The Tiszaujvaros World Cup is an institution of the elite triathlon calendar and next month it makes its long-awaited return to the circuit. For the past two years, the event has been held as a European Cup. This year, though, it will be a full World Cup with a strong start list.
Tiszaujvaros is a real hotbed of triathlon in Hungary. With a European Junior Cup running concurrently, it is almost impossible to escape the sport during TriWeek.
It also happens to be one of the final refuges of the post-race after party.
The race is home to a unique format. On the Saturday, the athletes will contest a semi-final to earn their place in Sunday’s final. Both races are Sprint triathlons, creating a challenge of saving energy whilst doing enough to qualify.
Who’s there?
Alex Yee is the headline name on the start list. Originally it appeared that Tiszaujvaros would play host to a showdown between Hayden Wilde and Yee, however Wilde has since withdrawn.
Nevertheless, Yee will be joined by a full complement of British talent. Jonathan Brownlee will be racing, fresh off his silver medal at the European Championships. Max Stapley and Daniel Dixon while also be racing, although there is a question mark over Ben Dijsktra. Although Dijkstra remains on the start list, he suffered a broken scaphoid in a crash in Madrid and so might not be able to race.
In addition to Wilde, Tayler Reid was originally listed among New Zealand’s starters. However he too has pulled out. That leaves Janus Staufenberg, Kyle Smith and Trent Thorpe to fly the flag for the team.
Adrien Briffod will look to get one over Brownlee in Hungary after his bronze medal in Madrid. He will be joined by Max Studer, Maxime Fluri and Fabian Meeusen.
After winning WTCS and World Cup medals last year Manoel Messias and Miguel Hidalgo will be big threats for the podium in Tiszaujvaros. The format should also play into their hands. Moreover it will be worth keeping an eye out for their team mates as Antonio Bravo Neto, Kauê Willy and Felipe Bianchi form a potent team.
Likewise, Spain will be sending WTCS and World Cup medallists of their own. Roberto Sanchez Mantecon and Antonio Serrat Seoane should be in the mix, while Sergio Baxter Cabrera cannot be ignored after his win at last year’s Pontevedra World Cup. Their young team mate, David Cantero del Campo, is another interesting one to follow.
After the European Championships were shifted to a duathlon, Cantero clocked the fastest opening 5km of any athlete. With speed to burn on the run, he could spring a surprise. Alberto Gonzalez Garcia rounds out a strong Spanish team.
In addition, there will be a well-rounded Italian team. The likes of Alessio Crociani and Nicola Azzano can be expected to push the pace in the swim, while Michele Sarzilla and Sergiy Polikarpenko will be threats on the run. Throw in Gianluca Pozzatti and the Italian team could feature at the front throughout.
Gabriel Sandör will make his first international start of the year. He recently logged solid domestic performances in Sweden and finished last year with a win at an Asia Cup.
Tyler Mislawchuk and Jawad Abdelmoula will be two other athletes that should contend for the victory having previously won World Cups.
The women’s field contains a similar array of talents.
WTCS race winner Maya Kingma is among the leading names. Having classically been a little stronger over the Olympic distance, she is someone that will likely gain a lot from the two day format. Also on the Dutch team are Rachel Klamer, Barbara De Koning, Rani Skrabanja and Marit Van Den Berg.
After logging her best ever WTCS finish in Yokohama, Kate Waugh will be another to watch. She will be joined by Sian Rainsley, Iona Miller and Sophie Alden. Waugh also won a bronze medal at the Bergen World Cup last year so has recent World Cup success to her name.
It should be noted, however, that the two women to beat her in Bergen will be racing.
Jolien Vermeylen, the silver medallist from Bergen, will look to accrue invaluable Olympic points and beat her domestic rivals Claire Michel and Valerie Barthelemy in Hungary. Hanne De Vet and Katrin Maes will also be racing for Belgium.
Moreover, the winner in Bergen, Tilda Månsson, will be starting. After clocking hugely impressive running times in the spring and adding a solid result at the Caorle European Cup, it will be fascinating to see how the young Swede fares.
Another World Cup winner, Nicole Van Der Kaay, was slated to start but has pulled out. In her absence, Olivia Thornbury will be the sole representative for New Zealand.
Similarly, World Cup bronze medallist Solveig Løvseth will be the only woman to start for Norway, while Lea Coninx will be the only French woman racing and Gina Sereno will be the lone American woman on the start line.
Finally, after her bronze medal in Madrid, Cathia Schär will be one to watch from the Swiss team. Alongside her will be Julie Derron, Anja Weber and Alissa Konig.
Main talking points
Lehmann’s date with destiny
After two wins in Tiszaujvaros from the two previous European Cups, Csongor Lehmann will be looking to make it a hat-trick of wins on his home turf. Being based in the town, he will be able to count upon rapturous home support.
A win at the Karlovy Vary World Cup last season showed he has what it takes to triumph at the World Cup level.
Somehow, though, he will have to find a way past Alex Yee. Yee has looked untouchable this season, not least during his clash with Hayden Wilde at WTCS Cagliari. If you overlook his wobble last November, no one has really had an answer to Yee since 2021.
However the stars may be aligning for Lehmann. With a winning streak, home support and tremendous talent of his own to call upon, might he become the first man this year to dethrone Yee?
Hungarians looking to impress
Alognside Lehmann a full-strength Hungarian team will be racing.
On the men’s side, Gábor Faldum and Bence Bicsák have the running speed to potentially upset their compatriot, Lehmann. Márk Dévay, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the best swimmers in the world of triathlon. He will likely push the pace in the water; with short laps around the lake, his speed will likely help him escape much of the fighting around the buoys and could set up a breakaway.
Zsombor Dévay and Tamás Tóth will also be looking to push their names forward.
On the women’s side, Zsanett Bragmayer is back racing after a hectic block. So too is Dominika Peszleg after making her WTCS debut in Cagliari. With Márta Kropkó, Zsófia Kovács and Noémi Sárszegi also among the team, there will be plenty of candidates to bring home a medal for Hungary.
The Spanish sub-plot
The race between the Spanish women to the Paris Olympics is getting ever tighter.
Miriam Casillas Garcia leads the way with a very healthy lead. She will be racing in Tiszaujvaros and will look to assert her status as the leading Spanish woman.
Behind her, though, the fight for second is completely open.
Following the European Championships, Noelia Juan has nudged two places ahead of Anna Godoy Contreras (Juan is now 59th in the rankings while Godoy is 61st). Lurking close behind in 70th is also Marta Pintanel Raymundo.
Any one of that trio could nab the second Spanish Olympic slot. Whoever comes out on top in Tiszaujvaros might be able to build some momentum into the rest of the season.
Not to be forgotten is Cecilia Santamaria Surroca. Although she is a little further down the Olympic rankings, she can nonetheless be expected to figure prominently. After a good start to the year, she has been building towards a big result. A best ever World Cup finish in Tiszaujvaros could just be that result.
Don’t forget the Australian women
It is a similar story among the Australian women.
Natalie Van Coevorden and Jaz Hedgeland are currently the highest two ranked female athletes from the country in the Olympic lists. Neither, though, will be starting in Tiszaujvaros.
Instead, the team will consist of Emma Jackson, Charlotte Mcshane, Ellie Hoitink, Kira Hedgeland and Charlotte Derbyshire. Mcshane and Jackson have Continental Cup wins to their name this year (including Jackson’s monstrous performance in Melilla). Hoitink also has medals from this season under her belt.
With Kira Hedgeland 67th in the Olympic rankings, Mcshane 68th and Jackson 75th, look for each to press their claim at the upcoming World Cup events.
Or the Australian men
Meanwhile, the Australian men’s team will be comprised of Luke Willian, Jacob Birtwhistle, Luke Bate, Oscar Dart and Callum Mcclusky.
Of any team, it could be said that they can call upon the most firepower on the run. Birtwhistle and Willian have medalled at World Cups before while Mcclusky narrowly missed the fastest split of the day at the New Plymouth World Cup.
There is every possibility, then, that the Australian men push the pace on the run in Tiszaujvaros. Much like the Kenyan and Ethiopian teams tried against Mo Farah on the track, there could be a case to made for a team with depth like Australia “ganging up” on Yee to take turns to attack him. It might not work, but it would make for a great spectacle.
Like their female compatriots, they will also be looking to stake a claim for Olympic slots over the coming year. As a result, they will likely try somewhat more sensible tactics in Hungary.
With the running talent at their disposal, though, it would great to see the Australian men just let rip.
You can view the full start lists here.
