Category: Comment

Has the time has come for the elite triathletes of the world to form a union? To protect their interests in the sport, it would be wise for the athletes to band together in a trade union and use their collective strength to their advantage. A brief attempt was made with the Professional Triathletes Union, which primarily consisted of long distance triathletes and was the precursor to the PTO. The proposal here is for a fully-fledged union to look out purely for the interests of athletes. There are four primary…

The art of misdirection is a fundamental tool for any magician. It also just so happens to be vital for any good pick-pocket. All things being equal, a short distance triathlete can make money in the WTCS, in Super League Triathlon or even by stepping up to the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO). There is a veritable smorgasbord of racing. With racing comes prize money, the lifeblood for the careers of most triathletes, and on that front there are reasons to be optimistic. Has your attention been suitably misdirected yet? Ahead…

Just because something can be done, that doesn’t mean it is always the best course of action. That was what we said with regards to including the Paris Test Event in the WTCS. However, the sentiment can equally be expressed of World Triathlon’s latest venture. Prior to the Test Event, World Triathlon announced a new partnership with the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO). The PTO grew out of what was a union for athletes and has transformed into a commercial brand hosting races. With the PTO Open races, among others, they…

There was plenty to takeaway from the Paris Olympic Test Event, particular with regards to the course. On an individual level, there were several talking points across the racing. Read on to find out some of the lessons to be drawn from what happened in Paris. Duffy is playing the long game Flora Duffy was due to make her first start of 2023 at the Test Event. She showed up in Paris and participated in the pre-race course familiarizations. The night before the women’s race, though, she withdrew from the…

History is not a fact. Different voices cover different events which inevitably yield to different accounts. As in war, politics and social life, the same applies to triathlon. Over time, various interpretations will emerge over a number of events. What seemed like a seminal moment at one point will not look that way to another observer. One generation’s Greatest Of All Time athlete will be argued against by a future one. As triathlon continues to grow and expand, it will accrue more and more of these histories. What happens will…

The Paris Olympic Test Event is a strange race. It will take place on an iconic course in a storied city and, aside from a mild concern over the Seine, the race looks like it will be the highlight of the year. At the same time, though, there is a point of confusion insofar that is it not quite clear what we are looking at. Given the strength of the fields, a case can be made that it could be the best triathlon event of the year. Moreover, there are…

Chapter 1: Abu Dhabi Chapter 2: Yokohama Chapter 3: Cagliari Chapter 4: Montreal Chapter 5: Hamburg Chapter 6: Sunderland From where the sea reaches the shore, to where the beach touches the water, lies a rare point of interaction. Where does either begin and where, then, do they end? Neither can be the same in the same space, yet when the waves recede and the sands shift it then can be hard to tell where the divide lies. The overlap, we can therefore surmise, creates a space in which the sea and land are one.…

Under the surface of WTCS Sunderland, it was possible to detect a very clear current of dissatisfaction. The locale had certainly bemused some athletes yet there was a deeper frustration at play. News earlier in the week that British Triathlon would be dropping out of hosting a WTCS stop in 2024 did not help. On the British front, perhaps some were trying to reconcile the rank hypocrisy of the narrative surrounding Sunderland itself. On the one hand, the story went that Sunderland’s local council had decided to host the event…