Poetry in Motion at WTCS Hamburg 2023

Benjamin Eastman

Chapter 1: Abu Dhabi Chapter 2: Yokohama Chapter 3: Cagliari Chapter 4: Montreal Chapter 5: Hamburg No one recalls all the rockets that crashed when they see the one that succeeds. Hopes dashed can be renewed. When mankind took the first  steps on the moon, few words were shared that cursed  the failures of before. The quest to fly  is fraught with cold defeats yet still we try  to soar once more. When the rocket explodes  dreams of the stars carry us through crossroads  of doubt and defy the inquisition  that would otherwise kill…

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Douche and Szalai Win 2023 European Youth Champs

Benjamin Eastman

Speed was the name of the game at the European Youth Championships. Over the Super Sprint finals, the racing took scarcely over 20 minutes in total, leaving virtually no opportunities to put a foot wrong, and the loss of even a few seconds proved fatal to the hopes of several athletes. To land on the podium, a near-perfect race was required. The heats had slimmed the men’s and women’s fields to thirty athletes apiece the night prior. While some took the chance to win their heat and prove their strength,…

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Georgia Taylor-Brown Ruled Out With Calf Injury

Benjamin Eastman

No sooner had the news broken that Flora Duffy was scheduled to make her much-anticipated return to international racing, her closest rival of the past few years has been ruled out of racing for the foreseeable future. In an Instagram post, Georgia Taylor-Brown revealed that she has suffered a calf tear. After experiencing tightness in the calf for two weeks, a scan exposed the underlying issue. To combat the injury, Taylor-Brown has undergone PRP treatment (platelet-rich plasma injections). Aside from that, her course of action will involve time away from…

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Team Saar Await Chance To Strike At Buschhütten In Tübingen

Benjamin Eastman

The point of no return has arrived in the men’s Bundesliga. If Hylo Team Saar win the fourth round in Tübingen, they will drew level with the leaders at the top of the standings and move to one step away from completing a memorable comeback. EJOT Team TV Buschhütten, the current leaders, will enter the penultimate round in the knowledge that, if they beat Team Saar, the overall win will be as good as theirs. Of course, the final round in Hannover will still need to be contested in September.…

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Project Paris: What Do Athletes Need At The Test Event?

Benjamin Eastman

Following the unveiling of the Paris Olympic Test Event start lists, the stage has been set for the world’s leading triathletes to try out the Olympic course ahead of the 2024 Games. Results at the Test Event can also be used towards an athlete’s WTCS ranking, adding further value to the event. For many, though, the importance of the race comes from one simple fact. Several countries will use the event as the first selection race in the build-up to the Paris Olympics. The Test Event will therefore be a…

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International Medallists Descend Upon European Youth Champs

Benjamin Eastman

In the wake of the World Junior Championships, attention will turn to the youngest athletes on the European circuit. The European Youth Championship in Banyoles, Spain, will be contested by athletes born in 2006 and later and offer a rare chance for them to test themselves internationally against their peers. The event is designed to provide an early platform for some of the most promising young talent on the continent, yet even a cursory glance at the start lists reveals that this year’s cohort contains a remarkable array of talent.…

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Flora Duffy To Make First International Start Of 2023

Benjamin Eastman

The women’s world champion, Flora Duffy, may be about to make her much-anticipated return to elite racing. Back in February, Duffy revealed the she had opted to skip WTCS Abu Dhabi and delay the start of her season in order to rehabilitate a knee injury from 2022. She was then originally listed on the start lists for WTCS Yokohama but withdrew. After not entering WTCS Cagliari, Duffy revealed the full extent of her injury and put the Paris Test Event as the earliest date of a potential return . As…

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First Look At The Paris Olympic Test Event Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

The race that has been the guiding star for many of the world’s best triathletes is now creeping closer on the horizon. The Paris Olympic Test Event will be one of the biggest races of the season with several countries using it as a chance to determine early selection for next year’s Olympic Games. Furthermore, after the course was confirmed in April, the Test Event will offer the only opportunity to experience the Olympic route prior to the big show next summer. Now, less than a month out, the start…

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First World Series Wins For Tarantello and Meyers In Swansea

Benjamin Eastman

The fourth and final World Para Series event of 2023 took place in Swansea at the weekend. With the World Para Cup in Long Beach coinciding with the competition, some athletes were forced into strategic choices over where to race to maximise their points. However, inclement weather meant that the racing in Swansea had to be switched to an aquathlon at the last minute. As a result, the points on offer were reduced by 25%. The switch also affected the racing itself. With the 20km bike removed, a 750m swim…

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Hammer, Cravens and Elmlinger Strike Gold in Long Beach

Benjamin Eastman

With the qualification window for the 2024 Paralympic Games open, world-level Para-Triathlon events have been coming thick and fast. The World Para Cup in Long Beach came barely a week after the World Para Series stop in Montreal, offering a two bites at the apple in North America for athletes to score points towards their Paralympic ranking. After the Spanish team impressed at the previous World Para Cup in A Coruna, it fell to the American team to make some noise on home turf. PTWC After his win in Montreal,…

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The Deep Dive Into The Hamburg World Mixed Team Relay Champs

Benjamin Eastman

There are few opportunities to race in the Mixed Team Relay at the highest level. For many, every event essentially becomes an audition to secure a spot on the team at major events. In Hamburg, several athletes found themselves in that position. Beth Potter raced on the British relay for the first time (although she had previously raced on the Scottish relay at the Commonwealth Games). Annika Koch and Simon Henseleit also earned chances to race on the German team after logging personal best WTCS finishes in the individual event.…

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Who Had The Best Splits At WTCS Hamburg 2023?

Benjamin Eastman

With qualifiers, heats and multiple rounds in the final, WTCS Hamburg had a smorgasbord of splits to survey. Across two days of racing, the athletes were often separated by mere seconds. An improvement of 1 or 2 seconds, then, had the potential to cause major ramifications, whether through consigning an athlete to the repechages, putting them into the final or even determining a medal. Moreover, the tactical nature of the competition meant that when an athlete deployed their best split was often as important as how fast it was. As…

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Panevėžys Super Sprint Wins Earned By Crookes and Barac

Benjamin Eastman

More Junior action took place at the weekend with the European Junior Cup in Panevėžys, Lithuania. A handful of athletes even arrived having raced only days earlier at the World Junior Championships in Hamburg. Fortunately, only a Super Sprint race was on offer in Panevėžys, with the athletes racing over a 350m swim, 10km bike and a 2.5km run. Still, with several contenders lurking for the gold in both races, the brevity of the event did not reduce its intensity. Women’s race Two young Latvian athletes took control of the…

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Leachman and Krueger Take Americas Cup Wins in Long Beach

Benjamin Eastman

While the World Junior Championships, World Mixed Team Relay Championships and latest stop of the WTCS took place in Hamburg, racing was also underway across the Atlantic. The Americas Cup in Long Beach attracted a range of North American talent, as well as several faces from beyond. Anyone expecting the famed Californian heat, though, would have been disappointed. The 7am start for the men made for slightly chillier conditions. With the water cold enough to allow the use of wetsuits too, some athletes were caught out early on in the…

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The 2023 World Junior Champs Statistical Breakdown

Benjamin Eastman

As a final word on the 2023 World Junior Championships, in this article we will dive into the stats and data that came out of the racing. Looking back on Ilona Hadhoum’s win in the women’s race, which came on the back of field-leading swim and run splits, and Joao Nuno Batista joining his brother in becoming the World Junior champion, there were several key moments that stood out. Read on below, then, to find where the significant moments arose. Swim The swim is an obvious place to start. Ilona…

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