There is the pressure of the Olympic Games and then there is the pressure of a home Olympic Games. However, from her training camp in Monte Gordo, Emma Lombardi (FRA) was sanguine as she spoke to World Triathlon in March for the latest instalment of the Paths to Paris series.

“I still need to get my ticket officially,” she said. “It’s a bit complicated but in Yokohama or Cagliari a top-6 could be enough, otherwise it will be at the discretion of the national director.”

Given that Lombardi has only once finished outside the top-10 at a WTCS race, maintaining a hit rate that already includes three silver medals, she can be confident of meeting the criteria.

“I will do everything I can to be in the top-6 and to be in Paris this summer.”

Stacking up the results

The French star is still eligible for U23 competition in 2024, making her success all the more remarkable. After only two seasons of racing in the WTCS, she has become a fixture at the front of the field. Has it actually been as easy as she has sometimes made it look?

“I was surprised! I only did one year of international racing in 2021 before stepping up to the WTCS. So when I arrived in 2022 I didn’t think it would be that fast and that I could aim to go to Paris.”

Furthermore, her phenomenal form has put an Olympic debut within touching distance. Lombardi, though, did not see it coming even as recently as two years ago.

“For me, it was a dream. I thought, ‘I’m still young, maybe it will be too early; maybe just focus on Los Angeles and take your time’.”

A 4th place on her WTCS debut in Yokohama made the triathlon world sit up and take notice. Since then, she has gone from strength to strength. Now, she is in the running to not simply qualify for Paris, but potentially to make it onto the podium.

“It would be amazing,” confessed Lombardi. “I want to be at my best if I’m going and it will be crazy.”

French triathlon embraces home-Games pressure

The nature of a home Olympics creates a slightly different challenge for athletes. While the classic pressures of qualification and racing remain, elements like home comforts and domestic support can be a boon.

After considering the advantages and disadvantages, Lombardi points out the pressure to perform.

“The federation is quite strict on the selection criteria, they aren’t easy,” she said. “So there is still a pressure to qualify and succeed.”

While Lombardi strives to make it to the Games, one of her compatriots has already ticked the qualification box. Notwithstanding that she will have to prove her fitness in 2024, Cassandre Beaugrand secured her spot on the back of her silver medal at the Paris Test Event last summer. She also won two WTCS races in 2023 and has established herself as a star of the sport.

The presence of a feted and more experienced teammate has its benefits.

“I think she’s more in the spotlight,” said Lombardi. “Maybe I can - not hide in her shadow - but take my time and do my thing and just enjoy the process.”

“She’s been there for a while on the circuit so we know her qualities and she has a bit more attention on her.”

Being so young and making her Olympic debut, Lombardi is happy to avert the media’s gaze. “For me, it’s fine. I can take my own path.”

Passing the Test with flying colours

At the same time, it says plenty of the strength of the French team that Lombardi could be shielded from any media focus. She finished 3rd overall in the 2023 Series, logging performances and moments that were worthy of a lot of attention.

“I was really happy after Cagliari. It was my first podium of the season and I was happy because I missed the front pack in the two races before, in Yokohama and Abu Dhabi, and in Cagliari I did the full race at the front.”

“And of course the Test Event in Paris. It was a really good race. We had a lot of focus on the race and the federation really expected us to perform really well on the day.”

The Test Event also offered the chance to take some invaluable lessons ahead of the real thing.

“It was great to see the race venue and the race course. We managed to take some good information for this year.”

As strong as the French team are, Lombardi is conscious of the rivals that could stand in the way of a home triumph.

“Of course there is Great Britain, they have such a strong team. They were really good last year. Georgia (Taylor-Brown) missed a part of the season but we know how strong she is. Obviously Beth (Potter) and Sophie (Coldwell) won WTCS races last season. Kate (Waugh) was like a crescendo at every step of the season and finished really well.”

Lombardi also flagged the American and German women’s teams as further threats to French domination. On home turf, though, the team will be determined to make a statement.

At the same time, the Paris Olympics offer a chance to reflect on how far Lombardi has come in a short space of time. The Games were announced back in 2017, when she had barely taken her first steps in the sport.

“I was just starting triathlon at the time. I was transitioning from swimming to triathlon but it was really slow at that moment.”

“I have always dreamed of going to the Olympics and when I saw the London Games I thought I wanted it. But then you have the dream and you have the reality and sometimes it doesn’t match. At that time I didn’t know if it would be possible.”

Fast forward to the start of 2024 and it is more than a mere possibility for Lombardi.

“It’s really crazy what has happened in just three years!”

With her rapid rise, it is becoming ever harder to deflect the attention that her performances demand.

“I’d prefer to go under the radar and to shock people at the Olympics. For now I’ve been the young one that has just arrived. I’m a bit of a step back but I like the position.”

In light of what we have seen from Lombardi over the past two seasons, there is only so much longer that she can stay in the shadows. Her path to Paris seems set to take her to the start line at minimum. On her current trajectory, it could take her to something even greater.

Pracovní týden utekl jako voda, před nám je další víkend. K tomu samozřejmě patří tradiční fotbalová nabídka Deníku, který vám přináší přehled všech zápasů celků z regionu od první ligy po okresní přebory. 

Litvínovský Zimní stadion Ivana Hlinky se má v blízké budoucnosti změnit, chystá se totiž jeho rozsáhlá rekonstrukce. Ze studie, která byla nedávno zveřejněná, je jasné, že o svá místa na stání přijde řada fanoušků. „Nelíbí se mi to. Tribuna, kde léta stojíme, se zboří. Místo ní bude nová, kde to bude jen k sezení," mračí se Roman Železný, věrný příznivec chemiků. Plán rekonstrukce představilo město Litvínov, kterému zimák patří. Kdy se rozjedou stavební práce, ale zatím nebylo uvedené.

Po minulém víkendu, kdy maloskalští volejbalisté dvakrát nestačili na celek MFF Praha, dorazil pod Pantheon tým z dalekého Kojetína, který vyhrál II. ligu moravské skupiny C. A zase bylo o co hrát.

Following extensive consultation between World Triathlon, the Local Organising Committee and Triathlon Canada, World Triathlon regretfully announces the cancellation of the 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series and Mixed Relay Series Montreal events, originally scheduled for 14-15 September.

The event has been a regular fixture of the Championship Series since 2017 and will be sadly missed in 2024. The World Triathlon Para Series Montreal on 29 June is not affected by the cancellation, and will go ahead as planned.

As a result of the decision, the World Triathlon Cup Wehai, scheduled for 27 September, has been upgraded to a WTCS event and will now form the fifth stop of the 2024 Series. World Triathlon would like to thank the China Triathlon Sports Association for stepping up as hosts and for ensuring the same number of events can be maintained in the 2024 Series.

With the last minute cancellation of WTCS Abu Dhabi in March, 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series ranking points will be awarded at the four Series events of WTCS Yokohama, WTCS Cagliari, WTCS Hamburg and WTCS Weihai, at the Continental Championships, plus the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Championship Finals Torremolinos-Andalucia. The athletes with the most points achieved at three of those six potential events plus the Championship Finals will become our 2024 World Triathlon Champions.

The 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series dates in full:

11 March
World Triathlon Championship Series Abu Dhabi (cancelled)
11 May
World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama
25 May
World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari
13-14 July
World Triathlon Championship Series Hamburg
27 September
World Triathlon Championship Series Weihai
17-20 October
World Triathlon Championship Finals Torremolinos-Andalucia

Eva Vrabcová Nývltová se postaví letos na start Maloskalského půlmaratonu. Bývalá česká atletka, běžkyně, účastnice pěti olympijských her a medailistka ME už je přihlášená. Kdo ještě váhá, tak on-line přihlášky končí v úterý 23. dubna. Na místě je startovné dražší. A kdo chce mít jméno na svém čísle, musí se přihlásit do neděle 21. dubna. 

Už dvanáctý ročník Velké ceny Města Jablonce nad Nisou v judu se bude konat ve dnech 20. a 21. dubna v jablonecké Městské sportovní hale u přehrady. Každoročně se sjíždějí na tyto prestižní závody nejlepší judisté z celé republiky. 

World Triathlon is welcoming bids for the World Triathlon Championship Series, World Triathlon Cups and World Triathlon Para triathlon events in 2025. Bid applications are also open for cities to host the Winter Triathlon World Championships and Winter Cups and World Triathlon Development Regional Cups next year.

World Triathlon’s top-tier events are broadcast in 22 countries (or larger regions) including the biggest global markets, as well as reaching out to more than 360,000 viewers per year on the OTT platform TriathlonLIVE. Hosting these events therefore offers a perfect opportunity for bidding cities to enjoy socio-economic benefits for tourism, business, and sports development, and to ensure a sustainable sporting spectacle for the city and local organising committee.

“We are fully committed to finding the best host cities for our sport, and engaging earlier with our host venues to collaborate on creating a sustainable, long-term strategy that keeps major events on track with modern priorities. The legacy piece is important, and using the Olympic and Paralympic movements to align our major events strategy with our members is vital as we move past Paris and into the following Major Games cycles”, said Marisol Casado, World Triathlon President and IOC member.

The World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) is the world’s most prestigious triathlon series, featuring the best triathletes on the planet competing head-to-head around the globe and culminating with the flagship Championship Finals, where the year’s World Champions are crowned.

The Series encompasses races over the Olympic Distance (1.5km swim, 40km bike, and 10km run), Sprint Distance (750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run), and the Eliminator format (two-day Semi-Final/Final super-sprints), as well as the Mixed Relay Series events.

Over the 15 years since its inception in 2009, the World Triathlon Championship Series has established itself as the pinnacle of Olympic and Sprint distance triathlon racing.

Hosting Championship Series events provides cities with opportunities to showcase themselves to millions via live international television broadcasts and TriathlonLIVE.tv, as the Series events regularly draw annual on-site spectators upwards of 1 million.

Stats for coverage on official World Triathlon platforms where all the events are promoted include:
+ 2m YouTube views per year
+ 39m TikTok views per year
+ 750,000 followers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
+ 17m total number of people reached on Facebook per year

*Numbers constantly updating

Interested cities must submit their applications before 15 July, 2024.  The selection and announcement of the Host Cities will take place on 16 September, 2024.

Each year, the World Triathlon Cup circuit provides the next tier of events, delivering world-class racing opportunities for both experienced names and emerging talent aspiring to enter the World Triathlon Championship Series. These events, aligned with the World Triathlon Development programs, offer prize money, live TV coverage and significant media exposure, providing the allure for tourist destinations and major cities alike to show their landmarks. World Cup host cities can expect to attract a global audience, including live internet streaming on Triathlonlive.tv, feature distribution, interviews across all World Triathlon social media platforms, and coverage in international news and print media.

Bids are also open for next year’s Para triathlon events, including the 2025 World Triathlon Para Series, World Triathlon Para Cups, and Continental Triathlon Para Cups. Cities wanting to host an event are asked to submit their applications before 15 July 2024, with successful candidates announced on 16 September 2024.

Cities interested in hosting Winter Triathlon events are invited to submit bids for the 2025 and 2026 World Triathlon Winter Championships and World Triathlon Winter Cups. Triathletes from around the globe compete across a 6km run, 12km mountain bike, and 9.6km ski course. As with the other bids, we ask interested cities to submit their applications before 15 July, 2024 and the successful bids will be announced on 16 September, 2024.

Applications are also open for the 2025 World Triathlon Development Regional Cups, events that are designed to support developing nations’ racing experience within their continent/region and that create a competitive environment among their athletes to help inspire their future careers.

These events have been part of the World Triathlon Calendar since 2022. The Development Events are managed as a joint programme between World Triathlon, the Continental Confederation and the Host National Federation. At these events, World Triathlon only allows the participation of athletes from certain predefined National Federations according to the World Triathlon Competition Rules. Continental Confederations may propose to World Triathlon the hosting of such events in their Continent.

Bidding documents:
2025 World Triathlon Championship Series
2025 World Triathlon Cups
2025 & 2026 Winter Triathlon events
2025 World Triathlon Para events
2025 World Triathlon Development Regional Cups

Tomáš Čížek v dresu Držkova, který hraje I. B třídu východ, střílí góly, kam dorazí. A soupeři už někdy preventivně sledují, jestli nastoupí nebo ne. V jarních zápasech je jeho střelecká muška už také projevila. Patří mu titul kanonýr víkendu.

Pristine waters, scenic coastal routes for cycling, and a challenging lighthouse course for running. The set up is ready in the beautiful coastal town of Wollongong, Australia, for its debut on the World Triathlon Cup circuit. With a stellar line up filled with talent and Olympic dreams, the female field is ready to tackle a demanding course that will offer a 750m ocean swim with a beach start, followed by a demanding 20km hill climb on each of the five laps of the cycling course, culminating in a challenging 5km hilly run.

Wearing the one this Saturday will be Rachel Klamer (NED). The experienced Dutch woman is looking to secure her ticket for Paris 2024, which will be her fourth Olympics, and her second place last season in Karlovy Vary World Cup proved that she is always one to be considered when it comes to hard courses like the one in Wollongong.

Ainsley Thorpe, also battling for a spot on the Olympic team for New Zealand, will be toeing the start line looking to grab some valuable points that will allow her to make the team for next summer. Some strong European athletes have made it all the way to Australia to kick off their season, including Ilaria Zane (ITA) or Lisa Perterer (AUT). Both of them strong bikers and runners, they will likely try to keep the fast runners like Tilda Mansson (SWE) or Maria Carolina Velazquez Soto (COL) behind them as soon as possible.

The local squad will be led by Jaz Hedgeland, currently the second Australian athlete on the Olympic rankings, who is fighting for a spot on the team for Paris. Wearing the gold and green during the weekend will also be Charlotte McShane, Ellie Hoitink -who just won last weekend the Oceania championships-, Charlotte Derbyshire, Emma Jeffcoat, Kira Hedgeland, Tara Sosinski and Richelle Hill.

Team World Triathlon - the sport’s global development squad for athletes with Olympic potential from smaller National Federations - will be well represented in Wollongong. Fresh off top-10 World Cup finishes in both Hong Kong and Lievin, Zuzana Michalickova (SVK) will be one to watch again in Australia. The young Slovakian athlete has enjoyed a sparkling start to the season and is inching closer to a first World Cup medal and Paris qualification. She will be joined in Wollongong by compatriot Romana Gajdošová (SVK) who won her first World Cup medal in Yeongdo last season.

Erica Hawley (BER) will also be starting in Wollongong as she hunts for the precious final points that could secure her qualification for Paris. A 12th place finish at the Napier World Cup at the start of the season aided Hawley’s cause and a similar finish would be a major boon for her campaign.

You can check the Wollongong start lists HERE.
Watch the race LIVE and on demand on TriathlonLIVE.tv

The picturesque coastal setting of Wollongong, in Australia, is ready to make its debut on the World Triathlon Cup circuit this weekend, an event that will also play as a test for the upcoming World Triathlon Championship Finals in 2025. With valuable Olympic points on sight, the athletes will face a 750m swim with a beach start, followed by 20km bike on a hill climb on each of the 5 laps of the course, to finish with a hard 5km hilly run course. A hard and honest course that will test the skills of the field.

Wollongong offers a picturesque coastal setting that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the sport. The location is just perfect for a superb triathlon race. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, rolling hills and lush greenery, the course offers a dynamic terrain for triathletes, combining its crystal-clear waters, scenic coastal roads for the cycling leg and challenging Light house course for the running section.

Wearing the golden number 1 will be home hero Matt Hauser. The Aussie has already set the tone for his Olympic year winning last week the Oceania Championships in Taupo, and is looking for back-to-back victories, this time on home soil. Hauser, who has already secured his spot at the Olympic Games in Paris next summer, will be leading a strong Australian squad that has quite a few athletes battling for the other spots on the Team, including Luke Willian, Brandon Copeland, Callum McClusky and Olympian Jacob Birtwhistle, who seems to be back in full form after his fourth place last weekend in Taupo, logging the fastest run of the day.

Even though the swim is not expected to be a choppy and hard one, as the athletes swim inside the harbour, the fastest swimmers on the field like Hauser, Jonas Schomburg, Jamie Riddle (RSA) or Diego Moya (CHI) will try to have an impact on the race from the early stages. And a tough, technical and hilly course like this one is just perfect for small breakaways.

Another athlete looking to secure a spot on the Olympic team will be Jonas Schomburg, fighting for the last spot on the German squad that will head to Paris this summer, and that is always one to be considered when it comes to hard and honest courses like the one in Wollongong. Other fast runners, like Richard Murray (NED), Jake Birtwhistle (AUS), Tayler Reid (NZL), Ben Dijkstra (GBR) or Matt Hauser are always a threat if it all comes to a run race.

The Team World Triathlon - the sport’s global development squad for athletes with Olympic potential from smaller National Federations - will be well represented in Wollongong, as they continue to chase Paris 2024 qualification. Racing for Bermuda will be Tyler Smith as he seeks to advance his Olympic hopes on the men’s side. Henry Räppo (EST) and Badr Siwane (MAR) are two further Olympic aspirants from Team World Triathlon to race in Wollongong. Diego Moya (CHI) is the final member of the Team to start although he is in a rather different position. Moya has essentially locked up Olympic qualification and so will use the race as a chance to increase his medal tally at the World Cup level.

You can check the full start list HERE.
Watch the Wollongong Men’s race Live and on demand on TriathlonLIVE.tv.

 

 

 

Výborný nápad házenkářů! V Libereckém kraji navštěvují základní školy a ligoví hráči představují žákům házenou. A nejen teoreticky. Ukázku tréninku, různých pohybových aktivit a také krátkého zápasu si s nimi děti vyzkouší na vlastní kůži. A že se jim to líbí, o tom svědčí noví zájemci o tento sport.

V I. B třídě porazily Přepeře soupeře ze Smržovky 1:0 a chystají se do Držkova. Harrachov se chystá na derby s Jablonečkem. Půjde o Klíč Krkonoš. Jilemnice má před s sebou zápasy, které ji prověří.

Trenér jabloneckých hokejistů týmu HC Jablonec Vítězslav Jankových, je s průběhem uplynulé sezóny svých svěřenců, juniorů, spokojený. Ale netají, že výsledek mohl být lepší. A také ho lepší očekával.

Fotbalisté Cvikova se před sobotním zápasem I.B třídy proti Hrádku nad Nisou B dozvěděli šokující zprávu. Těsně před utkáním jim klubový předseda oznámil, že jejich trenér Pavel Sehnal nečekaně zemřel. Letos oslavil 60. narozeniny.

Youri Keulen překvapil na Singapore T100 triumfem v mužské kategorii, zatímco Ashleigh Gentle dominovala v ženském závodě. Radka Vodičková závod dokončila na 11. místě.

Brzké jaro dovolilo rozehrát jarní fotbalové soutěže a první zápasy ukazují, jak kvalitní byla zimní příprava jednotlivých týmů a případně jak zapadly nové posily. První zápasy nastavily zrcadlo i pěnčínskému A a B týmu. 

V Železném Brodě se v jeden den konaly hned tři sportovní akce. Jednalo se o postupové kolo projektu "Česko se hýbe", zároveň Českomoravský pohár ve sportovním aerobiku a fitness týmech pro začínající závodníky, aerobik team show a přehlídku pódiových skladeb.

Termín velikonočních svátků v tomto roce byl shodný s datem konání mistrovství Evropy v disciplíně hand to hand combat. Dějištěm šampionátu byla rumunská Transylvánie. Českou republiku reprezentovalo trio – Martina Ptáčková, Josef Ptáček mladší a Josef Ptáček starší.