The final slots for this year’s World Junior Championships were up for grabs at the weekend as athletes from across Europe and the Americas battled to secure places for their country in Hamburg.
After some of the biggest Junior races of the year, it is now possible to work out where the slots will go. We have previously noted the allocation of the slots for Africa, Asia and Oceania and you can discover those here.
In light of the action in Caorle and Punta Cana, this is how the assignment of the remaining places should look.
Junior Men
The Americas Qualification Event in Punta Cana saw the 14 available slots divided in the following way:
- Canada – 3
- USA – 3
- Mexico – 3
- Chile – 2
- Brazil – 1
- Ecuador – 1
- Argentina – 1
Mathis Beaulieu won the race which put Canada in a strong position. After also winning a Senior Americas Cup earlier in the year Beaulieu will be a major threat by the time Hamburg rolls around.
Carter Stuhlmacher’s silver medal and Luke Anthony’s 4th place went a long way to help the Americans secure their full quota of places.
Although Andree Buc won bronze, Chile only managed to qualify one other slot. By contrast, Mexico managed to take three slots after Alfredo Miguel Rodríguez Figueroa led the way with his 10th place.
In Caorle, there were 34 slots to assign. They were distributed as follows:
- Italy – 3
- France – 3
- Spain – 3
- Hungary – 3
- Britain – 3
- Poland – 1
- Portugal – 2
- Romania – 1
- Austria – 2
- Denmark – 1
- Sweden – 1
- Luxembourg – 3
- Norway – 1
- Estonia -1
- Switzerland – 3
- Slovenia – 1
- Belgium – 1
- Ireland – 1
Euan De Nigro’s win helped set up a successful weekend for Italy. In the end Italy earned all 3 places for Hamburg with relative ease. France, Britain and Spain also secured their full quota of places.
It is also important to note that France and Britain are two examples of countries that will still hold trials ahead of the World Junior Championships. The athletes that earned the slots in Caorle will not necessarily be the ones to race in Hamburg. Some other countries will rely on the Caorle results to inform their selection. Such is the depth of the British and French teams, though, they can afford to rely on additional trials.
Luxembourg and Hungary each earned three men’s slots to highlight how both countries are rising.
Switzerland earned the 34th and final slot through Bastian Widmer’s 38th place. A country cannot earn more than 3 slots which is why there was a roll-down to 38th in the results.
Most notably, Germany failed to put a man in the final and also did not qualify any male slots for Hamburg. They will receive one male slot as the host but otherwise will not be fully represented. Jan Pluta was the top German men’s finisher in Caorle with his 51st place and will likely take the Hamburg spot.
Junior Women
Jimena Renata De La Peña Schott’s win in Punta Cana gave Mexico the perfect start and helped them secure all three slots for Hamburg. Similarly, Canada and America gained their full quota of places.
- Mexico – 3
- Chile – 1
- USA – 3
- Canada – 3
- Brazil – 2
- Ecuador – 1
- Dominican Republic – 1
Dominga Elena Jacome Espinoza won the silver medal in Punta Cana to earn a slot for Chile. However she was the only female Chilean athlete to earn a place.
Brazil will send two women to Hamburg thanks to Julia Munhoz and Amando Moro finishing inside the top-10.
Ecuador’s sole spot was the result of Maria De Los Angeles Bonilla Garcia finishing 20th. Likewise, the Dominican Republic received the final place after Karel Alexa Ramirez Bodden finished 21st.
The men’s and women’s slots are equally split so 14 spaces were assigned to the Americas. In Caorle, as with the men, there were 34 women’s spots to allocate.
- Hungary – 3
- France – 3
- Britain – 3
- Slovakia – 1
- Italy – 3
- Belgium – 3
- Spain – 2
- Germany – 3
- Austria – 2
- Latvia – 1
- Slovenia – 1
- Switzerland – 2
- Luxembourg – 2
- Czech Republic – 2
- Netherlands – 1
- Lithuania – 1
- Portugal – 1
Fanni Szalai’s fantastic win led the way for Hungary. As with the men, they secured all 3 quota places to highlight the gathering momentum the country has.
France locked out 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the women’s final to earn three slots. At this point in time, France could probably send five or six women to Hamburg and any one of them could contend for a medal. For example, Léa Houart, the silver medallist at the European Junior Cup in Quarteira, was not even in Caorle.
Germany’s women out-performed the men’s team as they earned 3 slots. In a slight shift, Marielle Bouchti, who took 3rd place at Germany’s trials in March, was the best German finisher.
The final slot to be allocated went to Nicole Bauer of Austria. Bauer finished 46th and her performance saw Austria qualify two women.
Full Quota Countries
A select group of countries have successfully qualified a full quota of 3 men and 3 women for Hamburg. They are as follows:
- Australia
- Hungary
- France
- Britain
- Italy
- USA
- Canada
- Mexico
Locking out the Junior slots could prove an indicator for the depth of the next generation. Some countries have one obvious star in their Junior ranks. However, being able to qualify 3 men and 3 women is a clear demonstration that the talent pipeline in the country is developing multiple athletes capable of competing internationally.
At the same time, the fact that only eight countries were able to completely fill their quota suggests a growing depth in triathlon at the global level. Around the world, countries like Tunisia, Kazakhstan and Luxembourg were able to take more slots than perhaps would have been typically expected.
Likewise, countries like Mexico and Hungary are rapidly establishing themselves on the same plane as traditional triathlon powerhouses like Australia and America.
Such growth and diversity can only be good for the sport. Over the next decade and beyond, it will be fascinating to see how the makeup of the sport continues to evolve.
As a final point, it should be noted that the above allocations of slots are still to be formally announced by World Triathlon. Such confirmation should be forthcoming soon.
