Two rounds into the 2023 WTCS, there have been a number of amazing performances. Several athletes have made tremendous leaps forward across WTCS Abu Dhabi and WTCS Yokohama while others have maintained previous levels of excellence.
In the women’s Series, Beth Potter and Sophie Coldwell have taken their first WTCS wins. In both cases, the victories came after shows of strength across all three disciplines.
Meanwhile Alex Yee was imperious in Abu Dhabi as he cruised to his first win of the season. At the same race, Hayden Wilde impressed with his tenacity and then did so again with a brilliant display in Yokohama.
It is not only about wins, though.
Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal surprised a lot of people in Yokohama on her way to a maiden silver medal. After dangling towards the back of the breakaway group over the first lap of the run, Tapia zoomed through the field in dramatic fashion.
Similarly Vasco Vilaca has been great at both races this season. It is hard to say which of Abu Dhabi and Yokohama were his better showing; either way, he now leads the men’s Series.
Coldwell finds herself in a comparable boat. After all, her performance in Abu Dhabi somehow might have been even better than her win in Yokohama. After leading the swim, recovering from a penalty in T1, driving the breakaway on the bike and then catching Potter after her first run surge to set up a grandstand finish, Abu Dhabi was a barnstorming display. By contrast, Coldwell’s win in Yokohama was that bit more controlled.
Gold usually beats silver in terms of value, but when it comes to dramatic effect Coldwell’s days in Abu Dhabi and Yokohama are closer than they would seem on paper.
“Impressive”, though, is an entirely subject term and there is no real metric for it.
In the below poll, you can select the athlete that has impressed you the most so far in the WTCS. Because of the likes of Vilaca and Coldwell, you don’t have to select the race itself.
If there is someone that you feel should be listed in the above poll but isn’t, feel free to mention their name below.
