Martindale and Whitaker the Picks of the British Juniors

Benjamin Eastman

The British domestic triathlon calendar commenced at the weekend with the Junior performance assessments. Concurrent tests also ran for Youth and Senior athletes; in this article we will cover the Junior performances while the Youths (also see below) and Seniors will be in a separate piece. As a reminder, the Junior athletes took on a 800m swim on the Saturday. The next day, the Juniors completed a bike-run of 20km and 5km. As anticipated in the preview, reigning British Junior champion Bethany Cook did indeed remain in America where she…

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Mola, McElroy and Holm in Weekend Racing Round-up

Benjamin Eastman

Triathletes here, triathletes there, triathletes everywhere. Such is the way of the modern elite triathlon calendar. While there were Continental Cups taking place in Africa and Asia at the weekend, a number of athletes opted for alternative racing opportunities. Mario Mola After his recent medal at the European Duathlon Championships, Mola was racing again at the Triathlon de Portocolom in Mallorca. The three time world champion took on an irregular set of distances as he raced over a 500m swim, 50km bike and a 5km run in a “55.5” format.…

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Portuguese Dream Team Gathers for Setubal Triathlon

Benjamin Eastman

At the Setubal Triathlon, an elite trio of Portuguese athletes took on the middle distance relay. Under the conditions of the relay, one athlete would swim 1.9km, a second athlete would cycle 90km and then a third would run 21.1km. Taking the win were the “Lidl Stars”. As Lidl was the primary sponsor of the event, it made sense for them to enter a relay of athletes that they support. Two of the Lidl Stars were none other than WTCS athletes Ricardo Batista and Melanie Santos. Mafalda Rosa, the European…

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Gábor Faldum Runs Half Marathon Best Time

Benjamin Eastman

At the weekend, Hungarian WTCS athlete Gábor Faldum ran a new personal best over the half marathon distance. Taking on the Kikelet Félmaraton Baja, Faldum produced a time of 1:07:20. For reference, his previous personal best (as per World Athletics) was 1:09:54, a time he ran a decade earlier. Perhaps the best half marathon performance of any active triathlete remains with American Morgan Pearson. Towards the end of 2021, Pearson ran a time of 1:01:47. Nevertheless, that should not detract from Faldum’s performance at the weekend, particularly as Faldum’s race…

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Rosa Maria Tapia is Leading Mexico’s Triathlon Charge

Benjamin Eastman

It is a good time for triathlon in Mexico. After Irving Perez, Crisanto Grajales and Rodrigo Gonzalez flew the flag over the past decade, it is the turn of the Mexican women. Leading the way is Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal. At the recent World Cup in New Plymouth, Tapia recorded her best ever World Cup performance by taking 4th place. Tapia did not have the best of starts and she said the first 300m in the water was a challenge but things improved in the second half of the swim.…

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Edgar and Williams Earn Surprise Wins in Zimbabwe

Benjamin Eastman

Coming into the Troutbeck African Cup, Barbara De Koning was on a hot streak. After three straight wins at the African Cup level, the Dutch athlete was looking to take a fourth consecutive victory. Similarly, the men’s field contained recent African Cup winner Ayan Beisenbayev. With precious points available towards World Triathlon rankings, a small field of athletes had a perfect opportunity to either continue medal-winning form or kick-start their season. However, while the race was only over the Sprint distance, Troutbeck was by no means an easy course. With…

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What Did We Learn From Bergere’s American Outing?

Benjamin Eastman

Yesterday, the reigning world champion Léo Bergere took on Ironman 70.3 Oceanside. Despite having been waylaid by COVID en route to the United States, Bergere stepped up to take the win. From the off, he controlled the race with the fastest swim then rode with the leaders on the bike. On the run, he then saw off any challengers to get the job done. The race itself, though, is not the interesting bit. The intrigue from Bergere’s showing in California lies with his race to defend his world title. After…

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Haller and Bicanova Win in Pokhara, Nepal

Benjamin Eastman

Pokhara is renowned for being the gateway into the Himalayan trail the Annapurna Circuit. For the athletes lining up on Lake Phewa, they hoped it would also be a source of points and a gateway into greater things for the year. At over 800m above sea level, altitude would be a factor although the athletes would only have to contend with the Sprint distance. A little more mercifully, the mountains in the distance were more for show rather than something for those racing to summit. Men’s race Aleksandr Kurishov of…

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April Fools: Hayden Wilde to Switch Nationality to Great Britain

Benjamin Eastman

Note: this was an April Fools joke. Earlier today, Hayden Wilde stunned the triathlon world with news that he will be switching his sporting nationality from New Zealand to Great Britain. The discovery of a long lost British grandmother in the Wilde clan opened the door to the change. After winning a home World Cup in New Zealand last weekend, he felt it was the perfect time to move on to pastures new and take on the next great challenge of his career. More specifically, he is set upon beating…

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The Next Generation of British Juniors Are Incoming

Benjamin Eastman

We have seen the best Junior triathletes France has to offer. Then came the cream of the current German crop. This weekend it is the turn of the top talents in Great Britain. Most of the best young British triathletes will be taking part in a performance assessment weekend under the watchful eye of British Triathlon. The primary purpose of the assessments is to set the order for the subsequent British Super Series (for both Junior and Youth categories). To kick things off, the athletes will take on a swimming…

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The Early Years and Perseverance of Georgia Taylor-Brown

Benjamin Eastman

What does success look like? Is it the medals, the trophies, the acclaim? Success is so easy to see from an external perspective after all. Watching from behind a screen or simply looking at the results, success jumps out and demands attention. Or is it something different? Maybe it is something quieter, something more introspective, something that only the individual can ever truly know. It can be in perseverance, it can be in bouncing back, it can be in personal growth. Georgia Taylor-Brown embodies both aspects of success. At this…

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Yuko Takahashi on Home Races and a Big Season Ahead

Benjamin Eastman

Yuko Takahashi enjoyed her first “home” race of the season. In Quarteira, Portugal, she earned a 5th place over the first Olympic distance European Cup of the year. As a member of The Triathlon Squad, Takahashi is based less than an hour away in Monte Gordo. With no major travel involved, “it almost felt like a home race,” said Takahashi. There was neither a time change to navigate nor stress with flights. Instead it was a short trip along the coast. Perhaps in part due to the more relaxed circumstances…

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A Deep Dive into the Best New Plymouth Splits 2023

Benjamin Eastman

The full statistical breakdown of the New Plymouth World Cup is available however it is also instructive to delve into the fastest splits of the race. Amidst the wider race dynamics, we can see where particular athletes excelled. Only one man and one woman were able to achieve top-10 splits in all three disciplines. Can you guess who they were prior to reading on? The Swims Men Ricardo Batista and Nicolo Strada led the way in the water with times of 9:01. We have noted Strada’s speed in the water…

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Is Vetle Bergsvik Thorn Norway’s Next Triathlon Star?

Benjamin Eastman

There is a quiet authority to Vetle Bergsvik Thorn’s voice when he speaks. However, his softly spoken manner does not quite conceal the magnitude of his ambitions. His target is an Olympic medal at next year’s Paris Olympic Games. He does not beat around the bush about it. Sometimes articulating such a lofty goal can be intimidating. Some people prefer to keep it hidden. Not Thorn. He chooses his words carefully and speaks precisely when he talks of his medal hopes. His words are convincing. His credentials are even more…

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Emy Legault Runs Fast 16:26 5km in LaSalle, Canada

Benjamin Eastman

Canadian WTCS athlete Emy Legault took on the Course et marche populaires de LaSalle this past Sunday. Racing over the 5km, Legault ran a time of 16:26. That made her the first woman home and 11th fastest athlete in total. Moreover she was a mere 2 seconds away from the top-10. As a fun aside, Legault is actually the course record holder in the women’s 1km race. Back in 2007, she ran a time of 3:33.5 In addition, she technically broke the course record in the 5km with her performance…

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