Like Germany, Britain has been a fixture on the WTCS circuit.
London hosted a WTCS stop between 2009 and 2015 (with the exception of 2012 when preparations for the Olympic Games prevented it). Thereafter, the event moved to Leeds between 2016 and 2022 (again, with the exception of 2020 when the Series was cancelled). Plenty of data therefore exists with which the performances of the British team can be assessed.
As the season shifts from Hamburg to Sunderland, we can ask the same question of British athletes that we did of their German counterparts: do they perform better or worse at home WTCS races?
With WTCS Sunderland only days away, it is an apt time to pose such a question. It has also acquired a new shade of relevance in light of the news that Britain will not be hosting a WTCS race in 2024.
To keep some consistency with the German performances in Hamburg, we will start with the finishing position of the best British performer at WTCS races.
Outside the UK, the average finishing position of the best British woman has been 5.62 (rounded to two decimal places). Within the UK, however, that number drops to 2.92. As such, the British women average a medal across every home WTCS event.
On the men’s side, the average top British finisher in WTCS events outside of the UK has earned a position of 6.97. In the UK, the average position stands at 5.5.
While not quite as dramatic as the women’s jump, the shift nonetheless speaks to the top British men improving on home soil.
At the same time, one important thing to note prior to the coming WTCS Sunderland is the paucity of British athletes on the start list. In stark contrast to the German team in Hamburg, which sent seven men and seven women to its home event, Britain will be represented by three men and only one woman.
The likes of Sophie Coldwell and Alex Yee were originally entered but withdrew. In their place, Olivia Mathias will fly the flag for the women while Barclay Izzard, Jack Willis and Max Stapley make up the men’s team. With no previous WTCS medallists starting, it remains to be seen whether this year’s top finisher will come close to the averages previously laid out.
When it comes to the individual level, the improvements in performance at home races can be seen most starkly among some of Britain’s leading female athletes.
Over the course of her career, Georgia Taylor-Brown has finished in an average position of 6.23 outside of the UK. In WTCS races at home, her average position has been 1.67. It is a similar story with Sophie Coldwell and Beth Potter.
Coldwell has logged an average finish outside the UK of 14.89. When at home, her average finish has improved to 10.8. Potter has been slightly better on average both at home and abroad. Outside the UK, she has finished in an average position of 11.21. In the UK, Potter’s average drops to 6.0.
The 2018 world champion, Vicky Holland, likewise improved in the UK. In WTCS races overseas, she logged average finishes of 11.93. In the UK, her average finishing position was 9.38. On the note of former world champions, Helen Jenkins finished in an average position of 7.24 outside the UK and 3.5 in the UK.
Jess Learmonth also recorded an average finishing position outside the UK of 9.47. In the UK, her average finish stood at 5.8.
One of the few British women to actually record a better average finish overseas was Non Stanford, the 2013 world champion. Outside the UK, Stanford had an average finishing position of 9.5. In the UK, that rose to 16.86.
Meanwhile, Britain has produced three male Olympic medallists, all of whom have won WTCS races on home soil. Funnily enough, though, none of them have better average finishes in the UK.
Alex Yee has an average finishing position in the UK of 8.0. When racing abroad, he has recorded an average result of 6.93. Alistair Brownlee, the double Olympic champion, finished in an average position of 5.44 outside the UK. At home, that rose to 12.78. Similarly, Jonathan Brownlee has enjoyed an average finishing position of 7.10 outside the UK. In the UK, his average position stands at 12.8.
As a result, although the general trend for the highest men’s finisher has been to improve in the UK, three of the country’s top performers have historically enjoyed better average finishes elsewhere.
Looking ahead to this weekend, it is hard to predict how the British team will fare. With home support behind them, though, they could continue the trend of delivering strong finishes in the UK.
