On
Saturday 13 July, the women’s 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series Hamburg
will see not just the leading lights of this year’s world championship title
charge going shoulder to shoulder for the third time, but several of the names
on everyone’s lips for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games gold hitting the blue
carpet.
For the
23rd consecutive year the streets of Hamburg will be in thrall to the speed and
sights and sounds of world-class triathlon racing, and with defending champion
here Cassandre Beaugrand back to her best in Cagliari and Beth Potter looking
to continue her pitch-perfect progress to Paris, this year’s edition looks set
to be a classic.
The
sprint-distance affair begins as ever with the 750m swim that includes a 40m
section in near total darkness under the bridge back towards the ramp. From
there the fast and flat 20km bike covers six laps before it all boils down to a
searing 5km (2-lap) run to the tape.
Watch all
the action from 3.55pm CEST pm over on TriathlonLive.tv.
Lombardi
leads the line
It is
Beaugrand’s French teammate Emma Lombardi who leads the Series and wears the
number one this time around, coming in hot off a fourth place in Cagliari and
bronze in Yokohama in May. Still only 22 years of age but with one of the
coolest heads out there on the circuit, a first Series win surely can’t be far
off.
Only one
previous appearance in Hamburg was undone by trouble on the bike segment that
left Lombardi way off the pace. The fourth fastest run splits in both the
Series races so far in 2024 show exactly where she needs to find the gains to
hit the gold.
Former
Hamburg medallists take aim
Lisa
Tertsch is the top-ranked German woman in Hamburg and no stranger to the podium
here. One of the fastest runners on the circuit as she proved on route to
silver in Cagliari with the top split by a second over Beaugrand, the
25-year-old was also a bronze medallist two years ago.
Beaugrand
could be favourite to wrestle that top time over the 5km this weekend, however,
after crushing the elimination format last year to claim the second Hamburg
gold of her career. The winner in Cagliari, second in the 2023 Series and a
clear favourite to medal at a home Games, these are the moments Cassandre
Beaugrand will look back on for the rest of her days. Just how far will she go?
The woman
who shared the headlines but took the spoils last year and could well have a
decisive role to play again this time around is Britain’s Beth Potter. She may not have been 100% in Cagliari but
still took the bronze and is oozing a calm confidence under the spotlight of
reigning world champion and Test Event winner. Hamburg will be another
fascinating insight into her form and prospects.
Jorgensen
and Zaferes headline for USA
Two
long-term legends of US triathlon will be able to focus their attentions on the
Series after the Olympic proved elusive, two of whom know what it takes to be
world champion. For Katie Zaferes and Gwen Jorgensen, the road back to
triathlon’s top table has been far from plain sailing, but the journeys have
certainly been gripping, and both find themselves on the cusp of the top 20 in
the rankings with just one scoring race so far. Jorgensen won here in 2014 and
2015, Zaferes in 2016. Never would a beer shower feel so good as it would to
podium again in 2024.
Further
medal potential lies with Maya Kingma (NED) and Jeanne Lehair (LUX), both
sizing up their Olympic prospects with a Hamburg hit out and knowing they can
be as good as anyone on their day.
Expect
Kingma to set the pace in the swim along with Italy’s Bianca Seregni and GB duo
Kate Waugh and Olivia Mathias. For Waugh, inclusion in the GB team for Paris
will still be ringing loud and a third WTCS Hamburg would be the perfect time
to shine ahead of the race of her life. Rachel Klamer (11 Hamburg appearances)
and Alice Betto (7 appearances to date) have the experience and power to be
present, correct and competing for the medals at the pointy end once again on a
course they know well.
FULL
START LIST
WTCS
HAMBURG
13 May,
3.55pm local time
TriathlonLive.tv
https://triathlon.org/events/start_list/2024_world_triathlon_championship_series_hamburg/627965
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