Form is a funny thing. More often than not, an athlete has it right up until they don’t. Even the best run of form comes to an end at some point so when it arrives it has to be exploited.
At the Tongyeong World Cup, two women in particular lead the expectations in the race for the gold medal. Both are in great form and have reasons that make their current run of results particularly sweet.
Claire Michel seems to have shaken off the run of injuries that previously bogged her down and is in the midst of a head-turning period. In her last race, she won the silver medal at the Chengdu World Cup. That came after a 6th place at the Tangier World Cup and an 11th place at the WTCS Final in Pontevedra.
Arguably, her recent bout of success was kickstarted by her marvellous anchor leg at the Mixed Team Relay at the Paris Test Event. In a dramatic finale, she clawed her way to the bronze medal as the Belgian team out-performed the pre-race expectations. Michel’s grit and bloody-mindedness went a long way to securing the bronze medal and since then she has hardly put a foot wrong.
In Tongyeong, there is every chance she takes the next step by winning a first World Cup gold medal. She medalled in Tongyeong in both 2017 and 2019 and so can call upon prior success at the race.
Having built through the past two months, there will be little holding Michel back.
However, the Belgian athlete will be up against another in-form athlete. Gwen Jorgensen has medalled at her past three World Cup races, including wins in Valencia and Karlovy Vary.
Throughout her recent World Cups, Jorgensen’s run has been back to its turbo-charged best of late. Just as Michel’s form has been welcome after injuries, Jorgensen will be gratified to be performing at such a level in her first season back in the sport after an absence of over six years.
Over the Sprint distance, the two are fairly well-matched. They are similar in the water while Michel is probably the stronger cyclist and Jorgensen is, on balance, the quicker runner.
Yet the race in Tongyeong could come down to a question of momentum more than anything. If Michel and Jorgensen are in contention on the run, either could summon the final gear required to take gold.
Jorgensen took down Rachel Klamer in a tense sprint finish to win in Karlovy Vary. Meanwhile, anyone that saw Michel’s performance in Paris will know that she can certainly step up when the situation demands.
Whereas Michel has already been based in East Asia, Jorgensen will fly in from America for the race. She recently took on a cyclocross race in her home town. The time zone change could lend an advantage to Michel. Overall, though, the race could go either way between the two.
Tereza Zimovjanova, will also tackle Tongyeong a week removed from recording her best ever World Cup finish of 5th in Chengdu.
Michel and Jorgensen will also be challenged by Romana Gajdošová, who won a bronze medal at the last World Cup in South Korea (in Yeongdo in August). In addition, Yuko Takahashi, the Asian Games champion, will be no pushover. As a training partner of Michel, there may be a chance the two launch some kind of attack together on the bike.
Elsewhere, Sinem Francisca Tous Servera could be one to watch after finishing 6th in Chengdu. Zsanett Kuttor-Bragmayer is also a consistent force and finished 8th in Tangier.
Finally, Vicky Holland will continue her post-partum return to the sport. So far she has finished 7th in Tangier and 23rd in Rome. Another top-8 could be on the cards although it is hard to gauge how she will fare so early in her comeback.
TriStats Predictions
- Gwen Jorgensen
- Claire Michel
- Yuko Takahashi
- Zsanett Kuttor Bragmayer
- Tereza Zimovjanova
