What will it take to become the GOAT in triathlon?

Earlier this week, we posted about the athletes with the most WTCS medals on Instagram. It was also pointed out that Javier Gomez won 11 World Cups races prior to the launch of the Series, including during a dominant 2008. It made us wonder: how would one go about measuring claims of a triathlete being the Greatest Of All Time? Triathlon is fragmented into different eras as a result of the creation of the WTCS. How, for instance, does one measure a world title won over the course of a…

Read More

WTCS Athletes Race Wednesday Worlds Criterium Down Under

A large British contingent from the Loughborough group are currently on a training camp in Gold Coast, Australia. Yesterday evening, WTCS medallist Sophie Coldwell and her compatriot Sophia Green took part in the local Wednesday Worlds Criterium. Organised by the Gold Coast Cycling Club, the racing took place at the Luke Harrop circuit in Nerang. The results are not yet available for Coldwell’s performance. The Brits, however, were not the only triathletes starting. WTCS silver medallist Matthew Hauser finished second in the A category race. Hauser’s race consisted of a…

Read More

Interview: The Rise and Rise of Miriam Casillas Garcia

Miriam Casillas was 18 years old when she arrived in Madrid. Born and raised in Badajoz in the south-west, she arrived in the capital to fulfil a childhood aspiration of becoming a doctor. In doing so, she would follow the footsteps of her mother and, at that time, the road ahead seemed set. Casillas, though, just so happened to also be a talented triathlete. In 2011, she won the World Junior Cross Triathlon Championships held in her home region. When she arrived in Madrid, then, she was also invited to…

Read More

The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Women: 6-1

Finally, we come to the six best athletes in the women’s World Triathlon Championship Series. Each of the women here won at least two medals in the 2022 WTCS season. Likewise, each athlete will conceivably contend for a medal at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. 6) Sophie Coldwell GBR Coldwell’s first WTCS medal came in Leeds in 2021 when she was a part of the breakaway that essentially Flora Duffy’d Flora Duffy. On a tough bike course, Coldwell had the fastest split and marked herself out as one of…

Read More

Zaferes Replaces Knibb on WTCS Abu Dhabi Start List

Former world champion Katie Zaferes will be launching her 2023 season at WTCS Abu Dhabi in three weeks. She was originally not on the start list for the race when they first came out. However, she has since taken the place of fellow American Taylor Knibb. Zaferes will one of a five-strong US women’s team in Abu Dhabi. Also starting will be Kirsten Kasper, Taylor Spivey, Summer Rappaport and Gina Sereno. The switch between Knibb and Zaferes is a classic case of substitution, which national federations are permitted to make…

Read More

Interview: Kenji Nener and the Places Dreams Take Us

There’s something about Kenji. Popular among athletes and fans alike on the WTCS circuit, it is hard to escape the feeling that Kenji Nener has been around for a while yet is also only just arriving. In 2021, he enjoyed the twin peaks of a 14th place finish at the Tokyo Olympics and a first top-10 in a WTCS race by taking 9th in Abu Dhabi. “There’s no doubt 2021 was the high of my career,” said Nener. Those successes, however, preceded a deep lull. At the end of 2021,…

Read More

The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Men: 6-1

At long last, we come to the big one: the six men we consider the best triathletes in the realm of World Triathlon right now. Each of these men have numerous WTCS medals to their names. Each medalled in the 2022 season. Indeed, all bar one won a WTCS race last season. Without further ado, let’s examine the top-6 male triathletes. 6) Morgan Pearson USA In the past couple of years, Pearson’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. Having only made the step up into the international ranks in…

Read More

The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Women: 12-7

As was the case yesterday with the men ranked 12th to 7th, each of these women will be strong contenders to finish in the top-10 of the WTCS this year. Each, too, will be in with a shout of winning WTCS medals in 2023. 12) Miriam Casillas Garcia ESP Since achieving her first WTCS top-10 in Yokohama in 2021, Casillas has gone from strength to strength. Last season, she had five finishes of 10th or better in the WTCS which helped to 10th overall in the Series. Nowadays, she stands…

Read More

America’s Finest Take On The Old Man Winter Rally

At the weekend, some of America’s best triathletes descended upon the Old Man Winter Rally in Lyons, Colorado. Morgan Pearson, Gwen Jorgensen and Summer Rappaport (competing under her maiden name, Cook) each took on the 50km off-road bike race. With snow, climbs, gravel paths and red rock canyon on offer, it promised to be a stiff winter test. In the women’s race, Rappaport won the silver medal in a time of 1:26:22, some 2 minutes 38 seconds down on the winner. 2016 Olympic champion Jorgensen followed home in third place,…

Read More

The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Men: 12-7

As we enter the top-12 of the TriStats top-30 rankings, the upcoming athletes could contend for a medal at virtually any WTCS race. Some do not have multiple medals to their name (yet) and some will favour certain courses over others. Each man, though, is capable of performing at rarefied levels. Moreover, at this point, the athletes listed here will have their sights set on a top-10 finish in the overall WTCS. 12) Jonathan Brownlee GBR We start with one of the biggest names in the sport. An individual Olympic…

Read More

What Can We Expect From Jorgensen’s First Race Back?

Gwen Jorgensen will be making her return to international triathlon in three weeks at the Oceania Cup in Taupo, New Zealand. Having stepped away from the sport in 2016, her return is one of the biggest storylines ahead of the new season. What, then, can be expected in Taupo? Following her six year absence, the swim may be the biggest challenge. In the interim, Jorgensen ran at an extremely high level in pursuit of qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games, finishing 9th at US Olympic Trials in the 5000m. Her…

Read More

The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Women: 18-13

We are drawing closer to the top-10 triathletes in the world and in this section there are some very big hitters. Any of the women listed below could nab a WTCS medal this season or finish in the top-10 of the overall Series. 18) Summer Rappaport USA Summer Rappaport has won numerous World Cups as well as a WTCS race (Edmonton 2016). Altogether, she has six WTCS medals which is the most of any woman in this section. In many respects, 2022 was a mixed season for Rappaport. It started…

Read More

The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Men: 18-13

18) Roberto Sanchez Mantecon ESP Roberto Sanchez Mantecon had a huge breakthrough performance at WTCS Bermuda. On the back of a lightning run split, he won the bronze medal. He had steadily built throughout the season towards that performance. In the direct run-up to Bermuda, he finished 9th at the Valencia World Cup and then 4th at the Karlovy Vary World Cup. He finished 20th in the overall WTCS last year and currently sits 22nd in the world rankings. We have him a tad higher in our rankings largely by…

Read More

The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Women: 24-19

We are continuing our series on the best triathletes in the world and today we looking at women ranked 24th through to 19th. 24) Kate Waugh GBR Kate Waugh won the World U23 Championships in style in 2022 with a swashbuckling breakaway on the bike. That win was enough to put her ahead of compatriot Sian Rainsley. Waugh, though, had a strong 2022 beyond that performance. She finished 12th at WTCS Hamburg and WTCS Cagliari and won a bronze medal at the World Cup in Bergen. To go with that,…

Read More

The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Men: 24-19

It’s now February which means elite triathlon racing is around the corner. With WTCS Abu Dhabi just over four weeks away, we are continuing with the TriStats Top 30 Triathletes of 2023. As we mentioned in the previous men’s post, this is not designed as a prediction for the season, but rather a more general assessment of where the field stands coming out of 2022. Some athletes are better single day racers while some are better over a season and we’ve tried to factor that into the rankings. Without further…

Read More