Paralympic Qualification Window Opens Tomorrow

Benjamin Eastman

Tomorrow, on 1st July, the window for Paralympic Qualification will open. Over the coming year, the best Para-triathletes in the world will race to secure their spot in Paris before the window closes on 1st July 2024. How does the qualification system work? In total there are 120 slots available for triathletes at the 2024 Paralympic Games. 54 will be allocated to male athletes, 50 to women and then 16 will be reserved to be assigned independently of gender. Those final 16 slots are allocated for the Bipartite Commission to…

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Is WTCS Sunderland Vulnerable To Just Stop Oil Protests?

Benjamin Eastman

The final WTCS race of the regular season awaits in Sunderland. Notwithstanding that the athletes will have a final chance to log points at the Olympic Test Event in Paris, Sunderland will mark the beginning of the end of the Series before attention turns to the Final in Pontevedra in September. Yet apprehension may stalk the minds of the organisers over the coming weeks. On the first day of the Second Test of the Ashes at Lords (London), two Just Stop Oil protestors invaded the pitch to cast orange powder…

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First Look at the WTCS Sunderland 2023 Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

First of all, what is a Sunderland? After extensive research, we can confirm that it is in fact a town in the north of England. Throughout the history of the WTCS, Britain has played host to a stop in every season except 2012 (when it held the Olympic Games instead). In the early years, the event took place in London, a run that included the 2013 Series Final. Later, it was moved to Leeds, the home of the Brownlee brothers and, for 2023, the event has been shifted further north…

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Breaking Down Round 2 of the Women’s Bundesliga 2023

Benjamin Eastman

After the second round of the 2023 Bundesliga in Schliersee, the standings have been completely jumbled up. As much as Buschhütten were dominant on their way to victory, there were several incredibly close finishes among the teams in pursuit. Indeed, 2nd place through to 6th were separated by only five points. As a reminder, the three top finishers (from four athletes on a team) count towards each teams’ points. Each athlete’s place is given the same amount of points (so 1 point for 1st and so on) and the team…

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Poetry in Motion at WTCS Montreal 2023

Benjamin Eastman

Chapter 1: Abu Dhabi Chapter 2: Yokohama Chapter 3: Cagliari Chapter 4: Montreal It is a law of space and time that light seen from the stars that dance across the night can sometimes be nothing more than the last traces of dead celestials. How fast does their light fade compared with how brightly they once shone. The same is true of man. He who was a star for a time will always fade, leaving only faint hints for the gaze of those still to follow. The question to ask is when can…

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Thorn Makes It Norwegian Double At European Games

Benjamin Eastman

The elite triathlon scene takes on some truly beautiful locations around the world. Krakow in the rain is not one of them.  Nevertheless the elite men’s field lined up to tackle the Olympic distance at the European Games as youth and experience took up their positions. Connor Bentley and Simon Henseleit both arrived with consecutive European Cup wins to their name. Meanwhile Adrien Briffod entered the fray on the back of a 6th place at WTCS Yokohama. A medal would all but seal his place on the Swiss Olympic team…

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The Statistical Breakdown of WTCS Montreal 2023

Benjamin Eastman

With several prominent absences in the men’s field and an evenly-matched trio of 2023 winners in the women’s race, WTCS Montreal was always likely to come down to fine margins. That ultimately proved to be the case as the contenders were gradually whittled down over the course of the race until Matthew Hauser and Beth Potter struck clear to win the golds. To go with the breakdown of the splits from Montreal, in this article, we take a broader overview of the dynamics of the race. The Swim Vittoria Lopes…

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Who Had The Best Splits At WTCS Montreal 2023?

Benjamin Eastman

Swim In the women’s race, Vittoria Lopes picked up where she left off in Cagliari and clocked the fastest swim. Her time of 8:48 was super fast; even if the course appeared to be a tad short, it was a real show of speed from the Brazilian. Lena Meißner was next out in 8:50. After fast swims at WTCS Abu Dhabi in 2022 and 2023, she made her return to the front of the race after a spell out with injury. Meißner’s swim has really found a new level over…

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Solveig Løvseth Strikes Clear To Win European Games

Benjamin Eastman

After triathlon appeared at the first iteration of the European Games in Baku, it was not a part of the event in Minsk in 2019. Four years later, it was back on the menu in Krakow. In a bid to assert dominance early in the race, the World Military champion, Mathilde Gautier, set the pace in the water. Along with Sophie Alden, she broke clear of the field over the non-wetsuit 1500m. By the time the duo made it to T1, they had a gap of 15 seconds. Jolien Vermeylen…

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Angelini and Iogna-Prat are the 2023 Italian Champions

Benjamin Eastman

The Italian Championships over the Olympic distance took place at the weekend in Alba Aldriatica. While several of the country’s standout athletes were engaged elsewhere, with Costanza Arpinelli impressing on her WTCS debut in Montreal and Michele Sarzilla in Poland to lead the national team at the European Games, strong fields lined up in both the men’s and women’s races. Fresh off his win at the European Cup in Kitzbühel, Samuele Angelini torched the field to claim the Italian crown. In the swim Edoardo Petroni, Nicolò Ragazzo and Pietro Giovannini…

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The Debuts and Personal Bests at WTCS Montreal 2023

Benjamin Eastman

Debuts When it comes to the debuts at WTCS Montreal, there is one obvious place to start. Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto was the standout among the new faces as she recorded a 10th place finish. By way of comparison, in 2021 and 2022 only three women were able to hit a top-10 at their first race in the WTCS. They were Lucy Charles-Barclay (5th, Leeds 2021), Kate Waugh (9th, Hamburg 2021) and Emma Lombardi (4th, Yokohama 2022). Velasquez is therefore a part of a very select group in recent WTCS…

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Hansmaennel and Vrablova Earn Wins at Wels Junior Cup

Benjamin Eastman

When does a win become a statement? In particular, at what point is a winning margin large enough to be considered a message to one’s rivals? On their way to the wins at the European Junior Cup in Wels, both Thomas Hansmaennel and Margareta Vrablova made loud statements with their performances. Racing on the Junior scene now enters a crucial phase, with focus crystallised around the World Junior Championships in two and a half weeks. Some athletes will have another opportunity to race before the gun goes off in Hamburg.…

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Anema and Perham Lead British European Champs Team

Benjamin Eastman

After a long weekend of racing, the British teams for the European Championships in Balikesir, Turkey, have been determined. Several of the country’s most promising triathletes gathered in Mallory Park to take on the two-day event. A non-drafting heat on Saturday set the field for the final on Sunday. The final itself then consisted of a 400m swim, 10km bike (this time draft-legal) and a 2.5km run. In the women’s field, Tilly Anema was the first over the line in the final. In doing so, she sealed the first available…

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What Else Happened Around WTCS Montreal This Weekend?

Benjamin Eastman

On any given WTCS weekend, it is fairly common for the racing to dominate the storylines in triathlon. Over the last few days, though, there were several noteworthy stories to be found beyond those of the races in Montreal. Danish Champs The Danish Championships were decided over the Sprint distance at the weekend as Alberte Kjær Pedersen triumphed over Anne Holm. In the end, Pedersen’s running speed was enough to carry her to victory. Although Holm pushed her close throughout, she did not quite have that final gear to match…

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Stories You Might Have Missed From WTCS Montreal 2023

Benjamin Eastman

From Taylor Knibb’s breakaway to Beth Potter’s outstanding win. From Matthew Hauser’s maiden triumph to Kenji Nener’s redemption. Wherever one looked at WTCS Montreal, there were plenty of narratives to follow. Throughout the field, there were an array of fantastic performances that deserve their own mention. With so many stories to keep track of at WTCS Montreal, in this article you can find some of the highlights that you might have missed. Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto Although there will be a separate article to address the debutants in Montreal, Velasquez’s…

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