Junior Athletes to Watch in Melilla and Quarteira

Benjamin Eastman

This weekend the first European Junior Cup of the year will take place in Melilla, Spain. One week later, another European Junior Cup will be held in Quarteira, Portugal. Quarteira in particular has long been a tried and trusted proving ground of young talent. Winning the Junior Cup in Quarteira has often been reliable marker for further Junior success in the same season. As an example, in 2019 Beatrice Mallozzi won the race prior to winning both the World and European Junior titles later in the year. A number of…

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A Stacked Field Awaits at the Quarteira European Cup

Benjamin Eastman

One of the deepest Continental Cups of the year is taking shape at the European Cup in Quarteira, Portugal, next weekend. An array of world champions and WTCS medallists will be racing, as well as some of the most highly rated young prospects in the sport. For many of the athletes, it will be their first taste of the Olympic distance this year. Indeed for several, Quarteira offers a perfect hit-out ahead of the upcoming Olympic distance WTCS races. The Women’s Race A strong French contingent will be led by…

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Ilona Hadhoum is the Fastest French Junior on Record

Benjamin Eastman

By now, you may have seen that the latest crop of French Junior triathletes are immensely talented. At the test weekend in Cannes, they produced a series of performances that were sensational. The question to ask is how does this latest cohort compare to those that came before. This is no small question. Consider that the Junior tests have been previously undertaken by current world champion Leo Bergere, two time world champion Vincent Luis, WTCS gold medallists Cassandre Beaugrand and Dorian Coninx, and a host of brilliant athletes such as…

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The Early Season Adventures of Ivana Kuriackova

Benjamin Eastman

One of the perks of a life as an international triathlete is the travel. At times it can also be a disadvantage, but it certainly facilitates an exotic lifestyle. Ivana Kuriackova has embodied that lifestyle over the past six weeks. In that time, she has raced four Continental Cups in three countries. Her travels started in Venezuela at the La Guaira Americas Cup. In her first race of the season, Kuriackova ended up in 5th. Next was a trip to Cuba. At the La Habana Americas Cup she put herself…

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Gustav Iden Shoe Protest at Abu Dhabi Dismissed

Benjamin Eastman

One of the more surprising stories to come out of WTCS Abu Dhabi earlier this month was that Gustav Iden faced a shoe protest after the race. His shoes were suspected of being in violation of World Triathlon’s new rules. As a result, they were sent to World Athletics for testing. At the start of this year, World Triathlon updated their rulebook to address the rise of so-called “super shoes”. In doing so, they aligned their policy with that of World Athletics. The primary aspects that were affected included the…

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Tharreau and Hadhoum Impress at French Junior Tests

Benjamin Eastman

Some of the best Junior and Youth talent France has to offer in triathlon gathered in Cannes at the weekend for pre-season testing. As a reminder, the athletes completed a swim of 800m (50m), a run of 5000m on the track and a time trial bike of 3.6km. Their times from each stage are then added together and ranked to give the final results for the tests. France is currently home to the reigning male world champion, the Mixed Team Relay world champions and the male Junior world champion. As…

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Bob Haller Tackles Cross Country and Swimming Double

Benjamin Eastman

Bob Haller has been sharpening his fitness as the season gets underway. In a similar manner to Artūrs Liepa recently, Haller took on elite competition in both cross country and swimming. On 5th March, he raced in the Luxembourg Cross Country Championships. Over the 10.41km course, Haller finished 3rd in a time of 34:00. His time was only 23 seconds behind the winner and represented an opportunity to shake up the legs early in the season. A few days later, on 10th March, Haller raced in the pool as he took…

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Richard Murray Races in Cape Town Cycling Tour

Benjamin Eastman

With Table Mountain towering above, there are worse places to start a cycling race. The Cape Town Cycling Tour describes itself as the most beautiful bike race in the world and the route lived up to its billing at the weekend. The Cycling Tour itself is a part of the UCI Golden Tour which consists of seven races and the Cape Town instalment is one of only two outside of Europe. Taking place around the the Cape Peninsula, the Tour covers 109km of coastal roads. At the weekend, though, triathlon fans…

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Grace Norman the Pick of Stellar Para Performances in Sarasota

Benjamin Eastman

PTS Women As a reminder, the PTS categories run from PTS2 to PTS5 and refer to the amputee athletes. PTS2 describes the athletes with the most severe physical impairment while PTS5 contains athletes with milder impairments. All athletes in the PTS groups may race using prosthetics or other supportive devices, subject to World Triathlon approval. You can view the various Para-Triathlon categories here. Grace Norman led the way in the PTS5 category. The defending world champion produced a consummate performance, logging the fastest split in every discipline. Perhaps most impressive was…

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Periault and Lehair Brave the Mud at French XC Champs

Benjamin Eastman

At the weekend, two WTCS athletes took on the French Cross Country Championships in Carhaix. Leonie Periault and Jeanne Lehair both raced the 8.91km course in conditions radically different to what they would be used to in triathlon. A week of rain had left much of the circuit in boggy conditions and caked in thick mud in parts. Compared to the near-pristine surface of the Yas Marina Circuit at WTCS Abu Dhabi, it was quite the turnaround. The conditions, though, did little to slow either athlete. Periault was the first…

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Kuriackova and Donnelly Win Americas Cup in Pucón

Benjamin Eastman

There was an ethereal beauty to the black sands of Pucón as the athletes lined up to start. Low hanging clouds shrouded the peaks of the mountains but the weather from earlier in the week, perhaps best described as English, did not return. A cosmopolitan group of athletes lined up to race in Pucón, Chile. Several had raced in the same country only a week earlier at the Americas Cup in Villarrica. This time round, the athletes would be taking on the Sprint distance. Women’s Race The short run from…

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North American Junior Titles Won Decisively in Sarasota

Benjamin Eastman

Two weeks after the Oceania Junior champions were crowned in Taupo, the North American Junior titles were won in decisive fashion in Sarasota. Jimena Renata De La Peña Schott took the win in the Junior women’s race. Born in 2006, De La Peña has already made a small splash at the Senior level. In November, she finished 12th at the Viña del Mar World Cup. Her run stood out in Chile, in spite of her age, and it did so again in Sarasota. She was towards the front of the swim…

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Zaferes Continues Comeback With Sarasota Silver

Benjamin Eastman

Katie Zaferes continued her return to the world of elite triathlon at the Americas Cup race in Sarasota. Coming only one week after her return at WTCS Abu Dhabi, she would be taking on the Sprint distance once more. In addition to Zaferes, a number of talented youngsters in both the men’s and women’s races toed the start line in Sarasota. For many athletes, it represented the first race of their seasons. Women’s Race A double punch of Sarah-Lee Hevey and Diana Castillo put the field under immense pressure in…

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Sophie Coldwell Keeping Her Feet on the Ground and Pontoons

Benjamin Eastman

In what might be one of the more successful detours in triathlon history, Sophie Coldwell logged her best ever WTCS finish on her way to a silver medal in Abu Dhabi. “I only raced it because I was on the way back from Australia and it was on the way,” explained Coldwell. The decision to stop in Abu Dhabi was taken only about six weeks before the event. Along with members of the Loughborough training group, including Abu Dhabi winner Alex Yee, Coldwell had been on a warm weather training…

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French Junior Testing to Take Place in Cannes This Weekend

Benjamin Eastman

The next generation of French triathletes will be put through their paces this weekend as the French federation holds this year’s Junior and Youth testing. These tests form a critical component of selection for international competition. They will to a large degree determine the teams at the World Junior Championships in Hamburg in July, the European Junior Championships in Balikesir in August and the European Youth Championships in Banyoles in September. The selection tests cover male and female athletes born between 2004 and 2007. There are three separate criteria to…

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