With only the Final left in the 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series season, attention is turning to where the athletes could finish in the overall Series rankings.
The end of season WTCS rankings are perhaps the closest thing the sport comes to having a bona fide indication of who the best athletes truly are. As such, plenty of pride is at stake.
The athletes that finish in the top-35 in the Series will also receive additional prize money. As a result, moving up or down the Series rankings could be worth thousands of dollars in some cases.
For some athletes, where they finish in the overall Series will have sponsorship implications. These can include hitting previously-agreed upon criteria for a performance bonus or can affect how athletes pitch themselves to new potential sponsors. Being able to position yourself as just that little bit further up the world rankings can make all the difference in selling your story.
Today we look at the athletes that could rise multiple places in the rankings with a strong performance in Abu Dhabi. (Note: this list is not meant to be comprehensive but rather to flag a couple of athletes that have potential to rise up. If there are any athletes you think that could also make big improvements in Abu Dhabi let us know in the comments below.)
Dorian Coninx – Current Rank 22nd with 1433 points
Coninx has had a bit of an off year by his standards as a two-time WTCS race winner. However, on his day, he could be a real threat to the podium in Abu Dhabi.
With previous WTCS wins in Bermuda (2019) and Montreal (2021), he has the combination of strength and speed to be a challenger over the Olympic distance. He is currently 560 points away from 15th in the Series so would need to put in quite a performance to rise that high. In fact, he will likely need to medal. With his history, though, it is not an impossible ask.
Matthew McElroy – Current Rank 30th with 1241 points
Matthew McElroy is another former WTCS medallist that could rise several places. He has had a great run since September on the World Cup circuit, medalling in three consecutive races. As one of the fastest runners in the sport, he could easily gain a lot of ground in the Series with one big performance.
20th place in the Series is currently 447 points away. Like Coninx, McElroy would need at least a top-10, possibly a top-5. That said, Abu Dhabi is a course that has previously suited those that are stronger runners such as McElroy.
If McElroy can execute a big race in Abu Dhabi, it would be no surprise to see him jump half a dozen or more places in the Series.
Manoel Messias – Current Rank 14th with 2001 points
Manoel Messias is the form man after he took a win at the Valencia World Cup and his first WTCS medal in Cagliari. If he podiums in Abu Dhabi and a couple of higher-ranked athletes have bad days he could even shoot for a top-8 finish in the Series.
Currently, he is 316 points from 10th in the Series and a top-10 overall would represent a breakthrough year for him. A podium finish would likely vault him into at least 10th but, being only 98 points behind Jawad Abdelmoula in 11th, it will only take potentially a solid top-10 result in Abu Dhabi to gain 3 places overall.
Roberto Sanchez Mantecon – Current Rank 18th with 1821 points
Before WTCS Bermuda, Sanchez Mantecon was ranked 33rd in the Series. His maiden podium has since rocketed him up to 18th and now he is 278 points from 11th in the world.
After Bermuda, it is clear that he possesses both the run speed and the form to race well in Abu Dhabi. If he can replicate his Bermuda form, then he can be confident of aiming for the top-15 at the very least. The question will be whether how much of an emotional hangover winning his first WTCS medal will have.
As outside smoke goes, though, rising from 33rd to potentially 11th in the space of two races would be quite the rise.
Lisa Tertsch – Current Rank 23rd with 1557 points
Tertsch is a tricky one to place. On paper, she should be ranked much higher than 23rd in the Series. She is a WTCS medallist from Hamburg this year and has taken multiple medals and wins across World Cup and European Cups.
Moreover, her World Ranking is currently 11th which may be a better representation of her ability. She is a fantastic runner and is fairly consistent across the swim and bike too.
Currently, she is only 209 points away from 18th in the Series. Meanwhile, 15th in the Series is 401 points away. With Abu Dhabi being more of a runners’ course, Tertsch can be hopeful of a high finish. If she finishes in the top-10, that likely will be enough for her to make a four or five place gain in the Series.
On paper, she is one big race away from a potential top-15 overall finish. 401 points is a lot of ground to make up and she will likely require a top-5 in Abu Dhabi to do so. However it is not beyond Tertsch. If a couple of athletes ahead of her falter in the Final, she will be in prime position to capitalise.
Luisa Baptista – Current Rank 33rd with 1227 points
Of all the athletes that can claim to have momentum going into Abu Dhabi, perhaps none have quite as much as Baptista.
After a pair of underwhelming races in Montreal and Hamburg this summer, Baptista has had a run of strong races in the last few weeks. In October, she won the Americas Championships in Uruguay and more recently achieved 9th place at WTCS Bermuda with a very strong run split.
That 9th in Bermuda saw her rise 76 places in the rankings, which is an insane improvement. 25th in the Series is now only 227 points ahead of her and such is Baptista’s form, she could potentially look even higher. Another top-10 finish could be enough to secure a Series finish ten places higher than her current rank.
Leonie Periault – Current Rank 39th with 988 points
Periault is one of the best athletes in the field on her day. Earlier this year, she came 2nd in Yokohama, beating Flora Duffy no less. After taking silver in the 2021 Final in Edmonton, she has shown that she can perform at the sharp end of the season and has all the ability to medal at the highest level.
The problem is, this year Yokohama has been her only WTCS race of the season. Her second score in the Series comes from a 28th place at the European Championships in August.
If Periault can recapture her Yokohama form and challenge for the medals in Abu Dhabi, then she could be looking at a 10-15 place improvement in her rankings.
One advantage that Periault shares with Baptista is that she can look ahead in the rankings and see multiple athletes that will not score any further points this year. Kate Waugh, in 24th, will be racing U23 World Championships instead of the Final. Rachel Klamer is sadly injured and won’t be racing. Non Stanford has retired and therefore will not score anymore points.
Given these absences, Periault and Baptista could be the athletes to gain the most places in the Series.
