In football, there are some players you know precisely what they are going to do before they do it. A classic example is Arjen Robben, a Dutch player formerly of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Chelsea. To all intents and purposes, Robben could only do anything with his left foot. At every opportunity, then, he would cut inside to shoot on his left foot. All any defender had to do was force Robben onto his right and the threat was (in exaggerated terms) neutralised. The problem was that even though…

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A double header of World Cups awaits this weekend with events taking place in Chengdu, China, and Brasilia, Brazil. In the former, the men’s race is shaping up to be a battle between the German and Japanese squads. Although Chengdu has attracted plenty of talent, the German quartet might just be the pick of the bunch. Leading the way will be Tim Hellwig. In his last outing, he won the silver medal at WTCS Pontevedra. In addition, he impressed on his way to Olympic qualification at the Paris Test Event.…

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The triathlon season may be drawing to its close but the athletes are showing few signs of slowing down. At the European Cup in Ceuta, Spain, the Sprint distance affair saw some rapid performances. The event doubled as the Mediterranean Championships and, with local bragging rights on the line, several athletes elevated themselves to new levels. Men’s race With a sea swim followed by a winding route through the town with several tight sections, the course was technical at points. One athlete that had little problem in dealing with the…

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Redemption was not the right word. Vasco Vilaca came to Rome looking for something but redemption was not quite it. After a breakthrough season, in which he claimed four WTCS medals and finished 4th overall in the world, there was precious little for him to bounce back from. Illness had meant he did not have the WTCS Final he had hoped for and that he lost his place on the overall podium. All things considered, though, it had been a marvellous year. In a parallel universe, maybe Vilaca would have…

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Close to an hour of cat-and-mouse racing delivered the athletes to the final hurrah in the women’s event at the Rome World Cup. Over a high-paced Sprint distance race, several athletes rose through the field and new faces looked like candidates for the win at different stages. From the off, a small group broke away from the field. Another virtuoso performance in the water by Bianca Seregni saw her splinter the field. A select group of Jolien Vermeylen, Olivia Mathias, Mathilde Gautier and Alice Betto. Once Betto exited, some 5…

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One notable aspect of the women’s start list for the Rome World Cup is how short it is. The men’s race is close to full yet the women’s has fewer than 45 women starting. With Olympic points available in an iconic city, something has gone amiss in the entry procedure. Whether athletes turning down the opportunity to race or national federations not allowing athletes to participate (there have been confirmed instances of the latter), the cause of the short start lists may be worth further investigation. While the size of…

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On the single most tumultuous day of the 2023 triathlon season, Vasco Vilaca’s hopes came crashing down before him. An illness prior to the race combined with the sensational performances of others saw him slip from a place on the final podium to 4th overall. Despite the late disappointment, the brilliance of Vilaca’s season should not be overlooked. He was one of three men to win four WTCS medals in 2023 and has established himself as one of the very best triathletes in the world. This weekend, at the Rome…

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At the Tangier World Cup, the women’s sea swim had provided several bumps. The waves, however, paled to the surf that followed in the men’s race. With several athletes being dragged left and right, others were left in the invidious position of thrashing at the water only to be carried backwards at points. Jamie Riddle coped best with the conditions and opened an early 9 second lead out of the water after looking for those behind using the waves to carry him to the end. A trio of Angel Sanchez…

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In the first World Cup to be held in Morocco, the racing was an up and down affair from the start. Quite literally, in fact, as the waves bounced athletes around throughout the swim. Being only 750m for the Sprint distance, the swim mercifully ended sooner rather than later for those suffering in the sea, although not before Mathilde Gautier had forged a slight advantage along with Therese Feuersinger and Zsanett Kuttor-Bragmayer. Barely 10 seconds behind Gautier, Jolien Vermeylen headed up a small chase group. The Belgian former swimmer had…

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