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, with each break and sprint finish accompanied by a crescendo of decibels. Having the bike and run course share the same track also pressed the athletes close to the fans and really enhanced the interplay between spectator and participant. When it comes to constructing the visuals of an elite sporting event, it should not be forgotten that the fans are arguably as important as the athletes themselves. It is only through the excitement and passion of those watching that the gravity of the event can truly be conveyed and, in this respect, the Lievin World Cup ticked all the boxes.
Whereas plenty of World Cups and WTCS races take place against a backdrop of sparse roads, Lievin showed both visually and audibly how the fans enhance the product.
When it comes to the racing itself, there are two places in which the event could improve further.
The bike section could be a touch shorter to encourage breaks and to give a greater pay off to fast swims. This does not have to be a massive change; perhaps a 13 lap (2.6km) course would be better than the 15 lap (3km) version. It would not provide as clean a number but it would dangle the carrot of staying clear a little more and incentivise risk-taking strategically in the second discipline.
Alternatively, slicing a lap from the run (turning it into an 800m race) could also be worth investigating. Ultimately, the bike should be a race itself and not merely a precursor to the run.
Another helpful addition would be using touch pads in the pool to give some actual split times. All of the swim splits from Lievin came a few seconds after the athletes had finished and did not fully capture what they had managed in the pool. Moreover, for the data-driven among the athletes, coaches and observers, being able to see how different pacing strategies played out in the water would have been of interest.
All in all, though, Lievin enjoyed a very positive introduction to the World Cup scene.
Where are the women?
Beyond the format itself, one aspect that gave pause for thought was how few women competed. Only 38 women took to the start line in Lievin. By comparison, 58 athletes started in the men’s event, with two further athletes logging a DNS. Moreover, if you take out the German team alone, there were less than 30 women racing.
When the field has that many empty slots – and one team represents almost a quarter of the field – something is awry.
Whether it was due to the format, the lack of Olympic rankings points on offer, the timing in the year, or something more structural, the cause behind the small women’s start list should be looked into.
This is also not the first time this has happened in 2024. Only 40 women raced at the Napier World Cup, of which 20% of which were from the home New Zealand team (although, the men’s field was also rather small at 41 starters). While there were 56 female starters in Hong Kong, which was much more encouraging, the start lists in Wollongong and Chengdu in April do not inspire much confidence in terms of size.
Whatever it is, the women’s World Cup start lists are becoming a problem that needs addressing.
Jorgensen doesn’t advance her case
One woman that was in Lievin was Gwen Jorgensen. On paper, the shortened format seemed a perfect chance for her to advance her Mixed Team Relay credentials vis-à-vis the American Olympic team and on paper she almost did everything right. She had the quickest run of the final (in 3:01) and earned the bronze medal behind Laura Lindemann and Georgia Taylor-Brown, both of whom can be reasonably described as the benchmark for world-class status in the women’s field.
Why, then, do we suggest that she did not enhance her Olympic case?
The primary issue is that Lievin did not show any progress in Jorgensen’s skillset from the 2023 season. Aspects of her swim, bike and transitions left something to be desired. For example, she spent much of the bike in the final dangling off the back of the group and she lost time and position in both T1 and T2.
Transitions have been an issue since Jorgensen’s return and were never really a point of strength in her original stint in the sport. Where she had some leeway this time last year, though, less exists now. Indeed, it is a weakness that arguably should have been patched by this point.
Far from enhancing her Olympic relay credentials, then, Jorgensen reiterated what we already knew in Lievin. At this stage in the Olympic race, not moving forward is almost akin to going backwards.
To change that outlook, Jorgensen may be better served by going head-to-head against her domestic rivals more often. In light of how Lievin went down, not racing Katie Zaferes, Kirsten Kasper and Summer Rappaport in Hong Kong feels like a missed opportunity. So long as her racing remains the same over the coming months, she may have to start beating her rivals sooner rather than later.
Leo Fernandez
On the other end of the experience spectrum, Leo Fernandez showed some encouraging signs as he made the final in the men’s event.
The European junior champion in 2022, Fernandez even led the run early on in the final before fading to 6th behind a collection of WTCS medallists and World Cup winners. It was a bold approach to the biggest race of his career so far (being his World Cup debut).
Moreover, he earned only his third top-10 finish at the Senior level (after finishing 8th at an African Cup in 2022 and 7th at a European Cup in 2023). Last season was a slightly quiet one for Fernandez after his high point in 2022, but Lievin showed that he will certainly be worth persevering with over the long term.
Securing starting rights in the French team can be tricky, but considering the quality of the field and his finish, Fernandez should get further opportunities at the World Cup level going forwards. If he builds upon his promising start, he could produce some big performances.
Holland’s week to forget
Vicky Holland did not have a fun week.
It started with a less than optimal experience at the Hong Kong World Cup which hinged around the issue of water. In the swim, she struggled with the pontoon (after the race she called the swim exit not fit for purpose on social media), and fell three times before making it to her feet. Losing time at the exit put her in the chase pack where she led for practically the entire 20km. Despite shouldering the bulk of the work, she was nonetheless able to drop the fastest run of the day.
However, the water proved a greater problem still as Holland fell ill. She therefore travelled home sick and was unsure if she would even start in Lievin.
In the end, she opted to start yet further misfortune lay ahead. Holland was disqualified in her qualifier for failing to serve a penalty. In the space of seven days, then, she could report two World Cups, one DQ and one bout of sickness. Lievin thus capped a week that Holland will look to forget.
Stornes’ breakthrough
Since powering to an upset win at WTCS Bermuda in 2018, it has been an up and down ride for Casper Stornes. He continued to impress in 2019; for example he won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Test Event. However, the pandemic hit and his momentum slowed.
He got shuffled to the side in 2021 as his compatriots Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden commanded the spotlight. While Stornes managed to finish 11th at the Olympic Games, that was a little lost as Blummenfelt took the gold and Iden made the top-10.
Then, in 2022, injury trouble struck. An ill-fated trip to the Arzachena World Cup (where Stornes would DNF) set his season back and then he had to rebuild. Last season, he showed signs of progress, although many of his best performances came as part of the Norwegian relay (such as claiming European Games gold) rather than in an individual capacity.
In Lievin, though, Stornes made a new breakthrough as he earned a maiden World Cup medal. There were echoes of 2021 as another rising teammate, Vetle Bergsvik Thorn, won the gold. Nevertheless, after prolonged injury issues, Stornes showed signs that he may be recapturing his best form. A return to the sharp end of WTCS races may therefore be around the corner.
