The Australian duo of Matthew Hauser (AUS) and Ellie Hoitink were in a class of their own as they sealed the golds at the Oceania Championships. For Hauser, the win was a perfect way to launch his Olympic year - the winner of the 2023 WTCS Montreal has already qualified for the Australia team in Paris and has set his sights on bringing home at least one Olympic gold this summer. Meanwhile, Hoitink remains in the throes of a tight race to claim a spot on the Australian women’s team. Winning in Taupo will have certainly given her hopes a welcome boost.

Hauser asserts his dominance

From the first strokes of the swim, Hauser was at the front of the men’s race. He would eventually share the lead out of the water with Brayden Mercer (AUS) and led a select group of six men that initially threatened to break clear on the bike. TTayler Reid (NZL) was one of the more obvious dangers in the lead pack. Shortly after, the pack grew as the likes of Brandon Copeland (AUS), Oscar Dart (AUS) and Saxon Morgan (NZL) rode up to it.

Over the course of the bike, the leaders would put significant time into the rest of the field. They arrived in T2 the best part of a minute to the good. Having been untroubled by the first two disciplines, Hauser then gradually pulled away on the run.

Reid managed to stick with the Australian for the longest and his efforts were rewarded with the silver medal. Copeland then secured the bronze ahead of a charging Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) who logged the fastest run of the day from the chase pack.

Hoitink’s breakthrough performance

When she arrived in Taupo, Ellie Hoitink had never won an international triathlon. She had come away with medals on previous occasions however a maiden win remained elusive. At the Oceania Championships over the sprint distance in Devonport, she had finished 4th behind a podium of Jaz Hedgeland (AUS), Brea Roderick (NZL) and Tara Sosinski (AUS), all of whom were racing in Taupo. Hoitink, though, summoned something special to break her duck.

Sosinski was the fastest swimmer of the day although most of the contenders remained in contact at the front. Natalie Van Coevorden (AUS) set the early pace with Thorpe on two wheels while Hoitink gathered herself at the front.

Without any major changes to the status quo on the bike, the race came down to the run. It was there that Hoitink unleashed the fastest split of the day to power to victory. Taking silver behind her was Richelle Hill (AUS) as she made a breakthrough of her own by winning her first senior international medal. World Cup medallist Thorpe then rounded out the podium.

You can follow the progress of Oceania’s triathlon stars as the season unfolds across all World Triathlon channels and watch the Wollongong World Cup over on TrathlonLive.tv

Photo credit: Simon Dawson Photography

V dalším kole I. A třídy si tři body připsal Sokol Pěnčín za porážku Semil 5:0. Mšeno doma inkasovalo dva góly. Rychnov domácí fanoušky taky nepotěšil. Prohrál 0:3 s Bělou. 

The reigning Asian champions over the standard distance will get the chance to defend their titles on home soil this weekend as the Asia Championships take place in Hatsukaichi, Japan. Hatsukaichi hosted the 2021 edition of the championships to great success, and this weekend will mark its return to the international calendar.

Returning gold medallists

Kenji Nener (JPN) arrives as the reigning champion having won the 2023 championships held in conjunction with the Asian Games. In light of his recent form, Nener will be confident of repeating his success: he claimed a maiden World Cup medal in Hong Kong with an impressive all-round display.

As it happens, Nener also won the Asian title in Hatsukaichi in 2021. He therefore ticks several boxes, from recent form to previous success at the venue, and appears a strong candidate for the win.

Yuko Takahasi (JPN) likewise arrives as the defending gold medallist in the women’s event. The WTCS stalwart opened her season with a solid 7th place at the Europe Cup Quarteira. Moreover, at the end of 2023 she won a silver medal at the Tongyeong World Cup. Like Nener, then, Takahashi arrives in Hatsukaichi with recent success at both the world and continental level to her name.

With home support behind them, beating Nener and Takahashi could prove an invidious task.

The men’s challengers

However, the Asia Championships have attracted a stellar field and a number of threats could topple last year’s victors. World Cup medallists Takumi Hojo (JPN) and Makoto Odakura (JPN) are clear candidates for the men’s title among Nener’s own teammates.

Furthermore Junjie Fan (CHN) will be racing fresh off his win at the Asia Championships over the sprint distance. His compatriot Yunxiang Ma (CHN) will be another rising force to track.

As ever, the New Flag race to Paris 2024 among the Asian men remains alive and kicking. Ayan Beisenbayev (KAZ) lost his advantage over Jason Ng Tai Long (HKG) after the sprint race in Dexing and will hope to bounce back this weekend. On their day, Beisenbayev and Ng could upset the home team and take the win.

Tzu I Pan (TPE) could also prove a factor in breaking up the race in the water. He led into T1 at the Asia Championships in Dexing.

The women’s challengers

Among the women’s field, the newly-crowned Asian champion over the sprint distance, Meiyi Lu (CHN), is one of the leading challengers to Takahashi’s title defence. Lu will also be joined by Yifan Yang (CHN), a superb swimmer that is rapidly improving across all disciplines, and Xinyu Lin (CHN), a powerful cyclist with top-5 finishes at World Cups. Yang and Lin also made the podium at the 2023 Asian Games and could conceivably upgrade their medals to gold.

Ekaterina Shabalina (KAZ) was the Asian sprint distance champion in 2023 and will look to add the standard distance title to her collection. Once again, though, the New Flag race could come into play as her rival Bailee Brown (HKG) will be starting.

Brown got the better of Shabalina recently in Dexing and another high finish in Hatsukaichi could swing the New Flag competition decisively in the Hong Kong athlete’s favour.

Elsewhere, Miyu Sakai (JPN), Gyuri Kim (KOR), Sarika Nakayama (JPN) and more could feature at the front of the field. All things considered, the defending champions will have their work cut out in claiming another Asian title.

As a result, two tense events can be expected this weekend.

For the full start lists, click here, and keep up to date with the latest from Hatsukaichi and beyond across World Triathlon channels.

V krajském přeboru Železný Brod inkasoval pět gólů od Hrádku. Pěnčín porazil Chrastavu 2:0. Lomnice nedávala góly. Sedmihorky toho moc nepředvedly. Béčko Hamrů zdvojnásobilo úspěšný víkend. Po áčku taky vyhrálo, deklasovalo 6:0 Višňovou.

Team World Triathlon - the sport’s global development squad for athletes with Olympic potential from smaller National Federations - will be well represented at the upcoming World Cup events in Wollongong and Chengdu as they continue to chase Paris 2024 qualification. The two April events represent valuable opportunities to both gain experience and score points, with Chengdu forming the first official Team World Triathlon Event of the year.

Wollongong World Cup | 20 April

Fresh off top-10 World Cup finishes in both Hong Kong and Lievin, Zuzana Michalickova (SVK) will be one to watch again in Australia. The young Slovakian athlete has enjoyed a sparkling start to the season and is inching closer to a first World Cup medal and Paris qualification. She will be joined in Wollongong by compatriot Romana Gajdošová (SVK) who, won her first World Cup medal in Yeongdo last season.

Erica Hawley (BER) will also be starting in Wollongong as she hunts for the precious final points that could secure her qualification for Paris. A 12th place finish at the Napier World Cup at the start of the season aided Hawley’s cause and a similar finish would be a major boon for her campaign. Also racing for Bermuda will be Tyler Smith as he seeks to advance his Olympic hopes on the men’s side.

Henry Räppo (EST) and Badr Siwane (MAR) are two further Olympic aspirants from Team World Triathlon to race in Wollongong. Diego Moya (CHI) is the final member of the Team to start although he is in a rather different position. Moya has essentially locked up Olympic qualification and so will use the race as a chance to increase his medal tally at the World Cup level.

Chengdu World Cup | 29 Aapril

A week later, the World Cup circuit will continue in Chengdu, where Michalikova, Gajdošová and Hawley will all start. On the men’s side, Räppo and Siwane will be doing the Wollongong-Chengdu double while three further faces from the Team will start.

Gabriel Terán Carvajal (ECU) and Ramón Armando Matute (ECU) will be ready to push their pursuit of the Americas New Flag slot for Paris, while Vitali Vorontsov (UKR) will have his eyes on gaining ground in the European New Flag race.

Across Wollongong and Chengdu, the likes of Hawley, Michalickova and Siwane will be particularly hopeful of vaulting themselves onto the Olympic start lists as they each have some of the smallest gaps to make up. One big race, though, could transform the seasons of any of the Team members racing.

As always, you can watch all the action on TriathlonLive.tv and, as the Olympic qualification window continues to unfold in April, look out for Team World Triathlon as they continue their Olympic journeys.

Postavení obou mužstev v tabulce jasně favorizovalo v tomto utkání I. B třídy východ domácí Držkov. Sestava Držkova napovídala, že body do Lučan nepojedou. A to se také vyplnilo. Soupeř inkasoval pět gólů a za výsledek 5:1 si domácí připsali tři body. 

A new champion was crowned at a sweltering Singapore T100 as Dutch wildcard Youri Keulen claimed his maiden T100 victory; while American comeback specialist Sam Long charged from last on the swim to finish second, despite serving a 30-second penalty on the run. Belgian Pieter Heemeryck finished a very creditable third and Scotland’s David McNamee leapfrogged Germany’s Mika Noodt and New Zealand’s Kyle Smith in the final kilometers of the 100k race that saw its fair share of thrills and spills.

Described by Jan Frodeno on commentary as looking like the ‘Terminator’, Youri looked an unstoppable force after going to the front of the field on the bike. He looked calm and controlled right up until he crossed the finish line, before promptly collapsing. Officials and medics came to his aid and he was taken to the medic’s tent elated, exhausted, but in safe hands.

Meanwhile, Sam was in high spirits, hyping the crowd up and celebrating as he jumped across the finish line energetically, touching the top of the T100 arch basketball-style. Whilst the American is still seeking a first T100 win after also finishing second at the Miami T100, he was delighted with his performance.

He said: “(It was an) excellent race. Believe it or not, I was quite happy with my swim. I just paced it and focused on keeping my body temperature cool because if you get overheated there, it’s a long day. I’ve always been known for biking strong, but I didn’t really show that so much on the bike. I think my bike was still impressive and strong and I got myself into the race on the bike but it’s the run that I think I really showcased my strength and, to be honest, I was just having a super fun day out there and just in my own zone, in my own process, in the flow state. And it just all came together. I tried not to think about what the gap was. On the bike especially you got to see everyone twice per lap, right? So it’s very obvious. It really puts it right in your face how far back you are. But I actually said to myself: ‘Don’t look at how far back they are, just execute your mission and see what happens by the end of the day.”

“I think on the penalty… It’s up to me on how to react to it. And I would say it didn’t break my momentum at all. Well, there were two brief moments of panic. One was finding out I had a penalty. The second was figuring out where to serve the penalty because I wasn’t sure and then the third was actually when the two guys behind me came by when I was in the penalty like ‘Oh no, now I’m back in a race. I’m not even on the podium right now’. But I just used it to compose myself and get the crowd pumped up and carry on with my day.”

“And I just want to say thank you so much to the city of Singapore. I’ve received such a warm welcome and it’s been great to visit here and it’s a marvellous, beautiful city. So thank you guys. I’m living my dream. I’ve come way farther than I thought I would come. Well, I thought I would come this far, but it’s happened faster than I thought and to see the love that the crowd gives me just makes my heart warm and just makes me so happy. Of course to achieve an accomplishment like this, just twice in a month. It just makes me very happy and I’m riding the wave and don’t worry, there is a crash at some point. It’s probably coming in like 24 or 36 hours and then I will suffer for a little while.”

Heemeryck, who finished second at the inaugural PTO Asian Open last year, settled for third but is determined to improve on his result next year.

He said: “Last year I was a little bit better, but maybe it is earlier in the season so I’m not in the shape that I had hoped to be in already. But it’s a long season and I’ve finished two times on the podium here so it’s very good. But second to third, so next time I have to come back for first.

“It’s much more fun [with more races this season]. It will be a very big season, but it’s only the second race. I look forward to the next races, but I hope next year I can be part of the series again so I can race here again. Singapore is something special now after finishing on the podium two times.”

How The Race Unfolded

In sweltering overcast conditions, last-minute Wildcard Josh Amberger led the first lap of the 2km swim with the likes of Alistair Brownlee and Kyle Smith in close contention. On the second lap, Aaron Royle took to the front and led into T1. Meanwhile, Sam Long – 2nd in the Miami T100 – left the water last with over four minutes to make up and was also given a 30-sec penalty for leaving his swim kit out of the box during transition.

Once on the bike, there was plenty of chopping and changing early on before T100 Wildcard Keulen pushed his way to the front and went on the attack. He soon put a minute into the chasers, which included fellow wildcards Mika Noodt and Kyle Smith as well as Brownlee (fifth in Miami) and Heemeryk.

The other rider attacking the bike with gusto was Sam Long, who began to rip his way through the field – making it into the top 10 with 20km to go.

In pole position, Keulen was holding just over one minute on the chase group and took that onto the 18km run, speeding away to widen his lead.

Behind, as the chase group entered T2, a late dismount from Brownlee meant the double Olympic champion was handed a 30-second penalty. Serving it after making it to the podium places, the Brit was soon reduced to a walk, then stretched his calf, before succumbing to a DNF.

Off the bike in eighth place with 3min 20sec to leader Keulen, Long was fastest on the run course and made up 90 seconds by 12km to pick off the competition, overtaking Heemeryck to take 2nd place. Serving his penalty at the start of the final lap and dropping to fourth, he stayed calm and was soon back in second. Behind, David McNamee was the other fast mover, making up eight places during the run.

There was no doubt as to who would take the tape, however. In a breakthrough performance, Keulen gave everything he had to secure victory, collapsing over the line to take a US$25,000 (S$34,027) paycheck, score the maximum 35 points and jump to the top of the T100 series standings.

Long’s tenacious and powerful performance saw him take second again and another US$16,000 in the bank and add 28 points to his T100 series tally, putting him just one point behind Keulen.

Heemeryck held strong for third place, US$12,000 and 25 points.

Ani další kolo FORTUNA:LIGY nepřineslo jabloneckým hráčům body. Jasně, že by potřebovali tři, ale i jedním by v současné jejich situaci nepohrdli. Opak je pravdou. Z hřiště soupeře, pro kterého byla také výhra povinností, se vrátili bez bodů, když na hřišti Olomouce prohráli 1:0.

Top 10 na světě! Jablonecká triatlonistka Petra Kuříková opět potvrdila, že v indoorových závodech patří k nejlepším na světě. Na mistrovství světa v etriatlonu obsadila skvělé 6. místo. Osmička na dresu a startovní listině ji přinesla štěstí. Mezi silnou zahraniční konkurencí se česká závodnice určitě neztratila.

V divizním utkání skupiny B narazil dlouho neporažený Turnov na Velké Hamry. A ty, v domácím prostředí, vítěznou šňůru soupeře přerušily a na své konto si za vítězství 2:0 připsaly tři body. 

British triathlon star Beth Potter has been crowned the the supertri E World Triathlon Champion powered by Zwift after an epic battle with French racer Cassandre Beaugrand in London. The 27-year-old Beaugrand would suffer from cramp in her calf on the final run leg of the day but held onto second place, with American star Katie Zafares producing an impressive third place on her supertri E debut.

Potter and Beaugrand were largely inseparable throughout the first eight triathlon disciplines, with Potter finally breaking Beaugrand’s resolve with 500m to go of the final run leg in front of a raucous home crowd at the London Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Having won the Esports worlds in 2022, Potter’s victory adds another world title to her trophy cabinet and lays down a huge marker before this summer’s Paris Olympic Games, where the 32-year-old and Beaugrand are set for another major battle.

“It was my season opener today and I didn’t know where my form was at, so I’m really happy to take the win,” said Potter at the finish. “I didn’t go too hard in the third swim and had to bide my time until the final run.”

RIVALRY RESUMED

The London Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Park was the host of the World Champs, with 10 women’s triathletes qualifying from the morning heats. These included the two favourites for this summer’s Paris Olympics, France’s Cassandre Beaugrand and Beth Potter of the UK, who were going head-to-head for the first time in 2024 in London.

Joining them was supertri regular Katie Zafares (USA), but sadly home favourite Vicky Holland and rising Hungarian star Fanni Szalai both missed out on qualification.

The World Championship race consisted of 3 Stages over the supertri E format, with a 200m Swim – 4km Bike – 1km Run followed by a 1km Run – 4km Bike – 200m Swim before a final 200m Swim – 4km Bike – 1km Run.

The final stage saw a Pursuit start based on the time difference accumulated across the first two stages, with the athlete with the fastest times starting first.

STAGE 1
Swim: 200m

Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) led the pace on the day’s first discipline, exiting the water after 2:12mins, five seconds ahead of Potter.

Bike: 4km

Onto the day’s first Zwift bike leg and Beaugrand’s lead was cut in half by Potter at the halfway stage, with Potter pulling level at the 3km stage. The 34-year-old American Katie Zafares was just four seconds back, with Potter and Beaugrand exiting the bikes together.

Run: 1km

Beaugrand’s seamless T2 saw her onto the treadmill first, with Potter in her shadow. Potter would make the pass at the halfway stage, with Zafares and Tanja Neubert (GER) dropping 10secs back. Potter’s lead by the end of the run would be five seconds ahead of Beaugrand and 19secs ahead of Zafares. 1-0 to the Scot.

STAGE 2
Run: 1km

Stage 2’s opening run began with Potter and Beaugrand remaining inseparable at the front of the field, with Zafares in close proximity. Potter and Beaugrand would exit the treadmill together, with Zafares 3secs back.

Bike: 4km

Onto the Tacx smart trainers and Potter would create an instant lead of 2secs over her French rival courtesy of a faultless transition, with Zafares 4secs behind. Potter would regularly push out of the saddle but Beaugrand would stubbornly stay right behind, while Zafares would push a bigger gear and lower cadence to remain in third. By T2, the gap between Potter and Beaugrand was minimal, with the two race favourites exchanging glances at they entered the swim.

Swim: 200m

Potter again produced the best transition to enter the water first, but Beaugrand had drawn level by the 50m mark. Potter wouldn’t give up her lead, however, edging Beaugrand to the finish to set up an epic final showdown. Zafares would be 12secs in arrears.

STAGE 3
Swim: 200m

The pursuit-style start saw Potter enter the water with a 5sec advantage over Beaugrand and 30secs over Zafares, who had a 29sec lead over Neubert in fourth. Beaugrand was quick to reduce the deficit to Potter and was alongside her with 100m to go. The two were level at the 150m mark, but Beaugrand was to nudge ahead by the swim’s finale.

Bike: 4km

Potter would lose precious seconds at the start of the final bike leg, with Beaugrand now 12-metres ahead of Potter. Riding side-by-side on the Tacx turbos, the gap between the athletes would remain at 12-metres as they pushed 300+ watts and speeds over 40km/h. Beaugrand would finally increase the gap to Potter by 2secs by T2. The scene would be set for an epic climax on the run.

Run: 1km

Potter would begin the final run leg courtesy of yet another textbook transition, establishing a 1sec lead over Beaugrand by 100m and 5secs by 500m. With Beaugrand visibly in pain, Potter’s lead was only increasing and had been extended to 25secs by the finale. Zafares would take bronze a minute back. The German pair of Neubert and Lena Meibner would finish fourth and fifth respectively.

The USA’s Chase McQueen stormed to victory at the supertri E World Triathlon Championships powered by Zwift in London to put behind him the nightmare of his 2023 collapse in the capital. The 26-year-old’s advantage was nine seconds over the home favourite Max Stapley, with France’s Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger taking bronze.

Having blown his chance of winning the 2023 supertri E World Champs in London last year (including famously doing butterfly on the swim), the convincing victory acted as redemption for McQueen and he could enjoy the final run leg in front of a packed London Aquatics Centre.

“I’m getting emotional even thinking about being a world champion,” said McQueen at the finish. “It’s been a really hard 12 months and I’ve been thinking about this moment every day. I was fading on that last round and I’m so glad to share the podium with Max and Maxime, who pushed me so hard. I owe this to my team and family for bringing the best out of me every single day.”

While hopes of a home victory were dashed by McQueen, Max Stapley continued his rise as a major supertri player with a silver medal, having finished fifth in London in 2023.

CAPITAL GAINS

The London Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Park was the host of the supertri E World Triathlon Championships, with 10 triathletes qualifying from the morning heats, including heat winners Chase McQueen (USA), Max Stapley (GBR) and world U23 champion Simon Henseleit (GER), as well as Brit athletes Harry Leleu, Samuel Dickinson and Hugo Milner hoping to impress on home soil. Olympic qualifying points were also on offer, raising the stakes even higher.

The World Championship race consisted of three stages over the supertri E format (200m Swim – 4km Bike – 1km Run; 1km Run – 4km Bike – 200m Swim; before a final 200m Swim – 4km Bike – 1km Run).

The final stage would see a Pursuit start based on the time difference accumulated across the first two stages, with the athlete with the fastest times starting first.

STAGE 1

Swim: 200m

Into the pool and the USA’s Chase McQueen was straight into the lead in the 50m pool just ahead of Brit Max Stapley. Those two exited the water after 2:04mins, with Samuel Dickinson (GBR) and Henry Graf (GER) in hot pursuit.

Bike: 4km

Onto the Tacx Neo smarter trainers, and McQueen continued to push the pace at the front ahead of Dickinson and Stapley. Having battled the virtual Zwift cobbles in the draft-free race, McQueen’s lead was 3secs over Dickinson by Transition 2, with Stapley 8secs in arrears.

Run: 1km

Hitting the elliptical treadmills at close to 20km/h pace, the gap between McQueen and Dickinson remained locked at 3secs, but Stapley was gaining on the leaders and, by the end of the hot and frenetic 1km, only 3secs separated the top three.

STAGE 2

Run: 1km

The reverse order run, bike, swim began on the Zwift-linked treadmills, with Hugo Milner into the lead hoping to bring down his 27sec gap to the leaders from Stage 1. French racer Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger was in close proximity, entering T1 alongside the Brit athlete and taking the lead at the start of the race’s second bike leg.

Bike: 4km

Hueber-Moosbrugger, with plenty of Super League experience in his locker, maintained his advantage throughout the Zwift bike leg, with Milner dropping down the field and McQueen, Stapley and Dickinson returning to the pointy end of the field. Just seven seconds would separate the top four in T2, with much hanging on their bike-to-swim transition speed.

Swim: 200m

McQueen was the fastest in transition, entering the pool first ahead of Hueber-Moosbrugger. The American’s lead was 7secs by the 200m mark ahead of Henry Graf (GER), with Dickinson and Stapley 9secs behind. Advantage America.

STAGE 3

Swim: 200m

The pursuit-style start saw McQueen with a 12sec advantage over Stapley and 13secs over Dickinson. That lead was 11secs over Stapley by T1, with Dickinson a further 4secs back.

Bike: 4km

The day’s final men’s bike leg again saw McQueen at the fore, producing a 350-watt output to create a 16sec advantage over Stapley by the halfway mark, 18secs by T2.

Run: 1km

With the win a near formality, the chief battle of the final run leg was between Stapley, Dickinson and Hueber-Moosbrugger for the remaining podium spots. With McQueen cruising to the title, Stapley battled to second overall 9secs back, with Hueber-Moosbrugger rounding out the podium 4secs behind Stapley. Dickinson would come home in fourth, with Graf taking fifth.

In the unforgiving Singapore heat and humidity, defending champion Ashleigh Gentle conquered not just the heat, but also any self doubts, to come from behind on the run and win an epic T100 battle with Lucy Charles-Barclay.

Ashleigh dug very deep in the latter stages of the 100km race to wipe out a 5 minute 33 second deficit coming out of T2 to beat Lucy as well as surprise podium finisher Els Visser.

The relieved Australian, 33, said after her win: “It feels a bit surreal to be honest. It surprised me a little bit but I’m obviously very happy. It’s just very different. Last year I found my flow and felt really comfortable and strong whereas this year it was very gritty, it was hard. So same result, but the feelings to get that result was so different so it’s just one of those things where you kind of have to persevere no matter what circumstances you’re dealt with and how you’re feeling and I’m just really glad that I was able to stay composed and still perform at a really high level.”

Lucy led for long periods on the run around a steamy Marina Bay course where humidity reached 78 degrees, but the wait for her first T100 win goes on. The Britain had also finished runner-up in the season opening Miami T100 last month. “I had a good race, I was happy with the performance. I felt pretty strong throughout. It’s bittersweet being at the front all that time but I felt really strong and I think I just want to build each race. It was definitely a better performance than in the first race in Miami and definitely a much better performance than last year here in Singapore. So I feel like everything’s stepping in the right direction. I still feel like there’s more to give in the tank and there’s fire in the belly to go home and work before the next race, but overall, (I’m) really happy with that. And it’s crucial here. I think this is probably the hardest race on the tour. So it’s nice to get this one out of the way and hopefully the next one will be a bit easier.”

Dutch star Visser was surprised to finish on the podium, saying: “I feel super proud of myself. I never expected to finish on the podium. It’s kind of a dream come true and to be on the podium with Lucy and Ash, that’s just a dream come true. I never would have expected that, I’m just very happy. I finished last in the European Open last year, I finished last here in Singapore last year. But I’ve worked hard. I know I’m not the best swimmer so I know that I really have to work my way back into the field. My coach said just focus on yourself no matter the circumstances, the only thing you worry about is yourself, so that’s what I did. I came out of the water and I thought now just go to work, push hard on the bike, just be patient and I really made up some time to the other girls. I got closer and closer and in the last lap, my legs really started cramping. I didn’t know how I would feel on the run and it took me a while to find my rhythm but I really found the rhythm and just super happy I could overtake and stay in front.”

How The Race Unfolded

Even in sweltering conditions, there was no surprise to see Charles-Barclay quickly take to the front in Marina Bay. As in the Miami T100, it was Lucy Buckingham on her feet while Rebecca Clarke rounded out the three-woman group. That trio pushed ahead to create a lead of 1:07 out of the water after the 2km swim.

On the 80km bike course, it was the British pairing of Charles-Barclay and Buckingham who put the hammer down. Gentle soon moved through to third with the gap standing at around 2:45 by halfway. Meanwhile, 2022 Ironman world champion Chelsea Sodaro, who finished third in Singapore last year, was forced to retire from the race.

With just under 30km to go, Miami T100 Champion India Lee put in a surge to overtake Gentle and move into third, with T100 debutant Imogen Simmonds and Lucy Byram – who was sixth in Miami – close by. While Lee subsequently slowed her pace, losing 30 seconds to the group, there were problems up front for Buckingham as she appeared to cramp in the stifling heat with 18km to go, allowing Charles-Barclay to retake the lead.

Meanwhile, Visser was the big mover up the leaderboard, with the Dutchwoman powering inexorably through the field to move past 11 athletes and claim third during the final lap. Despite this showing, Charles-Barclay entered T2 just ahead of Buckingham but with 5:03 to Visser and in the box seat for her first T100 title.

Gentle was just a little further back with 5:33 to make up as she headed out onto the run. The Australian made short work of getting herself back into the podium position by overtaking Visser and her charge didn’t stop there. While Charles-Barclay was running well, Gentle was moving with stunning rapidity in spite of increasing temperatures and rising humidity.

After 8km, the Australian had slashed her deficit to overtake Buckingham and move into second. Continuing to chase Charles-Barclay, Gentle nudged the gap to 1:01 going into the final 6km lap. From there, it was a nail biting competition as Gentle hunted Charles-Barclay, finally making a decisive surge to pass her with 4km to take the lead for the first time in the race.

Meanwhile, Visser continued her hard work in the fight for a podium finish to pull past Buckingham into third, but she was still close to 4 minutes behind Charles-Barclay,

Elated and exhausted, Gentle crossed the line in 3:44:23 to take a powerful victory that will surely send a message to the other T100 athletes. The Australian secured a USD$25,000 (S$34,027) paycheck and the maximum 35 points to start her 2024 T100 Triathlon World Tour season.

Charles-Barclay followed her 2nd place in the Miami T100 with another 2nd place, taking US$16,000 and 28 points to take her series tally to 56 and put her at the top of the T100 standings.

Visser was the dark horse wildcard, completing the podium in style, earning US$12,000, 25 points and plenty of new fans.

In the closing stages, New Zealand’s Amelia Watkinson showed that consistency prevails, overtaking Buckingham near the finish to clinch fourth, with Buckingham rounding out the top five.

Gratulujeme! Jirka Zemler slaví 85! Pamětníci a fanoušci jabloneckého fotbalu si určitě pamatují, jak davy fandů obléhaly tehdy pískové hřiště na Střelnici a těšily se, co jim předvede kouzelník v bráně Jirka Zemler. A že se měly na co těšit, o tom nebylo pochyb.

Duel rezervních týmů Jablonce a Hradce Králové přinesl v jabloneckých Břízkách řadu šancí na obou stranách. O třech bodech pro hosty nakonec rozhodl v druhém poločase brankou na 1:2 hostujíc Kejř.

/VIDEOANKETA/ Jaký hokejový vzor mají dnešní špunti s bruslemi na nohou a hokejkou v ruce? Je jím stále Jaromír Jágr, nebo už štafetu dávno převzal současný fenomén kluzišť NHL David Pastrňák. Zeptali jsme se jich během nedávného turnaje ve středočeském městě Slaný.