After a blockbuster weekend of racing in Pontevedra, there were a number of stories to track across the WTCS Final and World U23 Championships.
Kate Waugh’s breakthrough medal captured plenty of attention. Hayden Wilde’s unlucky penalty also caught the eye. When it came to the racing itself, the spectacular finish to the men’s race was something to behold. Meanwhile, Beth Potter’s victory in the women’s race was an exercise of total control.
With so much going on, it would be easy for some of the narratives to slip between the cracks. Read on to find out some of the stories you might have missed from the action in Pontevedra.
See you next year
At the end of 2022, Tom Richard was not selected to race for France at the WTCS Final after logging three top-10 finishes in the Series. This time, he got his chance in Pontevedra. And he did not let it slip.
Richard finished 12th in the men’s WTCS Final with a strong all-round display. Crucially, his result should lock in his right to start in the WTCS in 2024.
Under the French system, an athlete can start in the WTCS if they are in levels 1, 2 or 3. To meet the level 3 criteria, Richard needed a top-12 at the WTCS Final. However, he had already technically achieved the level 3 criteria separately with his 7th place at WTCS Sunderland. Either way, his Pontevedra showing should all but guarantee his return next year.
Moreover, a second French athlete should be in line to appear in next year’s Series. After winning the silver medal at the men’s World U23 Championships, Baptiste Passemard also fulfilled the level 3 criteria (from the U23 perspective). He required a medal to earn the right to race in the WTCS and he did just that.
Oh how the turntables
Leo Bergere has enjoyed a fantastic season. He won multiple WTCS medals and was a consistent force in the Series, finishing 3rd in the overall standings. Yet he faces an awkward situation.
Having ended 2022 as the world champion, he ends 2023 looking in from the outside with two of the three French Olympic slots taken. Dorian Coninx secured his Olympic place in Paris while Pierre Le Corre added his name in Paris. Both will have to confirm their fitness under the French criteria ahead of the Olympic Games, but both should toe the start line.
That leaves Bergere in a straight shoot-out with Vincent Luis for the third and final slot. It will be world champion against world champion and an exceptional athlete will have to miss out.
Bergere was in the mix for a medal in both Paris and Pontevedra yet just missed out. Having started the season as the provisional favourite to qualify, he will now have a fight on his hands.
Alvarez does it again
Yes, we are bringing it up again. Anahi Alvarez Corral is a ridiculously fast runner.
At the women’s World U23 Championships, Alvarez clocked the fastest run split of the women’s race in 33:13. The next fastest woman was Maria Tomé in 34:57 while the gold medallist Selina Klamt clocked 34:59. Compared the to gold and silver medallists, Alvarez was in a different galaxy.
Furthermore, Alvarez did not simply produce the best split of her race. She produced the best women’s split of any race. She out-ran every single woman in the WTCS Final, including the world champion Beth Potter.
Potter managed a time of 33:26 for the 10km. Of course, a case could be made that Potter slowed up a little at the end. That did not necessarily appear to be the case but either way, Potter was also racing for the world title and had the greater reason to dig deep into her reserves. By contrast, Alvarez was running for a place in the top-20 after shipping several minutes across the swim and bike. The incentives do not really compare.
Having out-split almost the entire WTCS Final in 2022, Alvarez completed the feat in 2023. Given time, her swim and bike will come around. When they do, the young Mexican athlete will be worth keeping an eye on.
Bitados caps off debut season with bang
Panagiotis Bitados has had quite a year. He has gone from essentially nowhere internationally to 4th place at the World U23 Championships. Indeed, the Greek athlete has been a revelation.
Prior to 2023, he primarily competed in off-road triathlon on the Xterra circuit. In March of this year, he made his international debut at the Nelson Mandela Bay African Cup in March, where he won a silver medal.
He won two further African Cup silver medals in May before finishing 5th at the European Games. A World Cup debut in Tiszaujvaros followed.
In September, he did not finish at the Valencia World Cup and finished 11th in Karlovy Vary. Then came Pontevedra.
Beyond his high finish, the most noteworthy aspect of his 4th place was that he was the youngest man to make the top-10. He was the only athlete born in 2003 to do so and is only in his first year in the U23 ranks. With plenty of time ahead to continue his rapid rise, a bright future should await Bitados.
Beaugrand’s French first
While it was not the outcome she had hoped for in Pontevedra, Cassandre Beaugrand nevertheless became the first French woman to step onto the final WTCS podium.
Finishing 19 seconds later, Emma Lombardi became the second woman to achieve the feat.
Beaugrand has had a tremendous year, as has Lombardi. There is no shame in being beaten by an athlete as formidable as Potter. Moreover, to have Beaugrand and Lombardi on the overall podium, as well as Coninx and Bergere on the overall men’s podium, will give France great encouragement ahead of next year’s Olympic Games.
She might not have won the world title this time, but Cassandre Beaugrand still made her own piece of history.
Le Corre is le consistent
Alongside Dorian Coninx, Pierre Le Corre was the only athlete in the WTCS to finish in the top-5 of each race he contested. Moreover, he had the highest average finish of the men’s field.
Having finished 5th, 1st, 4th and 3rd, Le Corre had an average finish of 3.25. With finishes of 5th, 4th, 4th, 3rd and 1st, Coninx had an average finish of 3.4.
For reference, Beth Potter had the best average finish in the women’s field of 2nd. That includes her 6th place in Cagliari which did not count towards her final total. Taking only her five scoring events (as Coninx’s and Le Corre’s averages only included scoring races), her average drops to 1.2.
Taylor Knibb also came close to finishing in the top-5 in each of her races. She finished 3rd, 5th and 6th in her three appearances.
When it came to the men’s field, though, Le Corre took the biscuit as the most consistent man. With only four results to his name, he still finished 6th overall. Had he logged one more appearance (and maintained his exceptional level), could have made it onto the overall podium. Maybe he could have even challenged Coninx for the title.
That, however, is a discussion for another day.
Thorn beats Blummenfelt
Vetle Bergsvik Thorn capped an impressive season with a 13th place at the WTCS Final. Most significantly, he beat his esteemed teammate, Kristian Blummenfelt, who finished 18th.
Thorn, the European Games champion, can therefore take a boost in 2024 as he seeks to become Norway’s leading man. Earlier in the year, he said that he had no qualms with competing with and beating his famous compatriots and that he believed he could do so. By ending 2023 with a win over Blummenfelt, he has sat himself up nicely to do it again next season.
Norway will also take heart from Sebastian Wernersen finished 11th at the World U23 Championships. A new wave of talent is coming through and the country will hopefully be able to build on its recent success.
The German talent factory
Simon Henseleit won the men’s title at the World U23 Championships and Selina Klamt won the women’s race.
Tim Hellwig claimed the silver medal at the WTCS Final while Lisa Tertsch added a 4th place.
Throw in Lasse Lührs’ 5th place, which (like Tertsch) earned him an Olympic slot, and Germany can be immensely satisfied with their weekend in Pontevedra.
In total, five German athletes have now secured their places on the Olympic team. Of course, some countries have stricter criteria, such as France and Britain. Nevertheless, if all countries had employed Germany’s top-8 criteria in Paris and Pontevedra, only France would have also qualified have five athletes for the Olympic Games.
As it happens, France would have sent three men and two women as opposed to Germany’s three women and two men.
This speaks to a burgeoning depth within the German team. That depth has also been on display in the relay. Germany won World Mixed Team Relay Championships gold in Hamburg and then won the relay at the Paris Test Event.
With exciting prospects like Henseleit and Klamt coming through, among others, the good times are in full swing for German triathlon.
