Two 2023 World Cup medallists turned back the clock at the weekend and returned to their pre-triathlon sports.
Morgan Pearson, the winner of the Karlovy Vary World Cup, plumped for some racing on the track indoors over training outdoors in the cold. A runner in the days before becoming a triathlete, he dusted off his spikes and toed the start line at the Potts Invitational in Colorado.
It was a rare deviation in training from the zone 2 guru. Pearson nonetheless put up some head-turning performances.
He took on the mile (1600m) and the 3000m, clocking 4:07.52 to win the former and 8:13.3 to claim the silver medal in the latter. Considering that the racing was at 5,300 feet of altitude, they represented very solid performances for winter training.
In the coming days, Pearson will also be representing his sport at the American Cross Country Championships. Should his results at the Potts Invitational be anything to go by, he may just bring home some bragging rights for the American triathlon community.
Looking more broadly, Pearson has already qualified for the American Olympic team this summer. As a multiple WTCS medallist, he will hope his winter training propels him back to his top form and into contention for an individual medal.
Further afield, Jolien Vermeylen was back in the pool. A former elite swimmer, the Belgian athlete notched a couple of good times in the 200 individual medley (2:21) and the 400 freestyle (4:23). Both events were contested in short course metres (25m).
Vermeylen was off her best times of 2:15.32 and 4:18.17, respectively. However, her results would be the envy of plenty of athletes in the WTCS scene. Last year, Vermeylen ripped a 9:13 800m freestyle (long course, 50m) before embarking upon a chaotic season that saw her claim numerous medals and rise to become the leading Belgian woman in the Olympic qualification rankings.
With plenty of time left before the triathlon season gets underway, look out for further escapades by athletes looking to sharpen up before the last push for Olympic qualification begins.
