Diener and Stroschneider Triumph at Monastir African Cup

Benjamin Eastman

At the first African Cup in almost two months, a global field took to the start line to compete over the Sprint distance in Monastir, Tunisia. For several of the home athletes, it provided a valuable racing opportunity ahead of the looming African Championships. For those from further afield, Monastir offered invaluable points towards the world rankings. In both the men’s and women’s races, the winner came away with their first gold medal of the season. Men’s race Julian Piller got the race off to a brisk start as he…

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Pelliciardi Wins Sprint and Houart Stages Comeback in Bled

Benjamin Eastman

In both races at the European Junior Cup in Bled, a bold breakaway would be cruelly denied. Over the Super Sprint format, with distances of a 400m swim, 13.4km bike and 3.3km run, the races unfolded in similar manners. It was only at the finish that the changes came. In the men’s race, a nail-biting sprint finish separated the leading athletes while in the women’s event, a late come-from-behind victory snatched victory from a bold solo attack. Men’s race As has become his calling card, Zalán Hóbor attacked the swim…

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Tapia and Reed Earn Americas Titles in Veracruz, Mexico

Benjamin Eastman

The Americas Championships over the Olympic distance were decided at the weekend. Although a fast, flat course was on offer, the heat made for challenging conditions. Most notably, the athletes took on the 1500m swim with water temperatures hitting 30°C. Despite the heat, the athletes produced some outstanding racing in Mexico. Women’s race After winning a maiden WTCS medal in Yokohama, Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal arrived in Veracruz as the favourite to claim the Americas title. However, a start list containing plenty of threats awaited her. It was clear from…

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Geens and Riasova Power To Grand Prix Victories In Quiberon

Benjamin Eastman

The fourth round of the French Grand Prix took place at the weekend in Quiberon. After a win in the previous round in Metz, Les Sables Vendée Triathlon stood as the closest challengers to Poissy Triathlon in the women’s competition. The gap, however, stood at a daunting 10 points. Meanwhile, Saint-Jean-des-Monts Vendée Triathlon led Poissy by 4 points going into Quiberon in the men’s standings. The racing, then, would prove vital in determining how alive the series would be going into the final round. Women’s race The athletes made the long…

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Koch and Thorn Seal 2023 Bundesliga Titles For Buschhütten

Benjamin Eastman

The final race of the 2023 Bundesliga season saw the deployment of a unique format in Hannover. To kick of the event, the athletes took on a prologue consisting of a 250m swim, 5km bike and a 1.5km run. Held as a non-drafting time trial, the prologue would then set the starting order for a draft-legal pursuit race to determine the winner. The final was made up of a 500m swim, 15km bike and 3.5km run with the runner of the prologue setting off first. Athletes would then follow based…

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David Cantero del Campo Earns First World Cup Win

Benjamin Eastman

When David Cantero del Cantero spun to spur the crowd, flapping his arms to ask more from them, he still had 5km to run. The lead group had been whittled down to seven men and included Antonio Serrat Seoane, a WTCS medallist, and Lasse Nygaard Priester, who was fresh off a World Cup medal in Weihai. As one of the youngest men in the field, Cantero could have settled onto the feet of those ahead waited for the attacks to come. In a sign of his confidence, he whipped up…

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Just Like Old Times: Gwen Jorgensen Wins Valencia World Cup

Benjamin Eastman

Like a wine of a certain vintage, you knew exactly what you were going to get when the Valencia World Cup was uncorked. At almost every stage of the race, it became increasingly apparent that a Jorgensen, 2016 vintage was on offer. As Jolien Vermeylen led the 1500m swim with Anja Weber and Yuko Takahashi for company, Jorgensen emerged perfectly placed. Twenty-three of the thirty-six starters exited the water within 15 seconds of Vermeylen’s 22:13 split. Jorgensen was a mere 7 seconds back and rubbing shoulders with the leaders in…

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Annika Koch On Her Breakthrough Summer Of Racing

Benjamin Eastman

Annika Koch has been a name to watch for some time. Last year, she won a silver medal at the World U23 Championships in Abu Dhabi, improving on the bronze medal she earned in 2021. To go with that, she enjoyed World Cup success in 2022, taking gold in Huatulco and claiming silver in Tongyeong. By most metrics, then, she entered 2023 as an athlete with plenty of promise and a growing pile of medals. This summer, however, she has exploded to a new level. At WTCS Hamburg, she claimed…

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Vicky Holland To Make Return To Racing At Tangier World Cup

Benjamin Eastman

The 2018 world champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, Vicky Holland, will be making her return to elite triathlon racing at the Tangier World Cup next month. Holland last raced at WTCS Abu Dhabi in November 2021. She then took a maternity break from the sport and earlier this year gave birth to her first child. After an absence of two years from the international scene, Holland will now be making her return. The examples of Katie Zaferes and Gwen Jorgensen this year have shown how successful post-partum returns to…

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First Look at the Tangier World Cup 2023 Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

Tangier will make its debut on the World Cup stage next month and the race will mark the first time an African World Cup has been held outside of South Africa. The race will therefore represent a major moment for triathlon on the continent. With the race taking place only a week after the WTCS Final in Pontevedra, it has already attracted an impressive field as athletes look to get in a final race of the season. Who’s there? A stacked French men’s team will lead the way in Tangier…

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TriStats Readers Predict Whether Knibb Will Win A WTCS Title

Benjamin Eastman

Earlier in the week, we wondered whether Taylor Knibb would win a WTCS title in her career. She is out of the running this year so the question concerned the totality of her career. There are reasons to believe it will happen, just as there are reasons to suspect it might not. When put to TriStats readers, the sentiment was rather bearish when it came to Knibb’s WTCS prospects. In total, 82% responded with the opinion that she will not win a WTCS title. A combination of factors, such as…

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Connor Bentley Out Of World U23 Championships

Benjamin Eastman

The men’s World U23 champion, Connor Bentley, will not be defending his crown in Pontevedra. Having initially been named among the start lists for the event, he has since withdrawn. In addition Bentley is not on the wait list for the WTCS Final in Pontevedra so it is unlikely that he will be racing at all. A late substitution into the Final is not on the cards either. Alex Yee, Jonathan Brownlee and Barclay Izzard are the three British men in line to start in the Final and all have…

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Laura Lindemann On Paris, Hamburg and Rapid Relays

Benjamin Eastman

Amid the recent rise of German triathlon, there has been one constant throughout. Laura Lindemann has been at the heart of the team for over seven years. It therefore seemed fitting that she was the first triathlete to book their spot on the German Olympic team by claiming the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Test Event. However, her race was very nearly over for her, and half the field, in the first discipline. “We swam a bit strangely on the way back because we took the wrong tunnel,” said…

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Poissy and Les Sables Vendée Face Showdown in Quiberon

Benjamin Eastman

After a two month hiatus, the French Grand Prix returns this weekend. The teams will descend upon the town of Quiberon on the Atlantic coast to contest the Sprint distance. To kick off proceedings, the sea swim could present some choppy conditions. The athletes will then tackle 22.8km on the bike before a 5km run rounds out the event. In both the men’s and women’s competitions, Les Sables Vendée Triathlon will try to find a way past Poissy Triathlon. In the women’s rankings, Poissy lead the way and will look…

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Hannover Set For Thrilling Final Race of 2023 Bundesliga

Benjamin Eastman

The final race of the 2023 Bundesliga season will see the athletes tackle one of the most exciting formats of the year. To kick off the event, the entire field will take on a prologue. The initial race will consist of a 250m swim, 5km bike and 1.5km run with athletes starting at 20 seconds intervals. Drafting will not be allowed in the prologue. Later in the afternoon, the athletes will return to take on the final. The final will be a pursuit race based on the results of the…

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