Having pondered what the medallists from the most recent World U23 Championships might accomplish this season, it is fitting to turn the clock back a year to the podiums of the equivalent championships in 2022.
How the medallists from 2022 fared in 2023 can offer a small insight into what could be expected from their 2023 counterparts in 2024. Moreover, they offer intrigue in and of themselves.
While it was only one season in what are otherwise young careers, there is plenty to unearth. This time last year, the athletes below were among the shiniest new talents in the sport. All things considered, the season that followed has only served to enhance their reputations.
Women
Kate Waugh (GBR, 1999)
Waugh, the World U23 champion in 2022, ended her 2023 season in the perfect way by claiming a maiden WTCS medal with a barnstorming performance at the Final in Pontevedra. As a result, she has firmly slotted herself into the race to join Beth Potter on the British Olympic team.
Waugh thus matched the achievement of her predecessor, Emma Lombardi, in medalling the WTCS in the season after claiming her World U23 title. Far from being a flash in the pan, though, Waugh’s medal was the culmination of a consistent season.
Finishes of 5th in Yokohama and 7th in Paris helped her towards a remarkable 6th place overall in the Series. Most notably, her best performances all came over the Olympic distance. Not only could that count in her favour in Olympic terms, but it suggests that she could mature into a world title contender sooner rather than later.
Annika Koch (GER, 1999)
In Koch, the women’s World U23 podium found another WTCS medallist last year. After a steady start to the season, she got the ball rolling with a fantastic 4th place at WTCS Hamburg. In her next outing, she claimed the bronze medal in Sunderland with a superb performance.
Having not finished in the top-20 at a WTCS race prior to 2023, she therefore made a considerable leap forward. As with Waugh, her status in the WTCS pack has been elevated with her medal and transformed her from an athlete with promise to a fully-fledged contender at such events.
A win at the Yeongdo World Cup followed to burnish what was a golden summer. Admittedly, Koch was already a World Cup winner prior to her U23 success. Either way, her victory reinforced the notion that the WTCS is where she now belongs.
Bianca Seregni (ITA, 2000)
With three World Cup wins, Seregni ensured that the 2022 women’s World U23 podium had close to a perfect year. She took the gold medals in Weihai, Chengdu and Miyazaki, taking down a rampant Gwen Jorgensen at the latter. Through her World Cup campaign, her swim was a constant weapon and she decimated the field in almost all of her appearances.
On the WTCS scene, she did not manage to join Waugh or Koch on a podium. However, her crushing performance in the water at the Paris Test Event was almost as eye-catching. The rest of the field will have to beware Seregni pulling the same trick at the Olympic Games or else their races of many could be over before they start.
While she only managed a best WTCS result of 20th (in Pontevedra), Seregni showed enough in her 2023 performances to suggest she will be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.
Men
Connor Bentley (GBR, 2001)
The men’s medallists from the World U23 Championships in Abu Dhabi did not quite enjoy the same level of success on the world stage as their female counterparts last year, in part simply because they are all younger. However, it would be remiss to suggest that they had disappointing seasons. Bentley led the way with two European Cup wins.
In Caorle and Olsztyn, he showed that the racing nous that saw him to his World U23 title remained as strong as ever as he earned more international gold. To go with that, Bentley made his WTCS debut, finishing 45th in Hamburg. Whereas all of the female podium were at an advantage with multiple WTCS races under their belt prior to 2023, Bentley had ground work to first get through.
Having proven himself to be too quick for the European scene, he made it through his WTCS baptism of fire and will be better for it in the coming season.
Gergely Kiss (HUN, 2001)
Kiss had a solid season and a high point came with his 11th place at the World Cup in Tiszaujvaros. That represented a personal best World Cup finish and showed a promising improvement trend.
In addition, Kiss returned to the World U23 Championships and claimed 10th place. Given that he will still be an U23 athlete his season, he might try to return to the podium at the World U23 Championships in Malaga.
A personal best on the track at the start of the year hinted at a promising season ahead, although he did not make any individual international podiums. Not to be overlooked, though, is the bronze medal he helped Hungary win in the Mixed Team Relay at the European Games.
Hamish Reilly (GBR, 2002)
The youngest of the 2022 medallists, Reilly’s greatest success last year came with his bronze medal at the European U23 Championships in Balikesir. For a spell, he thus held both the World U23 and European U23 bronze medals simultaneously. At the same event, he placed 5th at the European Championships (over the Super Sprint distance).
He went on to finish 13th in Pontevedra, a couple of places behind Kiss. Alongside his U23 performances, he enjoyed a solid set of World Cup performances, finishing 23rd in Tangier, 25th in Tiszaujvaros and 30th in Chengdu.
Given he is three years younger than the likes of Waugh and Koch, it would be unfair to expect similar levels of sustained performance from Reilly. Nevertheless, he came away with international hardware in 2023 and offered enough progress to hint that, once he has more experience, he could mature into an important cog in the British squad.
