The first international triathlon of 2024 took place in Wanaka, New Zealand, yesterday (notwithstanding the Oceania Para-triathlon Championships that took place earlier in the month). In spite of the early time of year, there were several rapid performances over the Sprint distance event.
Women’s race
In a slightly surprising turn of events, Emma Jeffcoat did not lead out the swim. Rather, her Australian teammate Zoey Clarke was the quickest in the first discipline, clocking 8:47 for the 750m.
Jeffcoat was 4 seconds back and emerged at the head of a small group containing Sharon Spimi, Jolanda Annen and Ilaria Zane. After winning two World Cup medals last season, in Weihai and Chengdu, Zane clearly arrived in good form. She is currently in the thick of the fight to make the Italian Olympic team and was looking to make an early statement.
The lead quintet maintained a lead of around the 20 seconds through the early stages of the 20km bike. However, Clarke lost touch with the leaders. Further back, Olivia Thornburg, Zuzana Michalickova and Beatrice Mallozzi were prominent in chase, while Hanne De Vet clocked quickest split (26:56), narrowly edging out Annen and Jeffcoat by 2 seconds.
With a clear lead heading into T2, that the winner would come from the breakaway was a near certainty. Annen was strong in the early stages of run; the Swiss athlete was starting in her first international triathlon since December 2022. Before long, the former World Cup winner found herself fighting for the win with Zane as they pulled away.
Over the final stages, Zane had the enough left in the tank for race clear. She claimed the win by 7 seconds and set herself up for a tilt at the Napier World Cup this weekend. Annen settled for 2nd place in what was an impressive return to the top level.
Thornburg and Michalickova ran through the remainder of the breakaway group and it was Thornbury that took bronze after nailing the fastest 5km of the field (16:44).
Men’s race
After Zane won the women’s race, one of her compatriots set out his stall early in the men’s race. Alessio Crociani flew through the swim in 7:53 to lead into T1.
Right on his heels were Brayden Mercer and Dylan McCullough; the latter concluded 2023 with a maiden World Cup medal and had his sights set on continuing his medal streak.
On the early stages of the bike, Crociani and McCullough jumped ahead on the bike and did not look back. The pair were a class above the rest of the field on two wheels and developed a sizeable lead. McCullough clocked 24:15 to claim the fastest split of the day as the pair put half a minute into their nearest rivals and up to a minute over several key threats like Janus Staufenberg and Samuele Angelini.
The question that remained was which of the two would take the win.
Crociani was ever so slightly quicker through T2 but it was not enough to create any meaningful distance between the two. In the first kilometre they ran together, testing one another without quite breaking clear.
McCullough was on home turf and tried to summon the finishing kick that would earn a first ever Senior win. However Crociani that had the better of the finishes and took the gold medal by 4 seconds. The Italian athlete’s split of 14:45 was the quickest over 5km of the field. With both Crociani and McCullough being final year U23 athletes, there is every chance their rivalry will be renewed at the World U23 Championships in eight months.
Once McCullough sealed the silver, a lengthy wait for the bronze medallist followed. In the Luke Schofield held off Angelini and Jayden Schofield to earn the bronze with a vicious late burst.
View the full results here.
