Category: Races

The final race of the Antipodean season took place in Port Douglas, Australia, earlier today with the Olympic distance championships on the line. Several big names, including Hayden Wilde, Natalie Van Coevorden and Kira Hedgeland, were away in Cagliari. Moreover Matthew Hauser was a last-minute withdrawal from the event. The event nonetheless contained multiple race winners from this year alone, as well as a smattering of WTCS and World Cup medallists. Men’s race It’s not every day that you see a 19 year old take the lunch money of world-level…

On Saturday, Taizhou played host to an Olympic distance Asia Cup race. Of perhaps greater importance, it was also the birthday of Jumpei Furuya. The stage was therefore set for the Japanese athlete to hand himself the ideal gift. However, a strong field lied in wait, primed to rain on his parade. Men’s race The men got off to a fast start in the swim and at first several blobs of athletes formed. Over the course of the 1500m, though, Zhao Tan of China cruised to the front and took…

At a home Americas Cup race in Ixtapa, the Mexican team did not disappoint the fans that lined the streets. The stars of the team put their best feet forwards over the Sprint distance and the only question would be whether anyone would be able to deny Mexico a clean sweep of both podiums. Men’s race The swim was a close-fought affair as Aiden Longcroft-Harris battled with Jesus Gildardo Espiritu and Mitsuho Mochizuki for leadership of the race. On their feet were a string of men including Irving Perez, Crisanto…

For half a dozen years, Sharm El Sheikh has been the de facto home of triathlon in Egypt. Upon the return to the beachside town, a Sprint distance triathlon was on the cards in the morning sun. While the athletes got their opportunity to hunt points towards their rankings in the resort, for the Egyptian Federation it was a perfect trial ahead of hosting the African Championships in the same location in October. Men’s race After a slight delay to the start of the race, the men got underway. Although…

Punta Cana was home to the final qualification event for this year’s World Junior Championships. With the slots for Oceania, Asia, Africa and Europe now decided, all that remained was for the athletes of the Americas to earn places for their federations. A hot Sprint distance race awaited the athletes in the Dominican Republic. With air temperatures of close to 30 degrees and water temperatures of 26 degrees (both Celsius), heat management would prove to be an important facet of the race. In both the men’s and women’s races, the…

Amid a hectic weekend of racing in which events took place on four continents, a mix of athletes took on the Sprint distance in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. For some younger athletes, it represented an opportunity to test themselves against those ranked higher while several experienced WTCS operators were also on the start line. Women’s race For Katie Zaferes, where she raced at the weekend was a last minute choice. On the one hand she could have travelled to Yokohama on the slim chance of receiving a spot…

On Sunday, the starting gun went off on the M’Diq African Cup. With one of the most cosmopolitan start lists of the year, M’Diq played host to a range of talents. The athletes took on the Olympic distance around the Mediterranean town with many using the race as a tune-up for the upcoming WTCS Cagliari and European Championships. Men’s race Kevin Tarek Viñuela Gonzalez led the way in the water. While he gained a slight lead, a small cluster of men were able to mostly stay with him. Among the…

After the drama of the heats on Friday, thirty athletes remained in the finals of the European Junior Cup in Caorle. With a Super Sprint triathlon ahead, there were a few nervous faces on the start line. The shorter format promised to push some already-tired bodies to their max. More importantly, the race ahead would determine whether many of the field would get to race at the World Junior Championships with slots to be determined and some national federations relying on the race as a selection event. In what was…

Women’s race It had been coming. After an outstanding swimming career prior to moving over to triathlon and having clocked some fast times earlier in the year, Jolien Vermeylen was on paper the best swimmer in the field. Up until now, though, she had not always been able to show it in her triathlon endeavours, or at least not to the degree she may have hoped. That changed in Caorle as she ripped a crushing 750m split. Only four woman were able to get within 10 seconds of Vermeylen’s time…