race sharp when the starting gun goes off in Caorle.
Of the youngest athletes in the field, Livia Gross, the bronze medallist at last year’s World Junior Championships, stands out as one that could trouble the top-10. She has a well-rounded skillset although may struggle a little with the likes of Løvseth on the bike. At this point in her career, her goal is realistically to accrue experience. Any top-10 finishes (or better) will be a cherry on top for now.
Indeed the bike should be ripe for an attack. If one does not materialise, Tilda Månsson will be lurking. After her recent 10km personal best, she will be one to watch. She followed it up with a 16:01 5km at the Arlandastad Duathlon. As a result, it would be fair to say that she is the form runner in the field.
With the racing taking place over the Sprint distance, it will be hard to drop Månsson which means a rematch between her and Vermeylen from the Bergen World Cup could be on the cards.
Only one thing is for sure, though. The win could come from anywhere.
