Van Der Merwe and Riddle Win in Nelson Mandela Bay

Benjamin Eastman

The first international Olympic distance race of the African season took place at the weekend with the African Cup in Nelson Mandela Bay. The South African event attracted several of the country’s biggest names, including Olympic medallist Henri Schoeman, and yielded some lively displays. Women’s race After three straight wins in 2024, Vicky Van Der Merwe arrived as the prohibitive favourite. Victories at the African Cups in Maselspoort and Swakopmund book-ended her African Games win in Accra. Alongside her double African Championships success in 2023, her recent form on the…

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Fan and Lu Secure Home Golds at Asian Sprint Champs

Benjamin Eastman

As well as playing a significant role on the road to the Paris Olympics, continental bragging rights were on offer at the Asian Sprint Championships in Dexing, China. In mild conditions, the home team looked to hold off significant threats, especially from the Japanese squad, while the New Flag race continued to burn between athletes from Hong Kong and Kazakhstan. With plenty of talent in the field, both races came down to tight finishes. Men’s race Tzu I Pan and Kyotaro Yoshikawa led the way in the swim. The two…

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Triathletes Throw Down at ASICS Festival of Running

Benjamin Eastman

It was a little under four months out from the real thing, but some of triathlon’s leading lights got a new taste for racing on the streets of Paris ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games. At the ASICS Festival of Running, WTCS medallists Leonie Periault and Annika Koch were among those to race. Periault took on the 10km while Koch stepped up to the plate over the 5km. Confronting the triathletes were top quality fields of established world-level runners. In the women’s 10km, Periault dropped a time of 32:29, earning…

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The Split Season For Oceania and Americas Junior Triathletes

Benjamin Eastman

One of the big changes to the international Junior season in 2024 is the realignment of the World Junior Championships with the WTCS Final, World Para-Triathlon Championships and World U23 Championships. In 2023, the World Junior Championships took place in July, at WTCS Hamburg, while the equivalent Senior, Para and U23 titles were handed out two months later at WTCS Pontevedra. Hitherto, all four titles were awarded at the same event. Indeed, the change only really came as a result of the pandemic. In 2019, Lausanne hosted the four world…

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March Madness Follows After Cancellation Of WTCS Abu Dhabi

Benjamin Eastman

When WTCS Abu Dhabi was cancelled at the start of March, there was a hole in the international triathlon calendar. After months of delicate planning, the best-laid designs of athletes, coaches and federations alike suddenly had to be shelved and redrawn. Most significantly, the cancellation sounded the starting gun on the scramble that followed. For a variety of reasons – such as in service of Olympic qualification or simply getting their season started – those that had been due to race in Abu Dhabi rushed to find alternative races. World…

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Ka’eo Kruse and Leslie Amat strike gold in Vina del Mar

Benjamin Eastman

The latest Continental Cup of the season took place at the weekend with Americas Cup in Vina del Mar. With the athletes competing over the Sprint distance, brisk conditions were on offer with both the air and water temperature under 15 degrees (Celsius). On a fast course, though, the winners certainly brought the heat on the run. Men’s race The Brazilian duo Victor Hugo Lopes Pereira Da Silva and Pedro Felipe Souza Fernandes Silva set the pace in the water and emerged together with the early lead. Tracking them were…

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The Takeaways From The Inaugural Lievin World Cup

Benjamin Eastman

In addition to the stirring wins by Laura Lindemann and Vetle Bergsvik Thorn, there was plenty to unpack at the first ever indoor World Cup. Read on to find some of the main takeaways from Lievin. The format The obvious point to start is with the format itself. The racing at Lievin presented a novel challenge to the athletes (notwithstanding those that had tackled the same event at the European Cup level) but one clear positive could be found in the venue. The stadium setting provided the perfect raucous atmosphere,…

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April Fools’: France to receive fourth men’s slot at Paris Olympics

Benjamin Eastman

Note: this was an April Fools’ joke. Heading into the Olympic season, the home French team faced an invidious situation. After the outstanding performances by Dorian Coninx and Pierre Le Corre, as they claimed 1st and 3rd, respectively, at last year’s WTCS Final in Pontevedra, two-thirds of France’s male Olympic triathlon slots had been allocated. With the team in line to earn the maximum three slots, this created a problem. One of Vincent Luis, the 2019 and 2020 world champion, and Leo Bergere, the 2022 world champion, would have to…

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Thorn Upsets Luis To Claim Maiden World Cup Win In Lievin

Benjamin Eastman

Four French men lined up in the final of the Lievin World Cup with the thunderous home support ringing in their ears. Aurelien Jem had impressed in his semi-final earlier in the evening while Antoine Duval started having won a European Cup last autumn. Leo Fernandez, the 2022 European Junior champion, brought a touch of youth the the home finalists. And then there was the hero. The biggest cheer of the evening had been reserved for Vincent Luis as he walked out to the final. A winner of the Lievin…

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Lindemann Times Sprint To Perfection To Win Lievin World Cup

Benjamin Eastman

After a hectic day of racing through qualifiers, repechages and semi-finals, twelve women took to the start line in the final of the inaugural Lievin World Cup. Any lingering weariness from the earlier rounds, though, was swiftly set aside as the athletes tore into the race. Zuzana Michalickova made the most of the 150m (25m pool) swim. The Slovakian athlete powered into a considerable lead in no time at all. She would officially lead out in 1:43, although her actual swim time was closer to 1:35 (the timing split was…

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First Look at the Chengdu World Cup 2024 Start Lists

Benjamin Eastman

In a shift from its autumn slot in 2023, the Chengdu World Cup will take place next month in April. Upon taking a first glance at the start lists, it soon becomes clear that the event has a very similar story to the Wollongong World Cup a week prior. Plenty of athletes will be racing with Olympic qualification in mind and points-hunting will be at a premium. Given the turnaround between Wollongong and Chengdu, it makes sense that much of the field is the same. However, the same outcome might…

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How the 2024 French Junior Tests stack up against history

Benjamin Eastman

At the latest instalment of the French Junior test weekend in Cannes, there were a number of superlative performances. World Junior Championships medallist Manon Laporte dominated the women’s competition to win by over a minute. Meanwhile, Martin Hubner triumphed in the men’s test on the back of a storming 14:24 5000m run. The question to ask is how does this latest cohort compare to those that came before. In this respect, the current batch of Junior athletes are against some of the biggest names in the sport. Four of the…

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Laporte and Hubner Light Up 2024 French Junior Tests

Benjamin Eastman

While the stars of the red carpet often draw attention in Cannes, at the weekend the potential future stars of triathlon were on display in the south of France as the French Junior tests returned. The test itself consisted of three parts. The first stage was an 800m swim (long course). This was followed on the Saturday afternoon with a 3.6km bike test in a time trial format. The weekend then concluded on the Sunday with a 5000m run on the track. The order changed slightly from the 2023 test…

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Taylor-Brown the favourite in Lievin as Spivey drops out

Benjamin Eastman

A last minute withdrawal has changed the complexion of the Lievin World Cup before it has even begun. Taylor Spivey, who was due to wear number one at the French race, has pulled out of the event and no longer appears on the start list. As a double WTCS medallist last season, Spivey would likely have been in contention for the win this weekend. Moreover, she is currently deep in the hunt for a spot on the American Olympic team and a positive performance would have done her prospects no…

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Vincent Luis Eyeing a Statement World Cup Win in Lievin

Benjamin Eastman

As the first ever indoor World Cup, Lievin will be a step into the unknown for the athletes racing this weekend. However, one athlete will start in the men’s field with an advantage over his rivals. Vincent Luis won the event when it was a European Cup back in 2022. As such, he has invaluable experience to fall back upon. An injury-hit 2023 season prevented him from showing his top form. However, it should not be forgotten that he finished 4th at WTCS Abu Dhabi last year and won WTCS…

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