Samarkand hosts final weekend of World Triathlon Cup action in the Olympic Qualification period

 

One weekend, two World Cups, two continents, one huge goal: Paris 2024 Qualification. As we reach the pointy end of the chases for places on the 30 July Olympic start line, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, gets ready to host an Olympic-distance thriller that could decide the 2024 Games destiny of several athletes.

It’s a two-lap, 1500m swim with no out-and-back-in at halfway, before an attritional 40km ride with rolling climbs, a dead turn and two s-bends on each of the 6 laps, before four flat, tight 2.5km run laps to the tape.

For some of the athletes from Germany, Italy, Japan, USA and Hungary, a strong result here could be the final determinant of a place on the team for Paris. For others, including members of Team World Triathlon, the points won here could also help secure qualification once the numbers are crunched post-WTCS Cagliari.

Put simply, now is the moment to pull out the performances of a lifetime, and you can watch it all unfold on TriathlonLive.tv from 10.30am local time on Saturday 18 March.

 

WOMEN'S PREVIEW:

Xinyu Lin wears the one

After the disappointment of a DNF in Chengdu, China’s medal hope Xinyu Lin wears the number one with renewed determination to become her country’s first ever World Cup champion this weekend. An Asian Games and Asian Continental runner-up, Xinyu was also the Asia Cup silver medallist here in 2022 behind Sinem Francisca Tous Servera, who also goes out for Turkey.

Both women look on course for their first Olympic Games on 31 July, Tous with two potential qualifying options; either through her individual ranking or the Europe New Flag. If the latter, it could have a huge impact on the Olympic fortunes of the Slovakian trio of Ivana Kuriackova, Zuzana Michalickova and Romana Gajdosova, with the three in close contention for that possible New Flag slot, though Michalickova will hope to put it beyond any doubt and score individual qualification herself with a strong race.

Races for places continues among Team World Triathlon

The young Slovak stands 10 places behind Erica Hawley, Bermuda’s latest talent and the last name currently in the automatic qualification slots. All four have been central figures of Team World Triathlon in recent years, the development squad dedicated to helping athletes from smaller National Federations with fewer resources to realise their Olympic potential. Czech duo Petra Kurikova and Tereza Zimovjanova join the three Slovakians on the team for Samarkand.

Bronze medallist in Chengdu and in a brilliant run of form is Poland’s Roksana Slupek. The 24-year-old has already surpassed her 6-race first qualification period points total in just three outings, and followed that first World Cup medal with Asia Cup gold in Taizhou last weekend. In form and one to watch, she was shoulder-to-shoulder with Tilda Mansson for much of that 10km in China, proving she has the speed to challenge for the medals at this level. The rising Swedish star scooped yet another World Cup podium and starts here hungry for redemption after a mechanical took her out of WTCS Yokohama before her race got going.

Nothing flat about Holland’s return

The British team can count on a former World Champion in Vicky Holland, who follows up what proved an excellent return to Series racing with 18th in Yokohama. She will be alongside Hong Kong World Cup Champion Sian Rainsley and rising star Jessica Fullagar.

Ilaria Zane will want to tighten her grip on a possible place in Paris for Team Italy, while Germany’s Lena Meissner, a bronze-winning revelation at the 2022 Championship Finals Abu Dhabi, arrives on a mission to rediscover that magic once more.

If Therese Feuersigner can set the swim alight just as she did in Chengdu, the Austrian could blow the race wide open, Australia’s Emma Jeffcoat likely to be right there with her in the water as she continues her World Cup comeback.

 

MEN'S PREVIEW

Schomburg and Priester, one and two

The race number one is Germany’s Jonas Schomburg. The 30-year-old followed career-best silver in Chengdu at the end of April with 19th in Yokohama to anchor himself at 17th in the Olympic rankings with two races to go, 16 spots ahead of nearest rival Lasse Nygaard Priester.

Priester has four World Cup podiums to his name, including a Karlovy Vary win in 2021, but has lost ground on Schomburg in the first races of this year. After a poor swim in China, Priester actually had one of his best in Yokohama, exiting just 17 seconds behind Schomburg, but it is the race number one who is sure to be piling on the pressure from the outset, knowing that another podium here would surely see him safely to Paris.

Hungarians’ seek to divide and conquer

The Hungarians in action this weekend hoping for top 30 finishes to guarantee their full Olympic delegation of three men are Mark Devay and Gabor Faldum in Samarkand, Bence Bicsak in Huatulco. Only a maximum of two can join Csongor Lehmann in Paris, and just five places separate the contenders.

If true to form in Uzbekistan, Devay will no doubt be one of the first out of the water, Faldum one of the fastest over the run. For now, what that ultimately reveals in the results is anyone’s guess, but the raw hunger of both to podium should be in no doubt.

For Japan’s top-ranked Makoto Odakura and Aoba Yasumatsu, the race is on to deliver the decisive display that could see either man join Kenji Nener in Paris. Seth Rider will also be eager to put himself right in the shop window to join Morgan Pearson for a first Games, or even scoop a first World Cup win that would suddenly put the USA in the reckoning for a third men’s spot.

Swiss looking to boss the bike

Bike powerhouses Simon Westermann and Sylvain Fridelance – 65th and 69th in the rankings – will want to put themselves in the frame for Team Switzerland. France’s Paul Georgenthum and former U23 World Champion Conor Bentley (GBR) should have designs on a big performance on Saturday, Emil Holm’s unfortunate collision in Yokohama and strong showing in Chengdu could see him primed for a big push.

Tyler Smith is the sole male member of Team World Triathlon in Samarkand, the Bermudian looking to secure the big finish that would pay off the hard work on the bike in recent outings, and along with the fearless young Greek Panagiotis Bitados and Morocco’s Badr Siwane will be ones to watch on Saturday.