On the single most tumultuous day of the 2023 triathlon season, Vasco Vilaca’s hopes came crashing down before him. An illness prior to the race combined with the sensational performances of others saw him slip from a place on the final podium to 4th overall.
Despite the late disappointment, the brilliance of Vilaca’s season should not be overlooked.
He was one of three men to win four WTCS medals in 2023 and has established himself as one of the very best triathletes in the world. This weekend, at the Rome World Cup, he has a shot to reassert himself after his off-day in Pontevedra.
Across his quartet of WTCS medals, Vilaca has shown himself to be a tremendously skilled racer. His cycling is an obvious point of strength, but his swim has also become a much more prominent asset.
His run, though, has proven to be a real weapon this year. From out-sprinting Alex Yee at WTCS Hamburg to out-sprinting Dorian Coninx and Pierre Le Corre at the Paris Test Event, if Vilaca has a sniff of the line, he is hard to stop.
All things said, Vilaca will be the favourite when he steps upon the start line in Rome. As befitting the location, though, he will have a veritable cast of gladiators looking to bring him down in the Roman theatre.
Csongor Lehmann is coming off a brilliant WTCS season in which he took 10th place overall. He has been a consistent face throughout and is getting ever-closer to a maiden WTCS medal. Having won the Tiszaujvaros World Cup in stylish fashion back in July, he also has form at the World Cup level and over the Sprint distance.
Similarly, David Castro Fajardo, the European champion, won the Huatulco World Cup and is always a threat over the Sprint distance. His compatriot, David Cantero del Campo, also presents a major challenge.
Cantero won the Valencia World Cup and added a silver medal at the Tangier World Cup last weekend. Despite being one of the youngest men in the field, Cantero is already a proven contender and the owner of a truly lethal run.
Simon Henseleit, the newly-crowned World U23 champion, will be racing. Making his first start since his Pontevedra triumph, Henseleit will look to assert himself towards the front of the race and has the ability to make a big impact.
The silver and bronze medallists behind Henseleit in Pontevedra, Baptiste Passemard and Mitch Kolkman, will also be racing and could figure. So too could Gergely Kiss, the World U23 silver medallist from 2022.
Although there are numerous U23 threats in the field, the more experienced faces may be more trustworthy when it comes to troubling Vilaca.
Vetle Bergsvik Thorn claimed a bronze medal in Tangier after a rocky race build-up. Having mixed it across a variety of Bundesliga formats, he should be capable of matching Vilaca across a range of scenarios.
The two Lasses will also be contenders. Lasse Nygaard Priester took home medals from Weihai and Valencia and then ripped an impressive run split at the WTCS Final. In turn, Lasse Lührs finished 5th in Pontevedra to book his German Olympic place. With the weight of Olympic qualification lifted, look for Lührs to cut loose in Rome.
Looking further down the start list, there are two more interesting names.
Jason West has snuck on as the last man on the start list to make his short distance return. He was originally slated to make his comeback at the Brasilia World Cup but now will be racing a week earlier.
One of the most fascinating names, though, will be Zalán Hóbor. The Hungarian Junior will be making his World Cup debut and is a big talent. He claimed European Junior Cup gold in 2023 and was a major driver in the breakaway at the World Junior Championships.
He will likely try to push the pace in the swim and escape on the bike. It will be a challenge and he may fade on the run given the intensity of the World Cup level, but Hóbor could add a dash of excitement to the racing.
Across the board, then, there are plenty of challengers to Vilaca and all will take their swing at him. By the time the race is over, will he be the last man standing?
TriStats Predictions
- Vasco Vilaca
- David Cantero del Campo
- Vetle Bergsvik Thorn
- Lasse Nygaard Priester
- Csongor Lehmann
