Category: Athletes

It Runs in the Family: Elite Triathletes and Sporty Siblings

Benjamin Eastman

Statistically, if you are a younger sibling in a family, you are more likely to become an elite athlete than your older sibling. As a rule of thumb, younger siblings have a training partner that is generally a step further along the developmental path. That gives them experience of playing with, living with and training with someone that is simply better than them, having been born earlier. Over time, the younger athlete can catch the older sibling an often surpass them, although not always. Several studies have pointed to the…

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What to Expect from the Men’s U23 World Champs Medallists

Benjamin Eastman

Last week, we wrote an article identifying six Junior and U23 athletes to watch in 2023. Only one medallist from the recent U23 World Championships made the cut: Bianca Seregni from the women’s field. Meanwhile, we also had an article about the athletes that will be ageing up from the U23 category in 2023 which included the U23 gold and silver medallists from Abu Dhabi, Kate Waugh and Annika Koch. As yet, we have not said anything about the men’s U23 medallists from 2022. All three of the men were…

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Which U23 Athletes Will Be Ageing Up In 2023?

Benjamin Eastman

With each new year, new athletes become ineligible for U23 competition. As they age up, they enter a new phase in their career and some make the step look easier than others. Here, we look at some of the athletes that will be making the step up into the Senior ranks in 2023 and look at what would constitute a successful first year out of the U23 level. Women Kate Waugh (GBR) A good athlete to start with is Kate Waugh. After she won the U23 world title in 2022,…

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6 Junior and U23 Athletes to Watch Out for in 2023

Benjamin Eastman

As we enter the new year, it is time to look ahead to the 2023 season and what it may have to offer. Even based on a cursory glance, one thing is certainly clear: triathlon has plenty of young talent to keep an eye on. Here we highlight six of the names you should look out for this coming season. As a disclaimer, we are not calling the athletes named here the definitive best athletes in the Junior/U23 categories. Instead we are highlighting six that look to have particular promise…

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Rounding Up the New Year’s Eve Runs

Benjamin Eastman

As many triathletes get back into training ahead of the 2023 season, some elected to race on New Year’s Eve. In Denmark, the Holm siblings took part in the Sparta’s New Year’s Race / Nytårsløb. Racing over the 5km distance, both Emil Holm and Anne Holm put up some solid times. Emil Holm led the way with a 14:24. After recently winning the African Cup in Dakhla, Holm is clearly continuing to grow and improve in the sport. His best ever World Cup finish came in 2022 with his 8th…

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After Conquering All, What Is Left For Flora Duffy To Do?

Benjamin Eastman

Flora Duffy will be remembered as a titan of the sport. After winning her fourth world title this season following an incredibly closely fought battle with Georgia Taylor-Brown, Duffy is in rarefied company in the history of the sport. In addition, this year she won her second Commonwealth Games title. To go with that, her CV contains two ITU World Cross Triathlon Championships and no fewer than six Xterra World Championships. And then we come to arguably Duffy’s crowning achievement: her Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021. In essence,…

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Racing the WTCS and as a Runner Voted the Likeliest Combo

Benjamin Eastman

Earlier this week, we surveyed some of the athletes with history as dual sport triathletes. That is to say the individuals that competed internationally in both triathlon and another sport concurrently. Many of the instances came while the athletes were Juniors, such as Cassandre Beaugrand, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Jake Birtwhistle and, more recently, Jule Behrens. This led us to ask: will any WTCS athlete compete in another sport internationally in the same season? In recent seasons, there have been some close calls. In 2022, Hayden Wilde narrowly missed qualifying for the…

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Poll: Will a WTCS Athlete Compete in Another Sport in the Same Season?

Benjamin Eastman

Yesterday, we surveyed some of the remarkable athletes that have competed internationally in other sports while being elite triathletes. The majority of the cases were athletes that were elite runners as Juniors. As such, the athletes competed in either athletics or cross country in the same season that they raced internationally as triathletes. This got us thinking. Will any WTCS athlete compete in another sport, internationally, in the same season that they race in the WTCS? Long distance triathlon (such as 70.3 or Ironman) does not count here as long…

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Who Are The Elite Dual Sport Triathletes?

Benjamin Eastman

With three sports to master, triathletes have no small task in rising to the pinnacle of the sport and competing at the Olympic Games. Balancing the demands of swimming, cycling and running is a physical challenge as well as a mental one and it is easy to neglect one in favour of the other or for a weakness to become a strength while a strength becomes a weakness. That balancing challenge is also part of what makes triathlon such an intriguing proposition for newcomers to the sport. Anecdotally, we can…

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Who Made The Biggest Improvements From 2021 to 2022?

Benjamin Eastman

One of the most interesting aspects of following elite sport is to see the rise and development of the athletes. In this article, we look at the athletes with the biggest improvements in best WTCS race finish from 2021 to 2022. The bigger the number of places gained, the better the year the athlete had. In several cases, the athletes listed below achieved their personal best WTCS finishes in 2022. For others, their best WTCS finish came before 2021 and 2022 represented more of a return to form. Women Emy…

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Return of the Queen: Gwen Jorgensen Is Coming Back

Benjamin Eastman

Have you made your list for Christmas? Today came news that even the most ardent triathlon fan might not have put on their Christmas list. 2016 Olympic champion Gwen Jorgensen will be returning to short course triathlon. On Instagram, she wrote, “I am inspired by the mixed-team relay’s silver medal in Tokyo and aspire to contribute to that team in 2024. I believe team USA can be one step higher in Paris! This return is about more than just me. As a mom of two and long-time supporter of USA…

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Off-Season Diaries: The Best Triathletes Take Their Break

Benjamin Eastman

Following the end of the WTCS season, many of the world’s best triathletes are enjoying their off-seasons (albeit one that is later than usual). Rest is a vital part of any training programme. Here you can check out how some of the athletes have enjoyed their time off. Remember: if the best in the world can take time to recharge their batteries, you can too. Miriam Casillas Garcia went to Japan after a breakout season with training partner and expert tour guide Yuko Takahashi. Taylor Spivey spent time in the…

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TriStats Voters Pick Casillas Garcia as Breakout Athlete

Benjamin Eastman

Earlier this week, we asked readers to pick who they felt was the breakout athlete of the women’s WTCS season in 2022. After an overwhelming influx of support from Spain, the choice was clear: Miriam Casillas Garcia. Of the five names we suggested, Casillas Garcia was the only athlete to not win a medal in 2022. However, what should not be overlooked is her tremendous consistency. Casillas Garcia had her best ever finish in the WTCS with a 5th place in Cagliari. In addition, she was a regular in the…

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Interview: Hayden Wilde and Swimming to the World Title

Benjamin Eastman

Hayden Wilde joined our call on a cold Belgian morning, with a positive COVID test on his mind and uncertainty over incoming rain. If nothing else, it was a far cry from the intensity of the WTCS Final in Abu Dhabi just one week prior. His positive test has forced him to actually rest and take a semblance of an off-season. After four days, he’s already bored. As much as he has the prospect of a European Christmas and skiing to look forward to, sitting still does not really seem…

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Poll: Who was the Breakout Male Athlete in the 2022 WTCS?

Benjamin Eastman

After we asked for your votes over which woman had the biggest breakthrough in the WTCS this season earlier this week, today we’re doing the same for the men’s field. The rules are the same. We consider an athlete as having a “breakout” if they had not won a WTCS medal before this season. Unlike the women’s poll, the men’s options consist exclusively of athletes that won their first medals in the 2022 season. Such was the depth, great athletes like Roberto Sanchez Mantecon have not been listed. However, if…

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