The European Championships over the Super Sprint distance will be taking place in Balikesir, Turkey, this weekend.
Over two days, the athletes will take on a semi-final and a final to award the second European crown of the season. After the Olympic distance affair ended up as a duathlon, the organisers in Balikesir will be hoping for a smoother weekend.
An additional layer will shape the racing as the Senior and U23 field will compete together although the latter will have a separate classification after the race. Athletes born in 2000 or later can therefore claim the Senior title; if they fall short they can nonetheless earn success in the U23 ranks.
In this preview, the focus will be on the Senior field. At the same time, there are several U23 men that will be mentioned as candidates that could medal in either event.
Perhaps the favourite going into the race is Lasse Nygaard Priester, the German champion.
With Bundesliga wins in Schliersee and Düsseldorf, Priester has enjoyed a successful season. His best WTCS performance of 2023 remains the 18th place he achieved in Abu Dhabi in March. That being said, he has two top-5 finishes from WTCS Hamburg (2021) and WTCS Leeds (2022) to his name and so has proven himself at the highest level.
With his running speed, Priester will be a tough opponent to overcome.
His compatriot, Jannik Schaufler, will likewise be a challenge. Schaufler finished 6th at the Tiszaujvaros World Cup in which he showed that he could manage his effort well in a multi-round format. On balance, he might not have the same finishing kick as Priester, although as a rising youngster he could be a dark horse.
Richard Murray will be another challenger for the win. Several races 2023 had passed by without going Murray’s way however he rebounded with an impressive 5th place at WTCS Sunderland at the weekend.
A veteran of the sport with world-level medals to spare, he will likely have a few tricks up his sleeve in Balikesir. If he can carry his Sunderland form forward, he will be tough to beat.
Samuele Angelini, the Italian champion, is an interesting prospect heading into the race. He won the European Cup in Kitzbühel, at which he beat Schaufler, and is a superb runner. Yet he is also fairly inexperienced. Angelini did not have the best day at the equivalent competition in 2022 but he is a better athlete this time around.
Alongside Alessio Crociani from the U23 ranks, he may be Italy’s best hope of bringing home a medal.
Fabian Meeusen won a silver medal at the European Cup in Quarteira earlier in the year but has not quite managed to back up that result. On a similar note, Gergely Kiss and Hamish Reilly are reigning medallists from the World U23 Championships although have not quite hit the same highs this season.
Any of those three could pop off in Balikesir.
Like Murray, Ricardo Batista will be racing after a promising performance in Sunderland where he finished 10th. What stood out was how aggressive Batista was on the bike. On the final lap, he was part of the late attack alongside Leo Bergere and Tayler Reid that put a small gap into the main pack.
The Portuguese youngster also won a bronze medal at the New Plymouth World Cup bronze earlier in year. Although injury halted his progress for a few months, he now seems to back in top shape and should push for a spot on the podium this weekend.
On the individual level, Mitch Kolkman has not really had a result that has stood out this year. However, his recent performances in the Mixed Team Relays in Hamburg mark him out as a man to watch.
In both the Senior and U23-Junior relays, Kolkman was one of the best performers. Racing over the Super Sprint this weekend could therefore bring out the best from him.
Furthermore, he claimed 4th place (U23; 9th place Senior) at the European Super Sprint Championships last year which further emphasises his ability over the shorter distance. He may be young, but Kolkman could make a big impression this weekend.
TriStats Predictions
- Lasse Nygaard Priester
- Richard Murray
- Ricardo Batista
- Jannik Schaufler
- Mitch Kolkman
