After a hectic year of racing, we can all now breathe and enjoy Christmas. With no racing to report on, we decided to entertain a hypothetical race of our own. Namely, who would win in an Intercontinental Mixed Team Relay?
To come up with the teams, we have separated athletes using World Triathlon’s continental rankings and followed their categories. For that reason, North America and Latin America are combined as Americas which gives five teams in total: Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania and Europe.
The obvious starting point is Europe. Europe is home to some of the best triathletes in the world and has a well-established heritage in the sport. It can call upon Olympic gold medallist Kristian Blummenfelt, as well as Olympic silver medallists Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown. The one aside on Blummenfelt is that given how little racing at the Olympic distance and below he has done this year. Given that, he might not currently be an automatic pick for such a Mixed Relay. Yee and Taylor-Brown, on the other hand, would be automatic picks from practically any team.
Europe also brings 2022 World Champion Leo Bergere to the party as well as WTCS gold medallists to the table through Jelle Geens, Dorian Coninx, Cassandre Beaugrand and Laura Lindemann. Meanwhile, from the 2022 season it also has medallists in Beth Potter, Sophie Coldwell and Lisa Tertsch. Altogether, that list alone presents a formidable range of athletes.
When we turn to the Americas, we see a similar array of talent. For starters, the team would be able to call upon Olympic and current World Champion Flora Duffy. It also has 2019 World Champion Katie Zaferes in its ranks, who is currently returning having given birth. Much like Blummenfelt, Zaferes would not necessarily be in a team right now, but could be in one going forward.
Notwithstanding Zaferes, the Americas can also call upon WTCS winner Taylor Knibb and multi-medallist Taylor Spivey – the most popular Taylors to emerge from the USA since Taylor Swift. With Knibb’s cycling prowess, she could potentially blow any relay wide open with a big split. Throw in Summer Rappaport and the Americas has the depth to match the European women.
The men’s side for the Americas is also exceptional. Morgan Pearson has WTCS medals to his name and after his 2022 comeback in Abu Dhabi would be a key part of any relay. The highest ranked Americas man right now, though, is World Cup winner Manoel Messias. After taking his first WTCS medal in Cagliari this year, adding Messias to the team with Pearson would provide a strong double punch
Add the running speed of Matthew McElroy, also a WTCS medallist and rising Brazilian Miguel Hidalgo and the options abound.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Africa’s depth has been hurt by Richard Murray’s transition to the Netherlands and Henri Schoeman’s injury problems. That being said, Schoeman managed to finally overcome his bad luck and performed well at the WTCS Final in Abu Dhabi. As an Olympic medallist and multiple WTCS medallist, a fit Schoeman would add a lot. Moreover, Africa could call upon WTCS medallist Jawad Abdelmoula and the talented Jamie Riddle.
The African women are a little weaker and would be represented by Shanae Williams and Simone Ackermann with Hannah Newman in reserve.
Asia has a similar story with strong men like Kenji Nener, Takumi Hojo, Makoto Odakura and Ren Sato to choose from. On the women’s side, Yuko Takahashi would be an automatic pick and would probably be selected alongside Ekaterina Shabalina of Kazhakstan. In reserve, Asia could call upon the talented youngster Sarika Nakayama or the experienced Yuka Sato.
Last, and by no means least, we come to Oceania. Again, there is some real strength on the men’s side with WTCS medallists Hayden Wilde, Matthew Hauser and Jacob Birtwhistle to choose from.
Nicole Van Der Kaay and Natalie Van Coevorden are WTCS medallists, making up for Ashleigh Gentle’s retirement from the Olympic distance, while Charlotte McShane and Ainsley Thorpe represent good options.
With all that said, this is what the imaginary teams could look like:
Europe
Leo Bergere, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Alex Yee, Cassandre Beaugrand
Americas
Manoel Messias, Flora Duffy, Morgan Pearson, Taylor Knibb
Oceania
Matthew Hauser, Natalie Van Coevorden, Hayden Wilde, Nicole Van Der Kaay
Africa
Henri Schoeman, Shanae Williams, Jawad Abdelmoula, Simone Ackermann
Asia
Kenji Nener, Yuko Takahashi, Takumi Hojo, Ekaterina Shabalina
We’ve tried to give more of a nod to recent form and the current rankings but its clear a lot of the teams are spoilt for choice.
Given these teams, Europe would likely go in as the favourites, but only just. Oceania and the Americas would be close behind and hard to separate.
Oceania maybe don’t quite have the same firepower on the women’s side as their European and Americas counterparts while the European men are possibly the point of separation from the Americas. The combination of the Americas women with the Oceania men would be a different ball-game altogether.
Africa and Asia have not quite developed the top-end depth to compete in this fictitious intercontinental relay but there are promising signs for both.
Comment below if you would have constructed your line-ups any differently and who you would think would take the win if the continents went head-to-head.
