Author: Benjamin Eastman

First Look at the WTCS Abu Dhabi 2023 Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

The start lists are now available for WTCS Abu Dhabi (scheduled for 3rd March 2023). For a few countries, the start lists may be taken with a grain of salt as some athletes may be substituted out to let another, potentially lower ranked, athlete race. Moreover, athletes can also pull out between now and the race for injury or other reasons. For the most part, though, we can expect to see the bulk of athletes on the start list to dive into the water when the horn goes off in…

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The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Women: 30-25

Benjamin Eastman

Yesterday, we started a new series of articles ranking the top-30 male triathletes in the world. Today, we are kicking off the same for the women. The criteria we have used are the same as for the men. WTCS performances are assessed alongside World Cup results and Continental Championships with a balance trying to be found between medals and consistency. As a subjective list, however, there will always be places where people can disagree. Without much further ado, let’s start the women’s top-30. 30) Katie Zaferes USA Katie Zaferes is…

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Para-Triathlon Confirms Place at Los Angeles Paralympics

Benjamin Eastman

Earlier today, World Triathlon publicly confirmed that Para-Triathlon will continue as a sport in the Paralympic Games in 2028. Having made its debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Los Angeles will represent Para-Triathlon’s fourth Games appearance. In Rio, Para-Triathlon had six gold medal opportunities on offer. One of the gold medallists in 2016 was Jetze Plat who continues to lead the way in the PTWC class. Such is his dominance, we suggested him as an Alternative Global Triathlon Awards Male Athlete of the Year. Five years later, at the…

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The TriStats Top 30 Triathletes 2023 – Men: 30-25

Benjamin Eastman

Ahead of the 2023 season, we thought we would put together two rankings, one for men and one for women, of who we consider to be the top-30 triathletes in World Triathlon racing. This is not intended as a prediction for the year but rather more of a survey of how we feel the field stands going into the new season. We have tried to strike the balance between who would win on any given day and who would perform best over the course of a season. To put the…

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Five Fast Junior Men That Will Age Up in 2023

Benjamin Eastman

Toby Powers (AUS) Powers is the silver medallist from last year’s World Junior Championships and also took silver at the Oceania Junior Championships in 2022. The first thing that jumps out from that is that he is a good racer that can find his way to the podium at championship events. 2022 was also the first time he raced internationally, which would suggest a lack of experience. Despite that, Powers had a strong year and added a bronze at the European Junior Cup in Tabor to his medal collection. Moreover,…

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Five Fast Junior Women That Will Age Up in 2023

Benjamin Eastman

Recently we looked into the U23 athletes that will be ageing up in 2023 and today we are turning our attention to some of the standout Junior athletes that will be stepping up this year. Born in 2003, the list of names below will have varying expectations going into the new season. Some will aim to make an impact at U23 championships (both world and continental). Others may set their sights on Senior events. Similarly, some of the athletes will stick to the Sprint distance this year while others may…

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Would a Triathlete Reject a Race for Environmental Reasons?

Benjamin Eastman

Earlier this week, it was reported that British U20 Cross Country runner, Innes FitzGerald, asked British Athletics to withdraw her from consideration for the world championships in Australia over environmental concerns. FitzGerald was concerned over the environmental damage that would arise from the flight to the other side of the world. Her letter was published in Athletics Weekly and stated: “I was just nine when the Cop21 Paris climate agreement was signed. Now, eight years on, and global emissions have been steadily increasing, sending us on a path to climate…

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The Argument Against Meddling With Triathlon

Benjamin Eastman

There is a curious noise if you listen closely enough within the sport of triathlon. It is quiet and rather intangible, like a soft breeze before a storm comes in. You can feel it but at the same time its so gentle you are not quite sure what it really means, or if it even exists at all. This noise is not confined to the fringes of triathlon and it can just about be detected in the upper echelons of the sport through to its grassroots as well as beyond…

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Justus Nieschlag Cut From The German National Team

Benjamin Eastman

German Olympian Justus Nieschlag has revealed that he will no longer be a part of the German National Team. Following the decision of the DTU (German Triathlon Union), Nieschlag will not receive support from the federation going forward. In an Instagram post, he disclosed that he was informed of this one day before Christmas. Having been on the highest level of support in the German system, it represents quite a radical drop in funding. The German system is generally quite heavily tied to performance-based criteria. As such, if an athlete…

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Is it Better to Chase or Be Chased in the Olympic Rankings?

Benjamin Eastman

Last week we looked at who would qualify for the Paris Olympic Games if the slots were allocated now. That made us wonder: is there any benefit to being ranked higher in the qualification rankings or is there an advantage to chasing? More than anything, this is a question of psychology. The rankings are a crucial piece of the Olympic puzzle. They form an important part of the individual qualification process as well as informing particular national selection policies. Spain, for example, have criteria that are explicitly tied to the…

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Paris and Pontevedra Will Shape the German Olympic Team

Benjamin Eastman

A number of countries already have their Olympic selection policies formalised and published. One thing that has stood out among them is the importance of the Olympic Test Event in Paris this August and the WTCS Final in Pontevedra in September. Germany has not yet published its qualification criteria. However, its new head coach, Thomas Moeller, confirmed that both Paris and Pontevedra will be key for any athlete that hopes to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games. Any German man or woman can lock up their Olympic qualification by finishing…

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Germany To Prioritise Individual Race Over Olympic Relay

Benjamin Eastman

In an interview with the DTU (German Triathlon Union), new Germany head coach Thomas Moeller explained that his approach for the remainder of the Olympic qualification period will be to prioritise the qualification of athletes for the individual race at the Paris Olympic Games over the Mixed Team Relay. Ahead of the 2020(1) Tokyo Olympics, Germany held a specific trial to determine the recipient of the relay slots. This came after the relay earned the team two male and two female slots which the country would not have otherwise earned.…

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What are the Big Elite Triathlon Training Groups?

Benjamin Eastman

In a racing sense, triathlon is an individual event. Training, however, is a different prospect altogether. Nowadays it is common to see clusters of elite triathletes train together in groups scattered around the world. By training in such groups, athletes expose themselves to elite competition in training as well as world class coaching. Indeed, at the WTCS level, it is a common occurrence for athletes to train in multi-national groups. The alternative to this is to train at national centres. The Triathlon Squad The Triathlon Squad is the first group…

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No Stopping on the German Coaching Merry-Go-Round

Benjamin Eastman

Earlier this week it was announced that Thomas Moeller has been named the latest German head coach by the DTU (German Triathlon Union). Moeller appears a well-suited candidate for the job. However, his appointment is the latest in a long line over the past half dozen years. Dan Lorang led the German team until 2016. After the Olympics that year, though, he was unceremoniously dismissed as the DTU were unhappy with the German team performance at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Lorang has been one of the leading German…

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Olympic Medallist Wilde Takes On Elite Runners in Hannut

Benjamin Eastman

Yesterday, Olympic bronze medallist Hayden Wilde appeared in unfamiliar territory as he took part in the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Race in Hannut, Belgium. Racing over the 9000m course, Wilde took on a fine field of athletes and emerged with a very respectable finish. He came 19th overall in snowy conditions, 1:32 behind the winner Yann Schrub of France. For reference, Schrub is the European bronze medallist over the 10,000m. Indeed, Wilde was only 62 seconds from the podium. Wilde is already known as one of the fastest runners…

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