Saturday, July 15, 2023

Drama-filled qualifiers set up big Saturday of World Triathlon CS Hamburg racing as 60 athletes make it through to first ever Super-Sprint World Championship Finals


 

The first-ever world titles in the two-day super-sprint format are up for grabs at a packed WTCS Hamburg on Saturday afternoon, but first there was the sizeable challenge of qualification for the three-stage showdown as the best in the world toed the line looking for safe passage to the finals.

Friday morning saw the two men’s and two women's qualifying heats, the top 10 from each going straight through to the final. The next twenty had to head to one of two repechages Friday evening, from which the top 5 of each also made it through for a chance to become the 2023 World Triathlon Super-Sprint Champion.

The course was tight and testing, the 300m swim including the ever-disarming darkness of a 40m tunnel section, followed by three laps of 2.5km of the city centre streets and closing out with a 1.75km run. It was a one-off for the qualifiers and repechages, the whole thing repeated three times in Satuday's finals, where the last ten across the line shaved off the next start leaving ten men for the gold.

 

MEN'S QUALIFIERS

The first taster of Super-Sprint action in Hamburg took the form of two men’s qualifiers, the short-swim tactics, pontoon position and double-tunnel set-up made for a dramatic 300m opening salvo, and it was Canada’s Brock Hoel steaming through to transition in heat One, Gianluca Pozzatti (ITA) tucked in behind.

There were 28 athletes together for most of the bike, Jonas Schomburg and Alex Yee pushing the pace into T2 along with Tjebbe Kaindl, the likes of Manoel Messias and Tyler Mislawchuk on the cusp of the top 10.

Kaindl suffered on the run and began to save legs for the repechage, ahead it was Jacob Birtwhistle and Antonio Serrat Seaone joining the likes of Vasco Vilaça and Jelle Geens into the Finals.

Heat Two was dominated early on by Matt Hauser after a strong swim saw him clear, Hayden Wilde struggling in the water but soon back up among the leaders after the first bike lap.

Csongor Lehmann was going well too, with Tim Hellwig also flying early on, but it was Max Studer making up impressive ground early on the run to make sure he was sistting safely inside the ten.

In fact there was clear daylight between that lead ten and the 11th-place Joao Perreira, who didn’t manage to recover from a tough swim and switched to setting his sights on the repechage, ahead Blummenfelt making 100% sure of his safe passage along with Miguel Hidalgo (BRA) and Marten Van Riel (BEL).

 

WOMEN'S QUALIFIERS

The first day of the first-ever Super-Sprint World Championships continued with the two women’s heats on Friday morning, the top 10 from each assured of a place in Saturday’s three-stage shoot-out for the gold, the remaining 40 into the evening repechage from which a further 10 progress to the WTCS Hamburg finale and a shot at the first Super-Sprint World titles.

The first heat saw Zsanett Bragmayer go out fast and hard, Vittoria Lopes likewise, and the Brazilian took to the front and stayed there, the pair making a useful early break that they took with them on the first lap of three on the bike. Behind them, Beth Potter had also had a good swim, Taylor Spivey tucked in behind her as they came up the ramp.

The front two had 10 seconds over the chasers after lap one and even stretched the advantage over the remaining 5km ride, but Lopes struggled in transition and the ever-efficient Bragmayer was away. The Brazilian was soon snaffled by the chasers, and 11 athletes were suddenly vying for the 9 spots available with the Hungarian looking safe up ahead.

As Lopes faded, it was Alissa Konig (SUI) in the unlucky 11th spot behind Alberte Kjaer Pedersen, Lisa Tertsch safely in 4th, European Games champion Solveig Lovseth of Norway also progressing.

Heat Two saw Gwen Jorgensen taking the left tunnel all alone and making the most of the clear water to have a solid swim and emerge just 14 seconds off leaders Cassandre Beaugrand, Kirsten Kasper and Brea Roderick (NZL).

That trio got away for one lap before a 19-deep group formed, Katie Zaferes and Jeanne Lehair just sitting off the back and waiting for what would be a critical 1.75km run ahead.

The American was able to pick her way through towards Laura Lindemann and Sophie Linn ahead, all safely though and joined by Rachel Klamer and Ainsley Thorpe in the finals, Summer Rappaport struggling with her shoes in T2 and finishing 11th and heading to the repechage.

 

REPECHAGES

Few if any of the 40 men and 38 women heading in to Friday evening’s repechage races would have wanted another crack at the frenetic and tight WTCS Hamburg super sprint course, but the top 5 from each of the four races will be riding high after making it through for a shot at the format’s first World Championships.

They include USA’s Gwen Jorgensen, who had a 20-second deficit to make up and only the 1.75km run to do it in out of T2, and in the fading light managed to summon a classic kick to sear past the unfortunate Ilaria Zane and take a hard-earned finals berth.

Summer Rappaport had taken control of the heat from the swim along with Natalie Van Coevorden, and both were able to pull away and stay safe as part of a 7-deep lead group from which Lena Meissner and Julia Hauser also progressed.

For Australia’s Emma Jackson it was also a case of leaving it late, 11 seconds off the front pack at the bell but able to dig into the reserves and pass the likes of Lotte Miller and Yuko Takahashi to reach the finals. Jolien Vermeylen had controlled the race after swimming the 300m a full 17 seconds quicker and powering the run, Selina Klamt, Nora Gmur and Lizeth Rueda Santos also finishing in the top 5 to qualify.

The men’s races weren’t without drama either, Seth Rider looking as surprised as anyone to see himself suddenly in fifth at the death after Shachar Sagiv had to take a 10 second penalty just before the finish chute.

Dylan McCullough’s brave solo bid faded over the closing stages as Henri Schoeman went through the gears to take his place in the finals just off the shoulder of Germany’s Valentin Wernz, Janus Staufenberg and Roberto Sanchez Mantecon also through.

It was another German, Lasse Nygaard Priester, who had finished on top of the day’s first repechage, redemption for his narrowest of disappointments in the morning race, likewise Bence Bicsak who had broken clear with Mark Devay and Jonas Schomburg on the bike, those two unable to match the pace of those arriving up to them out of T2, Jawad Abdelmoula and Lasse Luhrs joining them before Matthew McElroy’s late surge into the finals.

Full results can be found here. https://triathlon.org/results/result/2023_world_triathlon_sprint_relay_championships_hamburg?mc_cid=84517c09fe&mc_eid=6139649918

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