It was another near-perfect day on the snow for Sandra Mairhofer as the Italian raced solo for close to two hours from the first run segment all the way to the tape on Saturday morning, earning the World Triathlon Winter Championship title in style in Pragelato.

Low temperatures led to some icy patches across the demanding course, where two laps of each of the very different run, bike and ski courses tested the concentration as well as power and finesse of the field, but it was the Italian who kept everyone at a safe distance, Aneta Grabmuller Soldati (CZE) and Julie Meinicke (NOR) taking silver and bronze.

“They were tricky conditions and changed from lap to lap especially on the bike but I like it slippery and technical, but it’s hard work and there was a lot of climbing,” said Mairhofer. “I have felt good in training so had confidence on the run and bike and wanted to gain time there knowing my ski wasn’t so strong. The organisers put a great event on and I was really happy I could take the win and Franco too. Looking forward to the summer season now!”

Italy’s defending champion was straight on the gas from the opening strides of the run and looking to assert herself rather than save energy, putting 10 seconds into the field after one lap of the opening run, doubling that by the time she hit the mountain bike and absolutely demolishing both laps of a testing 3km course.

Grabmuller pulled back a minute over the first ski segment to get herself back into contention, only for the second run to put the result almost beyond doubt, the lead stretching from 30 seconds up to 90 onto the bike and then Mairhofer simply extended the lead from there.

Grabmuller was safe in second position as Julie Meinicke matched the Czech on ski and run but fell back over the bike. The Norwegian was still able to deliver another U23 title as well as the elite bronze, older sister Stina trying unsuccessfully to reign in her sibling and Winter Duathlon World Champion Ine Skjellum unable to sustain her challenge on two wheels.

Up ahead, it was Sandra Mairhofer taking the flag down the home chute and another imperious display ensured gold by a margin of nearly two minutes, setting up what is surely going to be another exciting year in multisport for the Italian talent.

Full results available here.

A golden day for Callum McClusky (AUS) at the Napier World Triathlon Cup, earning his first-ever world cup podium holding off world’s number 2 Hayden Wilde, who despite struggling on the swim, emptied the tank to hunt the silver medal. Bronze on the day was for Spain’s Alberto Gonzalez Garcia, showcasing fine form on the season opener of the World Cup circuit.

The men’s race witnessed an intense start, with the swim stringing out early over the 750m course. Italian Alessio Crociani set a blistering pace, leading the field into T1. Home talent Dylan McCullough closely followed, creating a lead pack with a significant advantage over pre-race favorite Hayden Wilde.

The Olympic bronze medallist Wilde produced a subpar swim that saw him second to last out of the choppy waters, and with quite a lot to do if he wanted to start the season with a home victory. But “the Falcon” was on a mission the second he jumped on the bike, 47 seconds behind the leaders and in the third chase group, and showcased a relentless pursuit, gradually closing the gap over the 20 km bike course.

By the time the leading group, that included names like Callum McClusky (AUS), Casper Stornes (NOR), Alberto Gonzalez García (ESP), Ben Djikstra (GBR) or Shachar Sagiv (ISR), just to name a few, hit the second transition, Wilde’s group was just 26 seconds behind them and ready for what would be a run for the books.

The day, however, belonged to McClusky, who demonstrated strength and composure throughout the race, holding off Wilde’s charge to secure his first World Triathlon Cup victory. While Wilde was chasing rival after rival, McClusky managed to keep his cool to cross the finish line just six seconds ahead of Wilde, who despite the support of the local crowds was just a few meters short to be able to chase him.

McClusky’s victory, first time ever of his career, puts him on a great spot on the fight for the Paris2024 selection. “It’s amazing, it’s seven years since my first World Cup and it’s taken me seven years to get on the podium, it’s been a lot of hard work with my team and we’ve had to work really hard to get here, ” he said.

Less happy, Wilde was totally conscious of what he needs to work on before heading to the first WTCS of the season, Abu Dhabi in just two weeks. “That was a disaster (the swim). I worked really hard on the bike, we got some movement in the group, I was pulling pretty hard and I just wanted to keep the gap as small as possible and we got something going on. I was pretty sore for the run and I just went for it. I think I ran pretty fast, so I am really happy with that and the hard bike, it is a good preparation for Abu Dhabi. I might need to assess there (the swim)  but it was a choppy swim and I just didn’t have a good day out there, ” he explained. In fact, the kiwi produced the fastest run split of the day, 20 seconds faster than McClusky.

The podium was completed by Spaniard Alberto Gonzalez Garcia, adding to the resurgence of Spanish talent in the triathlon world. “It feels amazing. In every race I feel more consistent in the three disciplines, I was swimming in the front, kept the pace on the bike and on the run, it was a mix of changing speed and finally it was just hold until the end”, he said.

Fourth on the day was Sagiv, delivering a strong performance that consolidates his inclusion in the Olympic rankings, while another Kiwi, Dylan McCullough, rounded the top five on the day.

Sophie Linn (AUS) secured her first-ever World Triathlon Cup victory in Napier, New Zealand, marking an unforgettable opener to the season for the young Australian, who has put herself in a great position on the road to secure a spot on the Olympic team for Paris 2024. Linn’s stellar performance unfolded under the Kiwi sun, with a solid race that had her crossing the finish line ten seconds ahead of the British duo of Sophie Alden and Olivia Mathias, who sprinted for silver with finally Alden securing the second spot on the podium. Alden, like Linn, celebrated her inaugural appearance on a World Cup podium, while for Mathias this is the second podium of her career.

A beautiful day on the idilic town of Napier, on the North Island east coast, welcomed the participants of the World Triathlon Cup Napier, opener of the season, with all set up for a sprint race for the ages: 740m swim without wetsuits on choppy waters with a challenging beach star, followed by four laps of 5km each on the bike course, flat as it can be but quite technical, to round up the day with a 5km run along the coast.

After navigating smoothly through the choppy 750m swim, the British duo of Alden and Mathias led the group out of the water and they were able to make it to the first transition with some meters of advantage over the small chase group, but it was shortly after mounting on their bikes when both of them were caught by the chasers, a group that included Eva Goodisson (NZL), Sophie Linn (AUS), Emma Jeffcoat (AUS), Paulina Klimas (POL), Melanie Santos (POR) and Zsanett Kuttor-Bragmayer (HUN).

The group managed to stay on the lead for the 20km bike ride and they made it to the second transition with over thirty seconds with the chase pack, a massive group that included some of the pre-race favourites like Gina Sereno (USA), Valerie Barthelemy (BEL), Natalie Van Coevorden (AUS) or Ilaria Zane (ITA).

Out of T2, Linn managed her way to the lead of the small group and started a magnificent run that will end up with the young Aussie claiming the gold medal in style, first-ever of her career.  “It feels amazing to come out in an Olympic year and get my first win at a World Cup, I couldn’t have asked for a better start. The season prep has been really good, I have just been based in Boulder, that’s where I am happiest with all of my friends, my dog and my partner so it’s been a really good winter of training. I came down here two weeks ago, just to get a bit of warm weather and it definitely paid off, ” she explained. “I am going to stay in New Zealand for another week and then head to Abu Dhabi and then back to Boulder to prepare for Yokohama and Cagliari”, said the Aussie, that is focusing on trying to get a spot on the Australian team for Paris 2024.

Behind her, the Brit duo of Alden and Mathias put on a show for the crowd in Napier, sprinting on the blue carpet to finally Alden just beating Mathias to claim the silver medal by less than a second. “I knew I was in good shape coming into it but it’s the first race of the season and you never know what you’re going to get but I just exceeded expectations and am just so happy, ” she said.  “The bike was hard, it was a solid ride and the group worked so hard together to pull away so that was really good and then sometimes you never know what you’re going to get running off the bike but I took it off hard. I am glad I did, I committed and I am just super happy,” she explained after what was also the first podium on the World Cup circuit for the Brit.

“It feels good. I really didn’t know what shape I was in coming in here, we didn’t push anything into this race and I knew I was racing the relay tomorrow so it kind of was like, just see where you are in the individual but I am pleased with that. We haven’t done any kicking into gear training yet but I think that’s kicked me into gear”, said Mathias after finishing the race.

In fourth and fifth, Melanie Santos of Portugal and Kuttor-Bragmayer were able to hold off two fast finishers, Ilaria Zane of Italy, while USA’s Sereno had the fastest run split on the day to round up the day with a sixth place.

Welcome to The Apex, your regular round-up of all that’s happening in swim-bike-run…

And we can say it again at last - It’s race week!!

COMING UP - Napier World Cup

The 2024 World Cup circuit blows into New Zealand on Saturday, when Napier makes its debut as host and fans will be hoping for more of the fireworks we saw in New Plymouth at the start of last season. Hayden Wilde leads the men’s race, Gina Sereno wears the women’s #1, plus Vasco Vilaca’s Portugal and a strong Hungary team chase Mixed Relay glory on Sunday - watch it all on unfold over on TriathlonLive.tv from 16:15 local time, with the Junior Oceania Cup to get the action underway! Catch up on what’s been happening down under.

TUNE IN FOR LIVE COVERAGE: TRIATHLONLive.tv

COMING UP - Pragelato Winter World Championships

Italy steps up to host the Winter Triathlon World Championships for the first time since Asiago 2021, with Pragelato-Sestriere - home of the 2006 Winter Olympic Nordic Ski racing - hosting the run/mountain-bike/ski on the snow from Friday to Sunday. Sandra Mairhofer is the Italian multisport maestro looking for her third world title, Norway’s Hans Christian Tungesvik likewise, both champions last year, both favourites to leave with the titles this year. Check out the Winter Duathlon World Championship gallery.

RACE PREVIEWS: TRIATHLON.ORG

RACE NEWS - Continental Cups heating up

Continental Cup action this weekend includes some intriguing racing in Havana, Cuba, where 2016 Olympic Champion and Paris 2024 hopeful Gwen Jorgensen has chosen to start her season, while Julie Derron (SUI) races Putrajaya, Malaysia. Felix Duchampt (ROU) continues his pursuit of an Olympic berth as he also heads to Cuba a week after victory in Venezuela. Kazakhstan’s Ayan Beisenbayev looks to follow up his Africa Triathlon Conti Cup win in Troutbeck last week with more points in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh.

eNEWS - E World Triathlon Championships hit London in April

Triathlon’s unique eSport series Arena Games has been replaced by a one-day E World Triathlon Championships, and the atmosphere inside the London Aquatics Centre is going to be more electric than ever as 60 athletes battle through the heats to reach a 10-deep final. With the start lists still one month away and so many eyes on Paris, expect some young guns eyeing up the chance to claim a world title and precious World Triathlon ranking points.

THE ATHLETES LOUNGE

SPOTTED - Training Camp fever is spreading like wildfire ahead of the season start, with some athletes retreating to far-flung corners for some top-secret sessions, others joining the merry throng getting blown around the Canary Islands. Here’s a handful our spies have spotted:

+ David Castro keeping the chat flowing in Lanzarote with Vincent Luis and Jake Birtwhistle
+ Sophie Coldwell, Alex Yee and a posse of GB faces open water swimming in Oz
+ Brazilian duo Miguel Hidalgo and Djenyfer Arnold hitting Dubai ahead of WTCS Abu Dhabi
+ Laura Lindemann and Nina Eim among the German crew in Namibia along with Dutch star Jetze Plat
+ Csongor Lehmann’s training group is in La Nucia, where they came across Beth Potter, Alistair Brownlee and a Leeds crew heading south for the winter.

LISTEN AGAIN - He may have missed out on a World Cup medal by the finest margins in New Plymouth last year, but it kickstarted a season that propelled him to Olympic contention - listen to Dylan McCullough discuss form, focus and team tactics on the World Triathlon Podcast.

WATCH - Want to see Gwen Jorgensen caked in mud racing the Old Man Winter Bike Rally with Jens Voigt? Look no further!

DIVE IN - Want to know the secret to preparing for your first open water swim? Here’s some tips from those that know.

Overnight snow and glorious sunshine made for a beautiful first day of competition at the 2024 World Triathlon Winter Championships Pragelato-Sestriere, with the duathlon titles the first on the line for the weekend in Italy.

A two-lap 3km run, two-lap 5km ski course was repeated twice, and after narrowly missing out on gold on home soil last year, it was the Norwegian athletes who took revenge on their Italian rivals as first Ine Skjellum and then Hans Christian Tungesvik got to grips with the icy conditions to take the titles.

Skjellum delivers run-ski masterclass

It was Slovakia’s Margareta Bicanova and returning Czech talent Natalie Brlicova setting the early pace, but it was Brlicova with a brilliant transition to head out onto the first ski in front.

From there, the Norwegians began to show their cross-country prowess, defending U23 champion Julie Meinicke and Ine Skjellum hauling their way back into the reckoning on the fast, icy downhill.

It was on lap one of the second run that Skjellum’s patience paid off, passing Brlicova and from there she never looked back. Another fluid Czech transition kept her in the hunt, but even a ten-second equipment penalty for the Norwegian just before the finish chute couldn’t derail her title charge.

“I think the opening pace was too hard,” said Skjellum. “I know it’s always hard to pace the start and then the ski can be tiring, so I wanted to hold the pace the whole way. The uphill was really tough and it was pretty icy today so you use a lot of energy just to stay up, but we Norwegians are used to that and we have practiced that loop a lot this week. The course suited me well and it’s great to get gold at the third effort.”

Tungesvik takes title after Italian battle

The early momentum looked all Italian as the men took to the course, Franco Pesavento hoping to dilute his Norwegian rival’s ski power early on and after putting 15 seconds into Tungesvik over the first run lap, the lead was doubled by the time he and Endre Wigaard hit the skis.

Wigaard’s compatriot then set about hauling in the leaders, his technique on the flat seeing Pesavento’s lead dissolve and as Wigaard fell back and Romania’s Viorel Palici hit third, it began to look like a two-way battle for the title.

Tungesvik was able to stick with Italy’s 2022 Winter Tri champion to the conclusion of the second run and that made the result almost a forgone conclusion. First the Norwegian sat on Pesavento’s shoulder up the draining ski climb, then he managed to pull clear over the second half, soaring clear to the tape to win by nearly 30 seconds, Palici with the bronze and Italy’s Guglielmo Giuliano crossing in fourth and earning the U23 world title in the process.

“I thought if I was within half a minute off the first run I was okay, but I also felt I could make up ground on the ski,” said Tungesvik. “The long uphill section really took its toll, the altitude as well, and it was a really tight battle so really happy to bring it home. On the flats was where I made up time today but he was really strong uphill, so I had to try and be smarter. I have two triathlon titles already, but it was fun to take the duathlon today.”

For the full results, click here.

A new World Triathlon Cup season begins with the 2024 World Triathlon Cup Napier, a coastal city of New Zealand’s North Island. While New Zealand is well known for staging triathlon races, this will be the inaugural World Triathlon Cup for Napier. The race schedule is stacked across Saturday 24th and Sunday 25 February.

Saturday will host the 2024 Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships Napier and the 2024 World Triathlon Cup Napier with the world’s best athletes racing in an all-important Olympic qualification window for Paris 2024. Sunday will stage the Age-Group races, Oceania Junior Mixed Relay and the 2024 World Triathlon Mixed Relay.

The 2024 World Triathlon Cup is a sprint-distance triathlon (750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run) and will start along the iconic stretch of the waterfront in Napier called Perfume Point. The 2024 event will be integrated into a Triathlon Festival featuring the New Zealand Sprint Distance Championships. It’s time for athletes to test out how the pre-season build has gone and show off form, as the world’s best fire up to battle it out in a sprint-distance format, the first World Cup race of 2024. The Elite women will race on Saturday from 4pm local time and the men will line-up from 6pm, all watchable on the platform TriathlonLive.tv (live and on-demand).

The contenders
USA’s Gina Sereno headlines the 40-deep women’s field in the opening World Triathlon Cup race of 2024 in Napier. Sereno claimed impressive silvers in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Vina del Mar in November and the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games Mixed Relay.

China’s Xinyu Lin produced a string of fantastic results to close out the 2023 season including silver in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, 4th place in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Chengdu, 5th place in World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki and 2nd in the 2023 Asia Triathlon Sprint Championships Al-Khobar. Lin lines up in Napier as one of the favourites in the sprint-distance race.

Hungary’s Zsanett Kuttor-Bragmayer and Australia’s Natalie Van Coevorden are highly experienced on the World Triathlon Championship Series and World Triathlon Cup scene and are ready to battle it out in Napier, with their sights fixed on qualifying in 2024 for the Olympic Games in Paris. Napier is within the qualification period, providing a valuable race opportunity for athletes to collect points.

Young guns to watch
Italy’s Ilaria Zane earned the gold medal last weekend in the 2024 Oceania Triathlon Wanaka (New Zealand) and performed incredibly well last season claiming bronze medals in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Weihai and 2023 World Triathlon Cup Weihai, both standard-distance races.

Competition will be fierce in Napier with the likes of Australia’s Sophie Linn, Spain’s Cecilia Santamaria Surroca, Great Britain’s Olivia Mathias and Ecuador’s Elizabeth Bravo all lining up to test where form is at the start of 2024 for the opening World Cup of the season.

Team World Triathlon
Bermuda’s Erica Hawley is a member of Team World Triathlon and continues to show progress each season. Hawley had a standout 2023 season, securing her first World Triathlon Cup medal in Yeongdo, South Korea, among other top 10 finishes. If the talented young star from Bermuda can maintain a strong position up front, she could have a real chance at running her way to a medal finish or her first World Cup victory.

Team World Triathlon members Maria Carolina Velasquez (COL) and Zuzana Michalivkova (CZE) will join Hawley on the start line in Napier, eager to produce dominant performances in a crucial Olympic year. Velasquez Soto earned silver in the 2023 Santiago Pan America Games women’s race and Michalickova came 4th in last weekend’s 2024 Oceania Triathlon Cup Wanaka.

A wealth of race experience
Belgian star Valerie Barthelemy will be another to watch on Saturday. After having to withdraw from last weekend’s Oceania Cup in Wanaka due to illness, Barthelemy is looking to start the season with a strong race result. Hungary’s Olympian Zsofia Kovacs delivered strong performances at the end of last year with 8th place in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Chengdu and 6th place in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Tongyeong and will have her sights set on a top 10 finish in Napier after a strong pre-season build.

Team New Zealand
New Zealand will be strongly represented with Ainsley Thorpe, Brea Roderick, Olivia Thornbury, Eva Goodisson, Olivia Cummings, Hannah Howell and Amara Rae.

Review the full 2024 World Triathlon Cup Start List - Elite Women

A new World Triathlon Cup season begins with the 2024 World Triathlon Cup Napier, a coastal city of New Zealand’s North Island. While New Zealand is well known for staging triathlon races, this will be the inaugural World Triathlon Cup for Napier. The race schedule is stacked across Saturday 24th and Sunday 25 February.

Saturday will host the 2024 Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships Napier and the 2024 World Triathlon Cup Napier with the world’s best athletes racing in an all-important Olympic qualification window for Paris 2024. Sunday will stage the Age-Group races, Oceania Junior Mixed Relay and the 2024 World Triathlon Mixed Relay.

The 2024 World Triathlon Cup is a sprint-distance triathlon (750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run) and will start along the iconic stretch of the waterfront in Napier called Perfume Point. The 2024 event will be integrated into a Triathlon Festival featuring the New Zealand Sprint Distance Championships. It’s time for athletes to test out how the pre-season build has gone and show off form, as the world’s best fire up to battle it out in a sprint-distance format, the first World Cup race of 2024. The Elite women will race on Saturday from 4pm local time and the men will line-up from 6pm, all watchable on the platform TriathlonLive.tv (live and on-demand).

The Wilde favourite
New Zealand’s Olympic bronze medallist and ranked number two in the world Hayden Wilde will take centre stage and wear number one in Saturday’s World Cup season opener in Napier, New Zealand. Wilde is a firm favourite to not only claim victory in the first World Cup of the season but to qualify in 2024 to represent New Zealand in the next Olympic Games in Paris. Having spent the last weeks training at home in New Zealand and is looking forward to kick-off the season with a great result, before heading to the Middle East and then Europe to continue preparations for the Olympics.

Young guns ready to fire
Wilde will be joined by Portugal’s Ricardo Batista, a sprint-distance specialist and known for his gutsy performances right to the end. In the 2023 World Triathlon Cup in New Zealand, staged in New Plymouth, silver and bronze medals came down to the wire in one of the most thrilling sprint finished between Batista and New Zealand’s Tayler Reid, where the Portuguese athlete had to settle for third place. Batista earned the silver medal in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Tongyeong at the end of last season followed by 5th place in the World Cup in Miyazaki, after serving a penalty. The Portuguese athlete will be highly motivated to sprint for a medal in Napier this weekend. Reid will also prove fierce competition come Saturday’s sprint-distance World Cup.

New Zealand’s rising star Dylan McCullough, winner of the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Games, who earned his first World Cup medal in 2023 in the World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki, showed off fantastic form last weekend claiming the silver in the 2024 Oceania Triathlon Cup in Wanaka. McCullough is eager to line up in Napier and produce a result which will assist his Olympic campaign to Paris in 2024.

Olympic dreams on the line
Hungary’s Olympian Gabor Faldum is an experienced triathlete who is motivated towards representing at another Olympic Games this summer. Faldum secured a top 10 finish in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup in Chengdu, proving his strength up against some of the world’s best rising stars of the sport.

Australia’s Commonwealth Games representative Luke Willian and rising star Brandon Copeland will be eager to test early season form in Napier on Saturday. Both men have stated their intent to qualify and represent Australia in the next Olympic Games in Australia. Napier provides a strong opportunity to earn valuable Olympic points. Willian crossed the line in 7th place in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Chengdu and Copeland was 9th in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup in Tongyeong and 6th place in the World Cup in Miyazaki to close the season.

The British troops ready for a showdown
A strong contingent of British talent will start the World Cup season in Napier, featuring Daniel Dixon, Samuel Dickinson, Hugo Milner and Ben Dijkstra. Milner showed incredible talent at the end of 2023 when he showcased the best race of his career resulting in victory in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki.

One to watch
Spain’s Genis Grau could also be among the contenders to watch on Saturday. Grau brought home his first World Cup gold medal in the 2022 World Triathlon Cup Huatulco and 4th place in the 2023 World Cup in Mexico, both in sprint-distance race formats. Norway’s Casper Stornes, a star on both the World Triathlon Championship Series and World Cup circuits, is among the men who will be hunting for valuable Olympic points and a World Cup podium come Saturday.

Review the start list: 2024 World Triathlon Cup Napier - Elite Men and follow the action live and on-demand over on TriathlonLive.tv on Saturday 24th February with the men lining up at 6pm local time.

In a way, this weekend will represent both the start of something new and the beginning of the end. On the one hand, the first instalment of the 2024 World Cup circuit will take place yet, on the other, the final stages of the race to the Paris Olympic Games will begin.

Once the World Cup action gets underway, then, expect a full-blooded season of action covering the road to Paris and beyond.

24 February – NAPIER
The World Cup season will get underway in Napier (NZL). Lying on the eastern coast of the North Island, it will appear for the first time on the circuit, taking the spot of regular host New Plymouth. Last season, New Plymouth saw a double home victory in the first World Cup of the year, for Hayden Wilde and Nicole Van Der Kaay, respectively. The home crowds will keep their fingers crossed for a similar home triumph this time round.

24 March – HONG KONG
A month later, the World Cup racing will continue in Hong Kong (HKG). As will be the case in Napier, Hong Kong will be contested over the sprint distance. A fast start to the season will therefore be on offer.

Moreover, Hong Kong shares another similarity with Napier insofar that it will be making its debut on the circuit. Having hosted Asia Cup races and the Asia Championships hitherto, Hong Kong will no doubt be ready to put on a show.

31 March - LIEVIN
History will then be made at the third World Cup stop of the season, which falls a week after Hong Kong. For the first time, a World Cup will be contested over the indoor triathlon format. Lievin (FRA) has previously hosted an indoor Europe Cup at the purpose-built venue. This year will represent the first time the format has been transferred to the world stage. An exciting opportunity to participate at an innovative race thus awaits the athletes.

20 April- WOLLONGONG
New events are certainly a theme in the early stops of the World Cup as Wollongong (AUS), another fresh venue, hosts the fourth event three weeks after the stop in Lievin. Notably, Wollongong will welcome the triathlon community for the WTCS Final in 2025. The World Cup will therefore provide a dry-run in a similar manner to how the 2022 Pontevedra World Cup laid the groundwork for the 2023 WTCS Final.

29 April- CHENGDU
A week later, a familiar stop will return. Chengdu (CHN) takes an earlier slot in 2024 after taking place in the autumn of 2023. Tim Hellwig and Bianca Seregni took the wins last time out and both could potentially return. Chengdu will also be the first standard distance World Cup of the season.

19 May – SAMARKAND and HUATULCO
Three weeks later, the second standard distance World Cup will take place in Samarkand (UZB). Another new World Cup location, Samarkand has successfully hosted Asia Cup events before. On the same weekend, the storied race in Huatulco (MEX) will take place. Famed for its hot and humid conditions, Huatulco will be contested over the sprint distance.

David Castro Fajardo and Anahi Alvarez Corral blasted to victory in Huatulco last year. Both relied on rapid run splits to see them home and, if recent history is anything to go, Huatulco may well see another tight running race in 2024.

6th/7th July - TISZAUJVAROS
The race that perhaps has the strongest claim to being the most iconic World Cup stop will then follow, seven weeks after the Samarkand/Huatulco weekend.
Tiszaujvaros (HUN) has a long-standing tradition in the triathlon community and has been a favourite among the athletes for decades. With its unique heats and final format over the sprint distance, the athletes will be put through their paces over two days on the first weekend of July.

Csongor Lehmann rampaged to victory in front of a delighted home crowd last year while Tilda Månsson denied Noelia Juan in the most dramatic of sprint finishes. As the final World Cup before the Olympic Games, expect Tiszaujvaros to come alive once more.

4/5 September – KARLOVY VARY
A nine week pause will then descend over the World Cup events. It will return with a bang, though, at the Karlovy Vary (CZE) stop. Another race steeped in tradition, Karlovy Vary will take place over the standard distance and on a course renowned as one of the toughest in the entire World Triathlon calendar.

The American team took double gold last year in Karlovy Vary as Gwen Jorgensen and Morgan Pearson earned the wins.

12 September - VALENCIA
Jorgensen also took the gold medal at the Valencia World Cup. This year, Valencia (ESP) will follow a week after Karlovy Vary. Unlike last time out, though, it will be held over the sprint distance.

After David Cantero del Campo stormed to a maiden World Cup win in Valencia last year, the home team will also hunt another victory.

28 September – WEIHAI
A fortnight later, Weihai (CHN) will take on the second Chinese event of the circuit. Like Chendgu, the event in Weihai will be contested over the standard distance. Another challenging course will be on offer with several climbs dotted throughout the race.

The race winners last season were Crisanto Grajales and Bianca Seregni and their strength on the hilly run course proved the difference.

6 October - ROME
The World Cup circuit then moves into October. In the two weekends after the Weihai stop, two World Cups will occur. Both will be sprint distance events and both return after making enthralling debuts last season.

Rome (ITA) will be first up, a week after Weihai. Vasco Vilaca and Nina Eim earned maiden World Cup wins in the Italian capital last season and the stop proved highly popular.

13 October - TANGIER
On the subsequent weekend, Tangier (MAR) will host the next race. Pierre Le Corre and Lisa Tertsch came out on top at last year’s event as Tangier became only the third African World Cup host after Cape Town and Richards Bay (both RSA).

26 October – TONGYEONG and BRASILIA
For the second time in 2024, a double header of World Cups is scheduled; this will take place two weeks after the Tangier event.

Tongyeong (KOR) and Brasilia (BRA) will host standard distance races on opposite sides of the planet. Gwen Jorgensen and Tim Hellwig won at the former in 2023, while Miguel Hidalgo and Alcie Betto triumphed at the latter.

As was the case with Rome and Tangier, Brasilia only joined the World Cup circuit in 2023. This year’s event, then, will build upon a successful first outing.

3 November – VINA DEL MAR
As November arrives, the penultimate World Cup of the year is then slated to take place one week after the Tongyeong/Brasilia double header. Vina del Mar (CHI) returns to the circuit for the third time.

The race has already brought about some dynamic performances, not least as Gwen Jorgensen and Manoel Messias won last year. A bravura finale to 2024 may therefore be on the cards.

10 November - MIYAZAKI
Finally, Miyazaki (JPN) returns to conclude the World Cup racing for 2024. As with Vina del Mar, the racing in Miyazaki will be over the sprint distance. Bianca Seregni and Hugo Milner won at the race last time out in contrasting fashion.

The World Cup season thus spans nine months this year and covers no fewer than seventeen events. Follow all the racing throughout 2024 on TriathlonLive.tv and across World Triathlon social channels to stay close to the action.

World Triathlon is pleased to announce that the Executive Board has approved the inclusion of the E World Triathlon Championships powered by Zwift in the 2024 calendar. Formerly known as Arena Games and delivered in partnership with supertri, the event will now take place over a single day of fast and furious hybrid racing at London Aquatics Centre on 13 April, with all the action shown live on TriathlonLive.tv.

The 2024 edition of the E World Triathlon Championships will up the pressure for the pros even further, with 60 athletes competing in a dramatic one-day World Championship event. There will be no margin for error as a series of morning heats will see only 10 men and 10 women make it through to the evening finals and a chance to lift the E World Triathlon Championship titles in front of a packed crowd at the iconic venue.

“There is innovation at the very heart of this intense race format, and this new look and one-day schedule for 2024 will bring that to the fore once more when we return to what will be another packed London Aquatic Centre,” said World Triathlon President and IOC member Marisol Casado.

“This venue, and the crowds we have seen raising the roof over the years, underline exactly why this is the perfect stage for a one-day E World Triathlon Championship, and there is no doubt that the athletes will produce another dose of thrilling entertainment for the spectators both in east London and watching around the globe on 13 April as they chase the world titles.”

The heats will consist of two stages of swim-bike-run with a short break in between and a pursuit start for stage 2. The finals will be contested across the full E World Triathlon Championship format (Swim – Bike – Run // Run – Bike – Swim // Swim – Bike – Run) with a pursuit start in stage 3.

As well as the first prize of $7,500 and the title of E World Triathlon Champion, the event also contributes points to the World Triathlon rankings. Race entries can be made through the athlete’s National Federation in the usual manner. 

Italy’s Sandra Mairhofer and Hans Christian Tungesvik of Norway will take to the World Triathlon Winter Championships Pragelato-Sestriere start lines, 100km west of Turin, on Saturday with their eyes firmly set on one prize – retaining their 2023 Winter Triathlon World titles.

A stunning course awaits, beginning in the 2006 Winter Olympic Nordic skiing stadium from where the athletes head out along the Chisone River for two 2km run laps, each starting with a gentle climb. Transitioning to 2 x 3km undulating bike laps criss-crossing the river and the same distance on the skis, all three segments are to be repeated before the final push to the tape.

Mairhofer goes for third gold in four

Sure to fire up the home support will be the versatile multisport maestro Sandra Mairhofer. Champion on the snow in 2021 and again in 2023, Cross Triathlon World Champion in 2022 and 2023, the 31-year-old will surely relish the Pragelato challenge.

Her nearest rival 12 months ago was Norway’s fourth-place finisher Ine Skjellum, and the duathlon silver medallist in 2022 will be fired up and ready to make another bid for the podium this weekend.

Elsewhere on the start list, Slovakia’s former European Cross Triathlon Champion Kristina Lapinova returns for her first winter worlds since 6th place in 2019, Italy’s national championships runner-up Bianca Morvillo and former Junior World Champion Aneta Grabmuller Soldati (CZE) will be pushing the pace in Pragelato.

Will Tungesvik prove too hot to handle?

After gold on his winter tri worlds debut in 2021, Norway’s cross country skiing star Hans Christian Tungesvik quickly became the man to beat over run-bike-ski. Undone by a flat tyre in 2022, he was back on top after a brilliant Skeikampen showdown on home turf and will again be favourite in Italy.

Alessandro Saravalle (ITA) will need to deploy his full array of mountain bike skills and speed if he is to keep Tungesvik from skiing clear once again, and arrives off the back of Winter Cup gold in Harbin, China, two weeks ago. Teammates Franco Pesavento and Giuseppe Lamastra finished third and fourth in Harbin and it was the former who was able to take control in Andorra in 2022 to take the world title.

A second Winter Cup silver in Harbin sees Germany’s Sebastian Neef arrive in good form, Marek Rauchfuss (CZE) is the fastest man on two wheels in the snow and won silver last year, and Viorel Palici (ROU) makes his sixth consecutive World Championship appearance in search for an as-yet elusive first triathlon medal.

A nine-team 2x2 Mixed Relay on 25 February will complete the Winter Triathlon World Championship action that also includes Junior and U23, Para and Age-Group racing across the weekend. For the full start lists, click here.

Winter Duathlon World Championships get weekend underway

Three days of racing in Pragelato will begin with the women’s run-ski-run-ski duathlon action on Friday morning. Kicking off a big first day of elite, U23 and Junior competition, Para and Age-Group, the course packs two 1.5km run laps and two 2.5km ski laps, both to be done twice, meaning three transitions to be negotiated and the making the switch to and from the skis hugely important over the short, sharp format.

With neither of last year’s elite champions in Italy, the door is open for one of Skjellum, Lorena Erl (GER), Lapinova, Edit Keresztes-Vakaria (ROU) and Natalie Brlicova (CZE) to take Julie Meinicke‘s women’s title.

In the men’s race, the likes of Tungesvik, Pesavento and Palici will get a first taste of the course and their rivals’ form and fitness before Saturday’s triathlon, Spain’s national champion Pello Osoro Gutierrez and Norwegian newcomer Endre Wigaard looking to make an impact and pressure the big names.

For more information on the Winter Duathlon World Championships and full start lists, click here.

As the eyes of the triathlon world turn towards the Paris Olympic Games this summer, so too does the attention of Team World Triathlon. Established with the objective of supporting athletes from developing National Federations to compete at the World Cup level and qualify for the Olympics, the current Team contains a handful of members that harbour strong aspirations of toeing the start line in Paris.

Some spots almost secure
Leading the way will almost certainly be WTCS medallist and World Cup winner, Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR). As things stand today, Abdelmoula is ranked 28th in the Olympic Qualification rankings and is almost a lock to start at the Games next summer.

Similarly, World Cup medallist Diego Moya (CHI) has high chances of a start in Paris, as he stands in 41st place in the Olympic Qualification rankings right now.

After an outstanding 10th place at her WTCS debut in Montreal last summer, Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto (COL) is in line to be the third Team World Triathlon member to qualify for Paris. She currently stands 55th in the Olympic rankings and has a decent buffer over those still hunting qualification. Of the trio, Velasquez will be the only one to start her season in February as she tackles the Napier World Cup. 

Bermuda’s new rising star
For the rest of Team World Triathlon, the race to Paris will only intensify over the coming months. One athlete with a good chance of qualifying is Erica Hawley (BER). Hawley will be racing in Napier this month as she looks to build upon the maiden World Cup medal that she won in Yeongdo in 2023.

While Abdelmoula, Moya and Velasquez should be safe in the qualification race, Hawley will be looking over her shoulder. She is 65th in the Olympic Qualification rankings however the current projected cut-off is for the 66th-ranked athlete to make it. As such, only a slight drop could cost Hawley a spot at the Olympics.

Due to the near-certain qualification of reigning Olympic champion, Flora Duffy (BER), Hawley will also not be eligible for a New Flag slot. Rather, she will have to defend her Olympic ranking and the Americas New Flag will go elsewhere.

As a reminder, whereas the Olympic Qualification rankings dictate the allocation of the individual Olympic slots, the New Flags are awarded on the basis of the world rankings. For each of the five continental confederations, the athlete with the best world ranking from a country that has not already earned a slot to the Paris Olympics will receive the quota place.

Americas
In the case of the Americas, the athlete due to take the women’s New Flag is, at this stage, Romina Biagioli (ARG). Currently 65th in the world rankings, Biagioli also earned the Americas New Flag at the Tokyo Olympics. No Argentinian female triathlete is due to qualify for Paris ahead of her, although her compatriot and fellow Team World Triathlon member, Moira Miranda, is chasing from 114th in the world rankings.

Raquel Solis Guerrero (CRC) and Paula Vega (COL) are two further Team members that will hope to usurp Biagioli from 100th and 173rd, respectively, in the world rankings.
Meanwhile, Matthew Wright (BAR) is forecasted to claim the men’s Americas New Flag slot. The Team World Triathlon member and Americas Sprint distance champion sits 49th in the world rankings.

His fellow Team members, Ramón Armando Matute (ECU, 99th in the world) and Gabriel Terán Carvajal (ECU, 104th) will be chasing, as will Tyler Smith (BER, 117th) and Alvaro Campos Solano (CRC, 206th).

Oceania race
Several other members of the Team are due to lock in New Flag places. Manami Iijima (GUM) is the front-runner in the women’s Oceania race, and if she succeeds, it will be the first time that Oceania qualifies an athlete for the Olympics on the New Flag slots, and also the first triathlete from Oceania but not born in Australia or New Zealand to make it to the Olympics. Iijima will look to improve upon her world ranking of 157th as she launches her season at the Oceania Cup in Wanaka. No Oceania male triathlete is eligible to claim the New Flag.

Africa
Amber Schlebusch and Hannah Newman (both RSA) are fighting for the same African New Flag slot. So, too, is Vicky Van Der Merwe (RSA), the reigning African champion. Van Der Merwe is 82nd in the world rankings while Schlebusch and Newman are 87th and 139th, respectively. The projected African New Flag recipient, though, is actually Shanae Williams (RSA, 71st) who is not on the Team like her three compatriots.

Badr Siwane (MAR), the final African representative of Team World Triathlon to regularly race at the World Cup level, is ineligible for the African New Flag due to Abdelmoula’s anticipated qualification. He will therefore have to rely on qualifying through the Olympic rankings. While he is ranked 100th in that respect, a place in the top-80 is expected to be required.

Elsewhere, several African athletes are assisted through the African Scholarship system. While they are not yet regulars at World Cup events, the likes of Jean Gael Laurent L`entente, Eloi Adjavon, Seifeldeen Ismail and Seifeddine Selmi will be in the hunt for either the African New Flag slot or for a Universality place in Paris. Through Team World Triathlon, they will be supported on their respective journeys to the Games, while targeting Continental Cups and boosting their world rankings will form their main priorities.

Europe
Three Slovakian members of Team World Triathlon are gunning for the European women’s New Flag slot. Ivana Kuriackova leads the way, standing 57th in the world rankings. Her teammates Zuzana Michalickova (70th) and Romina Gajdošová (80th) will nonetheless pursue her. Of the trio, only Michalickova will tackle the upcoming Napier World Cup.

Moreover, Edda Hannesdottir (ISL) is on her way back from injury. Although she currently resides outside the top-300 in the world, she could easily make up the ground with a few big performances. Should Hannesdottir return to her 2022 form, she could very soon enter the conversation for Paris, whether through the European New Flag slot or the Universality mechanism.

Vitali Vorontsov (UKR, 109th), Panagiotis Bitados (GRE, 111th) and Henry Räppo (EST, 197th) will all try to close the points deficit to non-Team member Felix Duchampt (ROU, 69th) in the European men’s New Flag race. Notably, being 93rd in the Olympic rankings, Bitados may have a better chance of qualifying individually than through the New Flag system.

Asia
Finally, while the Asian male New Flag race is heating up between Jason Tai Long Ng (HKG, 45th) and Ayan Beisenbayev (KAZ, 53rd), a member of Team World Triathlon, Aleksandr Kurishov (UZB, 120th), stands an outside chance of securing the slot.

Ekaterina Shabalina is due to take the female Asian New Flag, although there is no representation among the Asian women on the Team.

Altogether, as many as twelve athletes from Team World Triathlon could yet qualify for the Paris Olympics. As the athletes get their seasons started, then, there will be plenty on the line.

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon are pleased to announce that the California leg of its new T100 Triathlon World Tour will take place in San Francisco at the iconic Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon on 8-9 June, in a partnership with IMG.

Known as the San Francisco T100, the 100km race (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) will be set in the stunning San Francisco Bay area and feature the world’s top 20 female and top 20 male professionals, who will start in time-honored fashion by plunging into the icy water adjacent to Alcatraz Island.

“Escape From Alcatraz is one of the world’s most celebrated triathlons and on any self-respecting triathlete’s bucket list of races,” said PTO CEO Sam Renouf. “So to secure it as one of the eight stops on the new T100 Triathlon World Tour is a huge coup for us. When we sat down to discuss the opportunity with IMG, they immediately understood our vision for these races representing the very pinnacle of our sport, which is why they wanted to get involved and work with us to secure the necessary permissions from the City.”

“We are excited to partner with the PTO to bring the T100 Triathlon World Tour to San Francisco and the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon,” said Jennifer Lau, Vice President of Action Sports Events at IMG, the sports, events and representation company that owns the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. “Seeing the Escape course attempted at the elite level will only solidify the perseverance and tenacity the race requires from our age group athletes, inspiring past, present and future competitors to reflect on and re-imagine what their limits are. We’re excited to see how our partnership with PTO will help to redefine triathlon. A huge thank you must also go to the Presidio, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, National Park Service, and SF Travel, who have all been instrumental in making this possible.”

“We are thrilled to announce the addition of the San Francisco T100 to the T100 Triathlon World Tour calendar, proving once again the great collaboration that marks a significant milestone for World Triathlon. This partnership with the PTO represents an unwavering commitment for all of us, and the athletes, to elevate the sport. The race, with its iconic backdrop, will serve as the perfect location for another great event in 2024. Together, we aim to redefine excellence and create an enduring legacy for the global triathlon community with this Tour”, said World Triathlon President and IOC Member, Marisol Casado.

Since the first race in 1981, the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon has hosted top professional and amateur triathletes to attempt the impossible - Escape from Alcatraz Island. The infamy of Alcatraz Island is part of the attraction that draws more than 2,000 triathletes to San Francisco year after year. The mystique of the island and technicality of the course, most notably the challenging open water swim in the San Francisco bay, continue to draw competitors for the chance to make their Escape. The challenging course has continued to be a bucket list race for triathletes for more than 40 years.

Leading American professional triathlete and four-times Escape From Alcatraz winner Ben Kanute was quick to share his excitement at the news.

“This is huge news for the new T100 Triathlon World Tour. This race has always been special to me because of the rich history and the legends of the sport that have won there. It is a weekend I am really looking forward to, and cannot wait to chase another title on one of the most iconic triathlon venues,” said Ben.

2021 Escape From Alcatraz Champion and current PTO World #10 Emma Pallant-Browne from Great Britain agreed, saying: “2021 was my first time competing in this race as well as my first-time visiting San Francisco, and I absolutely loved it. So the opportunity to return and take the start line in one of the new T100 races is very motivating.”

Whilst the PTO will not be running any T100 Age Grouper races over the weekend, IMG will be running the usual amateur race opportunities which involve the challenging 1.5 mile swim through the San Francisco Bay, followed by the technical 18 mile bike through the Presidio, and finishing with an 8-mile run out to Baker Beach and up the infamous 200-plus step Sand Ladder. The action will take place Sunday, June 9 and spectators are invited to watch from the Fitness Festival taking place on Saturday and Sunday at Marina Green.

This news follows the PTO’s launch of the new T100 Triathlon World Tour last month in London’s Docklands, when it announced that 40 of the world’s best triathletes will compete over eight 100km races across three continents. The tour starts in Miami on 9 March before finishing with a Grand Final in the Middle East at the end of November, where a women’s and men’s World Champion will be crowned - thanks to the PTO’s partnership agreement with World Triathlon, which has designated the tour as ‘the official World Championship of long distance triathlon’.

The full T100 Triathlon World Tour calendar for 2024 includes:

9-10 March – Miami T100 at CLASH Endurance Miami
13-14 April – Singapore T100
8-9 June – San Francisco T100
27-28 July – London T100
28-29 Sept – Ibiza T100
19-20 Oct – Lake Las Vegas T100
16-17 Nov – Dubai T100
29-30 Nov – Grand Final – location to be announced soon

As part of the World Triathlon Coach Education program, the Development team has launched an interview series to provide insights about the World Triathlon coaching education pathways, courses, benefits of education and continuous professional development. World Triathlon Development recorded the first interviews, of the series, with Level 1 and Level 2 coaches who attended the Korea Triathlon - World Triathlon Coaching Education Programme in Seoul in November 2023.

The first episode was with the coaches trio of the Philippines and the next edition features coaches Trisa Cheer and Moree Kwong from Fiji who share their impressions on the Coach Education course and how they aim to apply what they’ve learnt, from the Coach Education course, in a practical coaching environment in Fiji. The coaches share how the in-person Education provides them with a fantastic opportunity to learn more, develop and upskill as World Triathlon accredited coaches, while presenting them with valuable access to resources and other coaches. The shared learning and information generated from the course, will help the coaches develop and build pathways for the sport and athletes in Fiji.

Trisa Cheer, an experienced open water coach and Technical Official and previously, the World Triathlon Continental Coordinator for Oceania, was already enrolled in the 2022 online edition of the Korea project, but due to the lack of resources mentioned in this interview, online learning proved to be difficult back then. It was great to have Trisa return and attend the course, enabling World Triathlon to support her in person to complete the course. It was also remarkable that Moreen Kwong was also able to participate and the two coaches can align and work collectively, to deliver coaching programmes in Fiji.

World Triathlon is pleased to announce that its Official Licensing and Merchandise Partner, Tribe Solutions, has reached an exclusive agreement with Omius Inc. to become an Official Partner of the World Triathlon Official Store in 2024.

As part of the agreement, the World Triathlon Official Store will offer Omius cooling headwear both online and at events. Triathlon clubs will also be able to order custom Omius headwear via worldtriathlonstore.com.

“We are very pleased that Omius will be supplying the Official Store in 2024”, said World Triathlon Head of Commercial and Marketing Kris Gemmell. “Having Omius products available onsite at WTCS Events and online via The World Triathlon Store will increase our high-tech apparel merchandise range.”

“As the pioneer of wearable cooling headwear, we are delighted to expand our partnership with triathletes of all levels around the world”, said Omius Inc’s Jake Leschly.  “We are excited to partner with the World Triathlon Official Store and enable athletes perform better and be more comfortable.”

Robert Flynn, Director of Tribe Solutions added; “The World Triathlon Official Store is excited to carry cooling headwear technology from Omius. With the key events of 2024 in warmer climates, cooling headwear products are sure to be popular.”

For more information regarding licensing and merchandising opportunities in the World Triathlon Official Store please contact Tribe Solutions via email: sales@tribesolutions.com.

With the aim set on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and beyond, World Triathlon is pleased to announce that applications for the 2024 Team World Triathlon are now open, welcoming new team members.

The elite athlete development program, supporting Olympic Qualification, has been in operation since 2006. Previous editions have provided assistance to notable athletes such as Olympic Champion Flora Duffy and London Olympics silver medallist Lisa Norden, just to name a few. Thirty athletes have been members of Team World Triathlon, qualifying for one or more Olympic Games over the years.

The primary objective of the project is to provide support, resources, and expertise to athletes from emerging/developing National Federations (NF Group* 2, 3B, 3A) with the potential to compete at the World Triathlon Cup level and qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. Being only some months away from the end of the Paris Olympic Qualification Period (27 May 2024), the project will focus on the potential Olympic athletes for Paris 2024 until the end of May 2024.
(*Note: for NF Groups please visit National Federation Survey)

In 2024, two World Triathlon Cup events have been named as the Team World Triathlon events until the Olympic Qualification cut-off date (27 May 2024). These include Chengdu (China) on April 29, and Samarkand (Uzbekistan) on May 18.

In order to be eligible, athletes must have been born in 1994 or after. Athletes also must have the potential to be able to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games via one of the following qualification pathways:
      - Individual Olympic Qualification Ranking
      -  World Triathlon Ranking - Continental “New Flag”
      - Universality Invitational Place (IOC Tripartite Commission)

All athletes must be registered and in good standing with their National Federations, demonstrating the ability to race at a high level. The nominated athletes should be committed to long-term competition, with the ultimate objective of participating in the Olympic Games.

After the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualification period,  World Triathlon will release a Next Triathlon Generation - Team World Triathlon Programme for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games & beyond in July 2024.

Applications must be submitted in writing to World Triathlon Development, and each applicant must be entered by their National Federation for the respective World Triathlon Cup event via the online entry method by the event’s closing date. If the National Federation fails to register the applicant on time, the application will not be considered.

Find the application form on the Team World Triathlon website. The deadline for application is February 26, 2024 (Chengdu) and March 25, 2024 (Samarkand).

Coaches play a central role in Triathlon development at every level around the world. With the growing remit and increase in expectations, it is critical that a clear and comprehensive approach to developing coaches is a key building block to ensure the future development of Triathlon. As part of the World Triathlon Coach Education program, the Development team has launched an interview series to provide insights about the World Triathlon coaching education pathways, courses, benefits of education and continuous professional development.

World Triathlon Coach Education Program has several key outcomes:
  - To grow and develop the sport globally by making high-quality coach education accessible to all National Federations, regardless of their developmental status (developing through to established)
  - Providing a quality-assured framework for coach education and development that underpins coach development initiatives
  - Providing coaches with a coach development pathway for all roles from high performance to grassroots coaching, which gives them the ability to develop their competence and effectiveness by international standards, regardless of their professional status (voluntary or paid)
  - To provide a mechanism by which coaches from all National Federations can progress along the coaching pathway, should they so desire

World Triathlon Development recorded the first interviews, of the series, with Level 1 and Level 2 coaches who attended the Korea Triathlon - World Triathlon Coaching Education Programme in Seoul in November 2023.

Please meet the coaches trio of the Philippines and stay tuned for more interviews as part of the series.

 

The World Triathlon Women’s Committee is pleased to announce that the application process for the 2024 Award of Excellence (AOE) is open. National Federations are encouraged to nominate an individual or an organisation that has made a significant and meaningful contribution to women’s involvement at all levels of the sport of triathlon and para triathlon. Nominations will be evaluated by the AOE selection committee including an external peer review panel that will carefully weigh each nominees’ relevant awards and honours, accomplishments in advancing women in triathlon and the nominator’s endorsement of the individual or organisation. The award honours those displaying leadership, creativity, and commitment to empowering women and girls in the sport.

We encourage all to review the 2024 Award of Excellence Criteria and 2024 Award of Excellence Nomination Form which will help ensure your nominee’s achievements and contributions are presented effectively. Completed nomination forms should be submitted to womensaward@triathlon.org by Sunday, 31st March 2024 (midnight CEST).

The World Triathlon Women’s Committee has bestowed its Award of Excellence annually since 2012. During that time, the award recipients have each displayed great inspiration and served as role models to women and youth engaged in triathlon. The award recipients each epitomise the importance of how one individual or an organisation can affect a positive influence on the triathlon community. The Women’s Committee encourages all National Federations to nominate a deserving individual or organisation that has made a tremendous impact in promoting women in our sport.

IMPORTANT REMINDER

National Federations must ensure to complete all portions of the Nomination Form for the submission to be eligible and email it to womensaward@triathlon.org by Sunday, 31st March 2024 (midnight CET). The completed form must be endorsed by the National Federation/Continental Confederation, World Triathlon Executive Board or Committees/Commissions signed by the President, CEO, or Secretary General.

A star-studded start list headed to Stockton, with the Oceania Triathlon Para Championships kicking off the 2024 season for Australia’s top para triathletes.

In a crucial year with the focus firmly fixed on the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, Stockton marked the first Paralympic ranking race of the year - with athletes eager to claim Oceania titles and boost their positions in the world rankings.

Following the weekend’s racing, a number of Australian athletes have shot up the rankings to find themselves in positions that would earn quota positions or automatic nominations for the Paralympic Games in Paris.

Australia welcomed nine new Oceania champions, with many of them making it multiple title wins.

Lauren Parker (PTWC) secured her sixth Oceania title, while Nic Beveridge (PTWC) celebrated his fifth victory.

Jeremy Peacock (PTS4) clinched his fourth Oceania title, with both Anu Francis (PTS2) and Sam Harding (PTVI) emerging victorious for the third time.

Thomas Goodman (PTS2), Jack Howell (PTS5), Grace Brimelow (PTS4) and Maggie Sandles (PTVI) became first-time Oceania champions.

With his eyes fixed firmly on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Peacock said triumph at the Oceania Championships was a great way to start his year.

“Overall really happy to come away with the win. The aim is to get to Paris, today was a really good start for that in terms of rankings. For me, to be able to represent my country in something that I love, would mean a hell of alot.” said Peacock.

Thomas Walvin (PTWC), Glen Jarvis (PTS2), Sally Pilbeam (PTS4), Liam Twomey (PTS4), David Bryant (PTS5) and Caroline Baird (PTVI) all secured silver in their respective categories, while Matthew Engesser (PTS4) and Natalie Shaw (PTS4) added bronze medals to Australia’s haul.

Engesser, a remarkable 16-year-old-talent, further highlighted the emergence of promising talent in the nation’s para triathlon scene. He grew up watching the Paralympics and said it felt surreal to share the course with the likes of Parker, Beveridge, Harding and Bryant, who have all represented Australia at the Games.

“I felt honoured. It was a good experience, I’m very happy with my result, I surprised myself a bit. My goal is to make the Paralympics at Brisbane 2032 and be ranked number one in my classification. I just want to do really well.” Engesser said.

Attention now turns to Devonport in March for the first World Triathlon Para Series race of the year. Devonport emerges as another crucial opportunity for athletes to earn points in the qualification rankings before the qualification period ends on 1 July 2024.

In addition to hosting the World Triathlon Para Series opener, Devonport will also host the Oceania Triathlon Sprint and Mixed Relay Championships and the Australian Elite and U23 Sprint Championships.

Review the full list of results from Stockton.
Review the World Triathlon Paralympic Games Qualification Rankings.
Review the 2024 Paris Paralympic Nomination Criteria.

The Women in Sport High-performance pathway programme (WISH) coach Lini Kazim from Malaysia spent January in Alicante, Spain, joining the training group of Roberto Cejuela Anta at the University of Alicante. Lini Kazim was the last participant of the WISH programme starting her leadership education in August 2023. Lini spent January in Alicante, closely following the training and activities of the group led by Roberto. This experience forms part of her sport-specific mentorship.

“I learnt as soon as I introduced myself to Roberto Cejuela and his team that high performance coaching is all in the details. The opportunity to be totally immersed in their daily work has brought so much clarity to what I have learnt in theory. It feels like every moment is an Eureka moment!

This is beyond what I expect of technical, sport-specific mentoring and should be set as the new gold standard. Thank you World Triathlon for raising the bar yet again,” said Lini Kazim.

This is not the first time that World Triathlon Development has worked together with Roberto Cejeula. Prior to the Tokyo Olympic Games, Olympic hopeful, Basmla Elsalamoney from Egypt joined his group as part of her final preparation within the Olympic Qualification period.

World Triathlon would like to thank Roberto Cejuela Anta and his group for welcoming developing athletes and coaches, who want to take the next step in their personal development.

2024 Certification Revalidation of Coaches (CRoC)
As in each year, World Triathlon Certified Coaches will again be required to complete online learning tasks between 1 February and 31 March 2024 to fulfil revalidation requirements. Besides current anti-doping updates, this year’s focus will be Body Confident Coaching. Participants will also be required to complete the new Nutrition Module if they have not done so yet (this resource is optionally available within the coaches’ course since August 2023).

Completing the anti-doping tasks of the current revalidation will result in the same eligibility for event accreditations as completing the High-Performance Coach Anti-Doping Education 2024 course. Coaches who complete the revalidation will not need to take that course, they can be accredited to World Triathlon events straightforward.

Korea Triathlon - World Triathlon Coaches Education: Extraordinary milestone

TRI Coach Education Video Series
World Triathlon Development recorded interviews with L1 and L2 coaches attending the Korea Triathlon - World Triathlon Coaching Education Programme in Seoul in November 2023. This interview series provides insights about the TRI coaching education pathways, courses, benefits of education, and continuous professional development. Please meet the coaches trio of the Philippines: WATCH THE VIDEO.

Annual Coach Education Report to the National Federations

World Triathlon Development continues providing detailed annual coaching education reports to each National Federation about their educational achievements, including Level 1 and Level 2 completion details, Level 2 eligibility, and year-by-year revalidation statuses of all their coaches in our database. The reports will be sent just prior to the launch of the 2024 Certification Revalidation of Coaches (CRoC) process, aiming that NF representatives are well informed, can take ownership of the education and progression of their coaches, and can plan according to the current status.

2023 TRI Coach Education in figures
World Triathlon Development delivered 15 face-to-face courses in 2023 (11 on Level 1 and 4 on Level 2) and launched two continuously available, fully online revalidation opportunities for expired and pre-2014 certificates. Olympic Solidarity founded six of the Level 1 courses.

In total, 206 new coach certificates were issued, 157 (76%) on Level 1 and 49 (24%) on Level 2. Among successful participants, 135 (66%) are male, and 71 (34%) are female. Olympic Solidarity made it possible for 75 individuals to earn a World Triathlon Level 1 Coaching Certificate.

Eligible lists - Level 2 Coaches Education
World Triathlon published the lists of all eligible coaches per continent who can take their education to the next level (Level 2). Please check out on Triathlon.org. If you want to continue your coaching journey, please contact your continental coordinator and express interest. 
Asia Triathlon - List of World Triathlon Level 2 Eligible Coaches 2024
Africa Triathlon - List of World Triathlon Level 2 Eligible Coaches 2024
Europe Triathlon - List of World Triathlon Level 2 Eligible Coaches 2024
Americas Triathlon - List of World Triathlon Level 2 Eligible Coaches 2024
Oceania Triathlon - List of World Triathlon Level 2 Eligible Coaches 2024