Category: Analysis

The Fastest Men’s Legs From Bundesliga Kraichgau

Benjamin Eastman

A close finale at the first Bundesliga race of the season saw Buschhütten beat out Hylo Saar in Kraichgau. Buschhütten’s win was in large part a result of nailing their tactics. With the teams racing in the 2+2 format (in which each pair raced half of a Sprint triathlon), the balance between the two pairs had to be just right. Across the race, there was plenty of variety in the legs and here we take a look at the top-15 men’s performances from the race. The Top Men’s Legs Tim Hellwig…

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Which Countries Took The Final World Junior Champs Slots?

Benjamin Eastman

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…

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The Movers and Shakers in the Rankings After WTCS Yokohama

Benjamin Eastman

With the second round of the WTCS season complete, there have been plenty of changes in the Series rankings. The biggest rise of any athlete came from the winner of the men’s race in Yokohama, Hayden Wilde. With his victory, Wilde rose 40 places in the Series rankings to now sit in 6th place. With a win at WTCS Yokohama being worth 1000 points, Wilde made a big statement. If he can produce a similar performance at WTCS Cagliari next week, he will seize control of the Series. It’s funny…

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The Statistical Breakdown of WTCS Yokohama 2023

Benjamin Eastman

Two contrasting races were on offer at WTCS Yokohama. Whereas a breakaway unfolded in the women’s event, the men’s race resulted in a massive front group and a running race. Across all three disciplines there was plenty to unpack so without further ado let’s dive into the stats. The Swims Women The telltale sign of the breakaway in the women’s race can be seen in the above swim distribution. The density of athletes exiting the water rises a little after the first athletes exited, but then plunges just before the…

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The Key Course Information at WTCS Yokohama 2023

Benjamin Eastman

While there have been a couple of tweaks to the WTCS Yokohama course, for many of the athletes the route will be a familiar one. The most immediate factor will be beyond the course itself. Two days before the scheduled start of the race, an earthquake struck Chiba to the east of Tokyo. Chiba is situated on the opposite side of the bay to Yokohama and so there may be some residual effects and issues. World Triathlon noted a contingency plan in the race briefing should there be any further…

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The Start List Cheat Sheets for WTCS Yokohama 2023

Benjamin Eastman

WTCS Yokohama is right around the corner. As with WTCS Abu Dhabi, we have prepared a cheat sheet with all the relevant stats for the athletes starting. Note that the data shown applies for Olympic distance races in the 2022 season. This covers the events from Yokohama, Cagliari and Bermuda as well as the WTCS Final in Abu Dhabi. The idea is to therefore provide the most relevant data points for Yokohama, which will also be contested over the Olympic distance. For every athlete, you will find their average position out of…

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How Do Countries Get World Junior Championships Slots?

Benjamin Eastman

The next generation of triathletes are already banging on the door. So far this year, we have seen a number of outstanding performances by Junior athletes. At championship races, such as the Oceania Junior Championships, North American Junior Championships and the South American Junior Championships, there have been plenty of names to put forward their credentials for this year’s world title. Moreover at national tests, such as those of France, Germany and Britain, further athletes have established themselves as medal contenders. Other countries have also held internal tests and even…

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Which Triathletes are in the World Triathlon Testing Pool?

Benjamin Eastman

Look, we get it. Anti-doping is not the sexiest subject in the world. In light of the Collin Chartier case, the subject is at the forefront of discourse within the sport. It therefore felt appropriate to provide whatever reassurance possible that the world’s top triathletes (at least in short course racing) are being tested. This article will highlight the athletes that are being tested as well as drawing upon World Triathlon’s own numbers to indicate how often these tests are taking place. Before we proceed, there are two basic categories…

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Is Flora Duffy’s WTCS Season Already Over For 2023?

Benjamin Eastman

One of the most notable absences from the start lists of WTCS Cagliari was that of the defending world champion, Flora Duffy. After taking the decision to delay the start of her season to rest a lingering knee injury and prioritise the summer, Duffy did not race at WTCS Abu Dhabi. She was then originally on the start list for WTCS Yokohama but was swapped out in favour of her compatriot Erica Hawley. Now with Duffy giving Cagliari a miss, she will have not raced at three of the season’s…

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Comparing Gwen Jorgensen’s and Katie Zaferes’ World Titles

Benjamin Eastman

Earlier today, we previewed how Gwen Jorgensen and Katie Zaferes will be racing one another for the first time since 2016 at next weekend’s Americas Cup in St. Peters. Heading into the race, the two women have very similar narratives. Both Jorgensen and Zaferes are former world champions. Both are in the early stages of post-maternity comebacks. Moreover both have already won a Continental Cup medal following their return. With so many similarities popping up at this stage in their career, we thought it would be appropriate to turn back…

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Comparing the British, French and German Junior Tests

Benjamin Eastman

At WTCS Leeds in 2022, the medals in the Mixed Team Relay (pictured above) were won by Germany, Great Britain and France. In a symmetrical turn of events, we can compare the performance tests of the next generation of Juniors for each of those three countries. It is, of course, not an exact science. With differing demands to each countries’ tests, the performances are not completely alike. We will also take the distances at face value although there is always a chance that something could have been a little off…

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A Deep Dive into the Best New Plymouth Splits 2023

Benjamin Eastman

The full statistical breakdown of the New Plymouth World Cup is available however it is also instructive to delve into the fastest splits of the race. Amidst the wider race dynamics, we can see where particular athletes excelled. Only one man and one woman were able to achieve top-10 splits in all three disciplines. Can you guess who they were prior to reading on? The Swims Men Ricardo Batista and Nicolo Strada led the way in the water with times of 9:01. We have noted Strada’s speed in the water…

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The New Plymouth World Cup 2023 Statistical Breakdown

Benjamin Eastman

After a double home victory for New Zealand in New Plymouth, it is time to dig a little deeper into the race itself. To start with, let’s look at the macro perspective of how the women’s and men’s races unfolded. Race Developments Nicole Van Der Kaay was never more than a few seconds behind the lead and once she assumed control of the race on the bike she did not relinquish it. Ainsley Thorpe was with her compatriot throughout. On the last lap of the run, though, she could not…

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Comparing the Performances of the French and German Juniors

Benjamin Eastman

The French and German Junior tests for 2023 took place less than two weeks apart with both containing a number of great performances. Given the talent involved and the proximity of the events, it is hard to avoid comparing how the respective athletes stack up against one another. The purpose of this article is not to say which country is better or which athletes were definitively the best. The goal is simply to mine the information available and see what comes out. It is important to note that the athletes…

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Who Has Won The Most Consecutive WTCS Medals?

Benjamin Eastman

One of the lesser reported stories of WTCS Abu Dhabi was that Georgia Taylor-Brown lost her streak of WTCS medals. After 8 consecutive medals, she finished 15th. No one wants to be the grump that points such a statistic out. Moreover Taylor-Brown was clearly still in heavy training and will no doubt have a fantastic season. This article is not about Taylor-Brown’s day in Abu Dhabi, though. Rather, it is inspired by her run of success that preceded it. 8 medals in a row is a phenomenal achievement. We wanted…

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