Recently we looked into the U23 athletes that will be ageing up in 2023 and today we are turning our attention to some of the standout Junior athletes that will be stepping up this year.
Born in 2003, the list of names below will have varying expectations going into the new season. Some will aim to make an impact at U23 championships (both world and continental). Others may set their sights on Senior events. Similarly, some of the athletes will stick to the Sprint distance this year while others may focus on building up strength to tackle the Olympic distance.
It is unusual for an athlete to make a big splash straight out of the Junior ranks, however it is not unheard of. For example, a number of athletes, such as Laura Lindemann, Dorian Coninx and Sophia Saller won the U23 world title in their first years as U23 athletes. Any of the below athletes could have a similar breakout year.
Today we will be looking at five women in no particular order and tomorrow we will look at five men. There are of course a number of talented young athletes out there that will age up into the U23 category this year. If you feel there are any that have been overlooked, feel free to give them a shout out in the comments below.
Jule Behrens (GER)
Behrens is the best athlete to start with on the women’s list. The World and European Junior Champion in 2021, she added a World Junior silver medal in 2022.
Behrens narrowly missed our list of six young athletes to watch this year and a strong case could have been made for her inclusion. Indeed, across her Junior career, she has displayed real promise that has marked her out as a future prospect.
Moreover, she is both a talented runner and triathlete. In 2021, she raced the 5000m at the European Junior Athletics Championships in Tallinn.
In 2022 she made her World Cup debut in Bergen. While she did pull up any trees that day, the experience will likely be invaluable in 2023. It would not be a surprise to see her appear on a couple more World Cup start lists this year as she learns and develops as an athlete.
Behrens is yet to race the Olympic distance internationally and this may be something that she prioritises this year. With that in mind, it may be a little premature to expect much over that distance as it is never easy to gauge how a young athlete will adjust. Over the Sprint distance, though, she can be expected to be a dark horse in her races given her running abilities.
Márta Kropkó (HUN)
Kropkó did not have the best of races at the World Junior Championships or the European Junior Championships where she finished 16th and 8th, respectively. However, it would be unwise to read too much into those results as Kropkó is a top prospect.
She won the European Junior Cup in Balekisir in 2021. Last year, she add two further European Junior Cup wins in Izvorani and Yenisehir. Not all European Junior Cups are of the same strength. Nevertheless, Kropkó’s ability to consistently win Junior races is a good marker.
Perhaps her most impressive feat in 2022 was finishing 11th at World U23 Championships. In Abu Dhabi, Kropkó was part of the breakaway that rode away from the field. In doing so, she displayed her strength on the bike. That day she missed the final attack by Kate Waugh and Jessica Fullagar but she will be wiser for it.
In addition, Kropkó has already garnered some Senior experience. She recorded a top-10 at a Senior European Cup in Alhandra where she finished 8th. Moreover, she has World Cup racing experience, most recently in Viña del Mar where she was the first woman out of T2.
Kropkó’s run remains her weakness right now. However, she has plenty of time to work on that. If she can couple a bit more speed on the run with the skillset and experience she already has, she will be well positioned to have a strong 2023.
Noemie Beaulieu (CAN)
Beaulieu is the reigning Americas Junior Champion after defending her title from 2021. In general, she has had an stellar Junior career and impressed by finishing 4th at the World Junior Championships last year in Montreal after a bout of COVID.
One result that really stands out though is her performance at the Americas Cup in Stockton. Although only 21 women raced, Beaulieu pieced together a great performance across all three disciplines, including the joint-fastest run of the day, on her way to victory. Any win at the Senior level as a Junior is a positive indicator. When coupled with her success in the Junior ranks, the omens look good for Beaulieu.
Currently, she is the 4th ranked Canadian woman in the World Triathlon rankings.
Canada generally sets a lot of weight behind discretionary selections in their policies and, given the current rankings, may prioritise the Mixed Team Relay over the individual races at the Paris Olympics. In light of that, Beaulieu could be a dark horse to make the Paris Olympic team.
Given her age, it might come a little too soon for her. Still, it is a testament to her performances thus far that she has put herself on the fringes of the Olympic conversation.
Helena Moragas Molina (ESP)
Helena Moragas Molina is a very talented young athlete. In European Junior Cups, she has marked herself out as one of the best racers in her cohort. She won two Junior Cups across 2020 and 2021, in Banyoles and Silver Lake.
Meanwhile in 2022 she won the European Junior Cups in Quarteira and Mellila and took second behind Kropkó in Izvorani. The Quarteira result is particularly impressive as that has classically been one of the deepest Junior Cups.
In 2021, she finished 4th at the World Junior Championships. However, she did not race the event in 2022.
Moragas Molina has already gained some Senior experience in European Cups and had a finish of 25th in Caorle in 2022. She has twice raced at the European Cup in Barcelona, too, recording a best finish of 13th. As with Behrens, she has yet to race internationally over the Olympic distance. However, she has the combination of Junior success and nascent Senior experience to be able to make a smooth step up to the U23 ranks.
Livia Gross (SUI)
Gross is the final athlete to make the women’s list and is the reigning bronze medallist from the 2022 World Junior Championships. While Tilda Månsson and Behrens were a cut above in that race, Gross had a very strong race and logged the joint-fastest swim and the third fastest run.
After earning three consecutive 4th place finishes at European Junior Cups, Montreal was a mini-breakthrough.
Last year Gross was also the Swiss Junior champion and finished 3rd in the Senior Swiss Championships. The winner of the Senior race that day was WTCS athlete Cathia Schär. Gross kept relatively close to Schär’s times in the water and on the run. However, the bike showed the key difference between the two as Gross lost 2 minutes 20 seconds.
Schär is two years older than Gross and with her WTCS experience, the disparity on the bike is understandable. It does, however, represent an area for Gross to focus on in the short-term.
She has the ability on the swim and run. With a little more strength on the bike she may be able to tie her races together more cohesively. It is a common thing to see with Junior athletes and something that will come with time. If things can tick for Gross on the bike in 2023, she could have a very good season.
