After a simply dominant performance at the Asian Games, there was only one man that could really be named the Asian Male Triathlete of the Year. Given the same athlete was the continent’s top performer in the WTCS and the only individual from the region to log a top-10 finish in the Series, his case was close to inarguable.
Kenji Nener (JPN)
At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Kenji Nener was on a different level. He dropped one of the best bike rides of season to build a 3 minute advantage over the field. If it had been baseball, the Mercy rule surely would have been called into effect before the run.
While his Asian Games gold medal was the high point of his season, Nener also impressed in the WTCS. He ended up 15th overall in the Series and was the only Asian man to make it into the top-40. He earned two top-10 finishes with a 9th place in Cagliari and a 10th place in Montreal; the latter was also particularly memorable also it vanquished previous memories of federation rejection in the city.
He also finished 11th at his home WTCS race in Yokohama and added a 15th place in Sunderland. He thus made it into the top-15 of a WTCS race on four occasitions while no other Asian man did so once in 2023.
Having earned continental supremacy at the Asian Games and at the WTCS level, then, Nener was a cut above his regional rivals.
Honourable Mentions
Makoto Odakura won the silver medal behind Nener at the Asian Games and also earned a silver medal at the Weihai World Cup. Furthermore he claimed a top-5 finish at the Chengdu World Cup (taking 5th place). In doing so, he elevated himself to 26th in the world rankings and stands as the second highest ranked Asian man. However, he did not quite match Nener’s level in the WTCS. As a previous top-10 finisher (such as at WTCS Yokohama in 2022), though, Odakura could hit similar highs next season.
Ayan Beisenbayev became the Asian champion over the Sprint distance with a classy performance in Saudi Arabia. To go with that, he claimed the bronze medal at the Asian Games and took Continental Cup wins in Maselspoort and Samarkand. Notably, his win at the former made him the only Asian man to win a race outside of Asia in 2023.
Takumi Hojo was the only male World Cup winner from Asia this season. He won in Yeongdo with an outstanding performance. He also ended the year ranked 47th overall in the WTCS, making him the second best Asian man, after logging top-20 finishes in Yokohama (19th) and Paris (20th).
Japan were clearly the preeminent force in Asian triathlon in 2023. As things stand Nener will be in the box-seat to book the first slot on the Japanese Olympic team next summer. With the likes of Odakura, Hojo and more in pursuit, though, his status as the leading man on the continent could soon come under challenge.
