This weekend sees the fifth edition of the World Triathlon Championship Series Montreal, and a brand-new format unveiled as the athletes compete over two days on a super-sprint city-centre course. Friday’s qualification races and repechage will determine the 30 names onto the start list for Saturday’s three-part final, when the top 20 from race one progress to race two, after which just ten men will remain to go for the gold.
The action is going to be fast and
unpredictable, with just enough time between races to recalibrate the body,
reset transitions and clear the head before preparing to go again. The course
consists of a 300m swim, 3-lap/7.2km bike and 2-lap/2km run. Tactics will be
key, saving energy for as long as possible without risking elimination and
keeping the chase on not just for the podium in Montreal, but also vital points
in the hunt to become the 2021 World Champion.
You can watch all the action on
TriathlonLive from 11.15am local time / 17.15 CEST Friday, with the finals
underway at 1.30pm local time Saturday.
Qualification race one
The first men’s race of the day will
see some of the fastest swimmers on the circuit looking to gain the early
advantage, with Marten van Riel (BEL), Tayler Reid (NZL) and Vincent Luis (FRA)
among the big names eager to get clear of the pack. Van Riel has been in flying
form in 2021, posted the second-fastest leg of anyone in the Olympic Mixed
Relay less than two weeks ago and finds himself the top-ranked athlete with no
Kristian Blummenfelt or Alex Yee lining up in Montreal.
New Zealand’s Reid was the fastest
man in the water in that relay closely followed by Luis, and both will be
looking to put themselves safely into the front bike pack on Friday to ensure
qualification. Elsewhere, Antonio Serrat Seoane looks ready to continue his
ascension to the top table of Spanish triathlon in a format that could suit his
attritional power, and Brazil’s Manoel Messias will be looking to deploy his
sprint power as and when necessary to ensure his progress.
Kevin McDowell was in sparkling form
in Tokyo and will have taken huge confidence from his contribution to Team
USA’s Olympic Mixed Relay silver over the shorter distance. Australia’s Aaron
Royle and Brandon Copeland, German duo Valentin Wernz and Jonas Breinlinger and
Swiss star Sylvain Fridelance will all be making sure that the first of the
men’s quests for a top ten finish will be absolutely gripping down the final
yards.
Qualification race two
There is strong Antipodean
representation in the second men’s race, too, Hayden Wilde having bounded his
way to a superb Olympic bronze and standing fifth in the Series rankings. Tokyo
was only Wilde’s second taste of World Triathlon racing in almost 18 months but
followed a great comeback at WTCS Leeds and the New Zealander will have the
wind in his sails once again here in Montreal.
Third here in 2018, Jacob Birtwhistle
has the kind of kick that can get him out of trouble if called upon over the
closing stages of the run and will be among the favourites to go all the way,
fellow Australian Matthew Hauser likewise and both should be well-suited to the
relentless demands of the new format.
French duo Leo Bergere and Dorian
Coninx will be hoping they’ll move on without any surprises and find teammate
and fellow Olympian Vincent Luis in Saturday’s finals, Belgium’s Jelle Geens
still looking to vanquish his misfortune at missing the Olympic individual race
with a grandstand performance in the city he scooped his first WTCS gold two
years ago. Jeremy Briand is the sole Canadian to start, making his debut at the
WTCS level and looking to give the home crowds plenty to cheer across the two
days.
The full start lists can be found
here. https://triathlon.org/events/start_lists/2021_world_triathlon_montreal?mc_cid=874e027514&mc_eid=6139649918
ABOUT WORLD TRIATHLON
World Triathlon is the international
governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all
related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon,
cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in
Sydney 2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the programme
at Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic programme
at Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development of the
sport worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and transparency at
our core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the sport to be
extraordinary.
Michael Phelps Teaches Swimming
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