The 2022 season saw a number of great performances however one thing that stood out was the range and diversity of the medallists.
13 different women and 16 men won at least one medal, representing one of the deepest seasons on record. On some level, this is indicative of the growth of the sport as it matures.
The Women
Georgia Taylor-Brown led the way in the women’s WTCS with 6 medals from 6 starts. Taylor-Brown had a frankly astonishing season with a worst result of 2nd place and was the only athlete to medal at every race they started at.
Meanwhile, world champion Flora Duffy won 5 medals. A 7th place in Leeds ultimately cost her a similar perfect record of medalling at every race however she took the most wins in either the men’s or women’s Series with 4 golds.
Beth Potter capped off a breakthrough season in which she won her first ever WTCS medal by going on to win 3 in total. While Potter had the most starts of all of the female multi-medallists, she was one of two women (alongside Taylor-Brown) to medal over all three distances contested in the season.
After a resounding win in Leeds, it seemed like Cassandre Beaugrand would be a threat to the Series title. Although her challenge ultimately did not come together, she has shown that she will be an even greater threat going forward.
Sophie Coldwell and Taylor Knibb each also had strong seasons and came away with 2 medals. Knibb actually had one of the best medal rates of any athlete as she won medals at 40% of her races.
The Men
After winning the most medals of any male athlete in the 2022 WTCS, it is fair to say that Leo Bergere is a well-deserved world champion. He is also the only athlete in the entire WTCS to have the distinction of medalling in the first and last races of the season.
Hayden Wilde won 4 medals in a breakout 2022. While he did not win the world title, it must be remembered that 12 months ago he had not won a WTCS medal so the progress he has made has to be recognised.
Alex Yee was actually the best male performer in terms of races won. Funnily enough, gold was the only colour of medal he actually took all season. His crash in Leeds appears to have been costly in the bigger picture, especially considering his form at the time. However there are a multitude of counterfactuals that could be presented throughout the season that may or may not have altered the final outcome.
One quirk of the seasons of Jelle Geens and Vincent Luis is that all of their collective medals came in the month of November. With a bit more luck in the summer, particularly after the trouble Luis has had with injuries, both could be threats to the overall title next season.
What lessons can be taken from this season’s medallists?
Anyone looking to win the world title in 2023 will probably have to win either 5 medals across the season or win 4 races. There is so much competition right now that 3 or 4 medals likely will not be enough. Even then, as Taylor-Brown showed, 6 medals was not enough in the end. Wins are the key to the Series and with that in mind, 2023 promises to be absolute carnage.
