While the Para-triathlon season has officially started, the road to the Paris Olympic Games will get going this weekend.
Three Continental Cups on three continents will launch the 2024 season as a wave of athletes strive to enjoy their best campaigns yet. For some, that will mean qualifying for the Olympic Games. For others, it might mean making a WTCS debut or winning a medal at a Continental Championship, World Cup, or Continental Cup.
Originally, four Continental Cups were scheduled for this weekend however the Asia Cup in Port Blair was cancelled. Nevertheless, there will be plenty of story lines to watch.
At the Oceania Cup in Wanaka, a strong men’s home team will look to lay an early marker in the season. Dylan McCullough is currently in with a great chance of qualifying for the Olympics but will need to hold off countrymen Trent Thorpe, Saxon Morgan, Janus Staufenberg, and more.
A potential future teammate of the New Zealand squad will also start in the men’s race. Jett Lee Curteis will be racing under the World Triathlon colours. Born in 2005, Curteis won the Pacific Islands Championships on his international debut and is now in the process of switching his sporting nationality from Samoa to New Zealand. His switch was confirmed at the end of January and he will race for World Triathlon for the next year.
Lachlan Jones will lead a young Australian contingent in Wanaka while Samuele Angelini, the Italian champion, and Alessio Crociani, a World Cup medallist, will no doubt push for the podium.
Itamar Eshed and Donald Hillebregt are two others two keep an eye on from further afield.
In the women’s race, Brea Roderick, an African Cup winner last year, will be one to watch on the home team while Emma Jeffcoat leads the Australian women. Valerie Barthelemy will be in the mix for the win and will be joined by Hanne De Vet in the Belgian colours.
Beatrice Mallozzi, Ilaria Zane and Sharon Spimi will also start for Italy. After winning World Cup medals last season, Zane will wear number 1. Manami Iijima will look to look up the Oceania New Flag slot for Guam with another podium finish.
Looking over to South America, the Americas Cup in La Guiara will launch the season in Venezuela.
Rodrigo Gonzalez will look to claim the victory after winning the corresponding race last season. From the home team, Luis Miguel Velasquez Ramos will be one to watch while Felix Duchampt and Vitali Vorontsov are two European contenders to track. Koki Yamamoto will lead the Japanese contingent.
Ramon Armando Matute and Juan Jose Andrade Figueroa of Ecuador will also push for the win and have enjoyed recent success at Americas Cup races. Both will have to close the gap to Matthew Wright of Barbados in the Americas New Flag race.
In the women’s race, Romina Biagioli will be favoured to do well. Biagioli is currently in line to claim the Americas New Flag slot at the Paris Olympics and a big performance could seal her place.
Similarly, Ivana Kuriackova is in the same boat in the European New Flag race and will hope a win in La Guaira can boost her points total in the world rankings.
However, both Biagioli and Kuriackova will have to get past Emy Legault, Sinem Francisca Tous Servera and the evergreen Juri Ide. The experienced Elizabeth Bravo will also be a threat while, on the other end of the spectrum, the reigning South American Junior champion, Dominga Elena Jacome Espinoza, could also be one to watch.
After earning a pair of African Cup wins at the end of 2023, Roksana Slupek likewise cannot be ignored. The Polish athlete enters 2024 on the back of great form and could add yet another gold medal to her collection.
The third and final Continental Cup will take place in Troutbeck, Zimbabwe. Richard Murray was originally slated to race however he pulled out after originally being only male entrant.
In his absence, Ayan Beisenbayev and Jean Gael Laurent L`entete will look to fight out the win. Both are hunting the respective Asian and African New Flag slots and every point will count.
In the women’s race, Kahina Mebarki has a challenge on her hands to overhaul her South African rivals in the African New Flag race. A win in Troutbeck, though, could swing the race in her favour.
Around the world, then, the final stretch to the Paris Olympic Games will begin and this weekend will promise plenty of action.
