The Polish city of Krakow will be the
stage for triathlon’s second European Games outing, the first since Baku 2015,
for a standard-distance challenge between some of the continent’s biggest names
and up-and-coming stars.
On Tuesday 27 June, 55 women from 24
nations will toe the line on the edge of the beautiful Nowa Huta Lake at 10am
to the east of the city centre, the 1.5km swim transitions to an 8-lap, 40km
bike and finishes with a 4-lap 10km run for the title. Wednesday 28 June will
be the turn for the men, sixty men from 27 nations.
Men's Preview
Michelle Sarzilla will wear the
number one, the Italian currently sitting at number 21 in the world having
posted career best results in 2022 including a first Series top 10 at WTCS
Cagliari in October. A multiple national triathlon and duathlon champion and
Europe Triathlon Cup medallist, Krakow could be the 34-year-old’s perfect
moment to shine.
Compatriot Gianluca Pozzatti also
shone in that home Series race last October and quickly followed it up with a
maiden World Cup win in Miyazaki. Ever-solid across all three disciplines, his
staying power will be all-important over the second half of the run if he is to
medal. That will be particularly true given the pedigree of three-time World
Champion and recently-crowned Duathlon World Champion Mario Mola who starts for
Spain with only one thing on his mind – another major title.
The Swiss team sees the in-form trio
of Adrien Briffod, Sylvain Fridelance and Simon Westermann ready to take the
race on, Briffod having hit European Championship bronze in Madrid just a
matter of weeks ago. Fridelance would love to see his consistency develop into
meaningful medal challenges over the closing stages, while Westermann will want
to bounce back from his DNF disappointment in Madrid where he was forced to
pull out with illness.
Marcin Stanglewicz has become a
regular on the World Cup start lines in recent years and leads a trio of Polish
athletes hoping to make an impact and light up the course with the more
experienced Maciej Bruzdziak and Michal Oliwa.
There may be no Gordon Benson this
time around, winner in the inaugural event eight years ago, but British hopes
for a medal remain strong with the U23 World Champion Connor Bentley and the
man that took him almost all the way to the finish in Abu Dhabi last November,
Hamish Reilly. Bentley has two European Cup wins in two starts this season, the
most recent in the northern Polish city of Olsztyn, and European Games gold
could certainly be within his reach.
Frenchman Paul Georgenthum has plenty
of experience on his young shoulders and is a strong finisher, the U23 worlds
runner-up and Mixed Relay Champion will be unfazed by the size of the event,
likewise Azeri Rostislav Pevtsov, bronze medallist in Baku and looking to go on
the attack in Krakow. Austria’s Alois Knabl has experience aplenty that could
be a decisive factor in the pressure pot of a major Games.
A strong Norway delegation stars
Casper Stornes and Vetle Bergsvik Thorn, both vying for Paris 2024 spots and
both hugely capable of putting together winning displays when it matters,
Stornes a former WTCS Bermuda champion and Thorn another past Olsztyn winner
and powerful cyclist who may look to force a breakaway.
The Slovakian Richard Varga will
doubtless be one of the names setting the pace in the 1.5km swim, his staying
power likely to be there after recent forays into longer distance racing, while
Israel’s biking machine Shachar Sagiv will back himself for a shot at the
podium.
For the full start list click here https://triathlon.org/events/start_list/2023_krakow_malopolska_european_games/582449?mc_cid=992b968f09&mc_eid=6139649918
Women's Preview
The women’s podium at the inaugural
European Games Triathlon 8 years ago in Baku was a remarkable trio of talent,
topped by Nicola Spirig, with Rachel Klamer and Lisa Norden second and third.
This year’s edition may feature fewer
Olympic greats, but the talent runs deep through a start list that is headed up
by Italy’s Verena Steinhauser. Consistently in and around the top 10 at Series
and World Cup level and with a handful of podium showings, victory in Krakow
would be the perfect launchpad into the 28-year-old’s next Olympic campaign.
Hungary’s Zsanett Bragmayer has been
in sparkling form across a range of formats already this year including the
Arena Games, Duathlon and Aquathlon World Championships and has moved forward
considerably since her European Games 31st-place in 2015. Expect a front-pack
swim-bike before all eyes switch to that 10km staying power.
Alberte Kjaer Pedersen leads the line
for Denmark, the irrepressible 24-year-old who burst into the big time in 2021
with a World Cup triumph in Huatulco and U23 world silver, scored another gold
in Miyazaki in late 2022 and could be a decisive player in how the Krakow
racing plays out.
One of those that Pedersen out-ran in
Japan was Olivia Mathias, one of three Brits who have a strong chance of
medalling and are no strangers to some of the biggest podiums in the world,
including U23 World Championships, Commonwealth Games and World Cups. Sian
Rainsley has had few racing opportunities since returning to full fitness,
Sophie Alden also raring to go as she hits only her third start line of 2023.
The Austrians also have three major
contenders in Julia Hauser, Sara Vilic and Therese Feursinger, while Sandra
Dodet could be the one to beat if she is in touch off the bike and out onto the
run. Nobody on the start list has won more World Cup medals than the
26-year-old French star and her ability to pull clear and hold her nerve over
the final kilometres has been proven time and again.
Jolien Vermeylen was the Belgian
breakout last year with a hard-fought World Cup silver in Bergen, the national
champion now also a regular on the WTCS circuit and looking to build on what
was a disappointing 27th place at the European Championships in Madrid. On the
subject of Bergen, Lotte Miller continues to plot a path back to her very best
form and the former Junior Worlds bronze medallist who finished 20th at the
sprightly age of 19 at the European Games Baku will be one to watch if she can
carve out an advantage on the bike over the likes of Dodet and Vermeylen.
Full start lists available here https://triathlon.org/events/start_list/2023_krakow_malopolska_european_games/582450?mc_cid=992b968f09&mc_eid=6139649918
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