The European Junior Cup in Caorle, Italy, might just be one of the most intense weekends of the year in triathlon.
More than international medals are on the line. The European slots for this year’s World Junior Championships will be up for grabs. For several countries, such as Germany, how the athletes perform in Caorle will also determine whether they are selected for the World Junior Championships in Hamburg, should they earn the quota places.
Throw in the fact that the Junior Cup will be contested over two days in a heat-final Super Sprint and it promises to be a dramatic affair.
The heats will take place on the Friday with the finals to follow on the Saturday. The athletes will be confronted with a 300m swim, 9.5km bike and a 1.9km run.
With space for up to 120 athletes on the start lists, practically every talented Junior triathlete in Europe will be descending upon Caorle.
Each national federation was at first entitled to send 2 athletes per gender. Following the results of last year’s European Junior Championships, the following countries are entitled to additional places in Caorle.
On the men’s side, France, Britain and Italy may send 4 athletes, while Germany may send 3. On the women’s side, only Britain may send 4 athletes, while France, Belgium and Germany may send 3.
In the event that spaces remained, each federation could increase their athletes until they hit the ceiling of 10.
There are a lot of athletes to keep an eye on. There are too many to be listed here and there is every chance an athlete not mentioned will still go on to win the whole event.
On the men’s side, Pelayo González Turrez won the European Junior Cup in Melilla. He also added a World Junior Duathlon title after a dominant display. Already this year, he has proven to be exceptionally strong on the bike and run. The Super Sprint format could be an ideal distance for him to really exert his power on the bike and strain the field without using too much energy.
On the third discipline, expect González’s compatriot, Hector Tolsa García, to run him close. Tolsa finished 2nd in Melilla and added a 6th place at the European Junior Cup in Quarteira. Similarly, Jesús Vela Vela finished 3rd in Melilla and 8th in Quarteira. Both have the speed on foot to trouble González should they remain in touch out of T2.
Lurking in the pack, though, will be the winner from Quarteira. Thomas Hansmaennel, the reigning World Junior champion, was in imperious form in Portugal. Like González, he will arrive in Caorle with momentum behind him and plenty of confidence.
However, he was beaten by Gaspard Tharreau at the French Junior tests. It is therefore tricky to gauge which of Hansmaennel and Tharraeu will be the likelier man to contend for the win. Given how close together they have been of late, it could take a sprint finish to separate them.
Their countryman Nils Serre Gehri could also be an outsider.
On the note of national tests, the winners of the British and German versions will be racing.
Expect Lawrence Martindale to be towards the front in the swim and a locomotive in the pack on the bike. Jan Pluta of Germany will also be an important figure. He won the German Junior test after performing to a high level in all disciplines. On the other hand, Pluta has yet to make an international start. As such, Caorle could be a baptism of fire given the experience of the likes of González and Hansmaennel.
The Semmler brothers, Jan and Tim, are equally very good all-round talents. With no real weak spot in their arsenal, the German men should therefore figure prominently across all stages of the race. The question will be whether they have the edge at the finish to get over the line first. That may prove more mental than physical and it could be the case that they need a little more international racing to get fully attuned to the level.
With the leading German men all hailing from the Nürnberg training centre, expect them to be prepared to step up.
On the women’s side, Austrian athlete Tabea Huys will be one to watch. She won a European Junior Cup in Bled last year and recently finished 7th in Quarteira. Her strength lies in the first discipline and she will likely be towards the front throughout the swim. It is unlikely that anyone will escape her attention prior to T2. Her main challenge will be whether she can conserve enough energy across the heat and final to be able to execute her final run.
One of the biggest names to watch out for is Ilona Hadhoum of France. Going by the French Junior tests, she is the best France have had on record. With extraordinary speed on the swim and run, Hadhoum will be a threat at both ends of the race.
Manon Laporte will be another athlete to watch from France. Like Huys, she will be among the leaders in the water and will back it up with a strong bike split.
Britain will also be sending a couple of highly promising athletes. Eve Whitaker won the recent British Junior performance assessment. Her running ability should stand her in good stead for the anticipated fast finishes in Caorle.
In addition Bethany Cook recently earned a top-10 at the Americas Cup in St. Peters at which she rubbed shoulders with the likes of Gwen Jorgensen. Such Senior experience can be invaluable. She also has had previous success as a Junior. The British Junior champion in 2022, Cook finished 9th at the World Junior Championships and 7th at the European Junior Championships last year. As an early season favourite to medal in Hamburg, she will look to assert her credentials with a big showing in Caorle.
Carla Martínez González and Alejandra Seguí Soria finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively, at the European Junior Cup in Melilla. The pair will be carrying Spain’s hopes.
Likewise Mirjam Huber, Kjara Reckmann and Marielle Bouchti will be the main Germans to watch after leading the way at Germany’s Junior tests.
Lil Dobi leads the Hungarian team. Last year she won a European Junior Cup in Tiszaujvaros, beating the likes of Cook and Huys. She therefore has all of the ability to contend with the best Juniors when the racing kicks off in Caorle. So far she has not raced internationally in 2023 so it is hard to fully gauge where her form is at. Should she pick up where she left off last year, Dobi could be a very interesting athlete to track.
Sara Crociani and Lena Goller will be flying the flag for Italy. With home support behind them, there is every chance they pull a brilliant performance out of the bag. As an aside, Sara is also the sister of Alessio Crociani.
On the note of talented siblings, Sonja De Koning will be racing for the Netherlands. She is the sister of Barbara De Koning who has several wins at African Cups to her name this year. If Sonja can draw inspiration from Barbara’s form, she could produce something special.
And then there is Margareta Vrablova. With consecutive wins at European Junior Cups this year plus a silver medal in the Senior race at the World Aquathlon Championships, she is probably the pick of the women’s field.
With half a dozen European Junior Cup wins to her name in her young career, she has been nothing short of a phenom. Another win may come but the greater prize will be at the World Junior Championships. After finishing 5th in 2021 and not finishing last year, she has open business with the race. However, while Caorle might only be a stepping stone, she will arrive race-ready. There are plenty of talented women on the start list. Will any of them be able to prevent Vrablova from completing a hat-trick of Junior Cup wins this year?
With all-important finals places up for grabs on the Friday, expect some fast racing in the heats. For some federations, missing the final could be the difference between receiving a Hamburg quota slot and not.
On the Saturday, whoever can keep the coolest head when the race hots up might just be the one to take home the gold.
