Turnovské áčko, účastník divize, mělo v programu přípravy další přátelský zápas, tentokrát na hřišti v Brozanech, ale proti Štětí. Soupeř se ovšem omluvil. Narychlo si proto Turnovští zajistili přátelák se Sedmihorkami, které hrajou krajský přebor. 

Áčko Turnova pokračuje v přípravě. Do startu divizní soutěže mu zbývá několik týdnů. Dalším soupeřem v přátelském utkání mělo být Štětí. Zápas ale odřeklo a tak se trenér Turnova Josef Petřík domluvil na utkání se Sedmihorkami. A to určitě svůj účel splnilo jak pro účastníka divize, tak i pro "krajské" Sedmihorky.

As the eyes of the triathlon world turn towards the Paris Olympic Games this summer, so too does the attention of Team World Triathlon. Established with the objective of supporting athletes from developing National Federations to compete at the World Cup level and qualify for the Olympics, the current Team contains a handful of members that harbour strong aspirations of toeing the start line in Paris.

Some spots almost secure
Leading the way will almost certainly be WTCS medallist and World Cup winner, Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR). As things stand today, Abdelmoula is ranked 28th in the Olympic Qualification rankings and is almost a lock to start at the Games next summer.

Similarly, World Cup medallist Diego Moya (CHI) has high chances of a start in Paris, as he stands in 41st place in the Olympic Qualification rankings right now.

After an outstanding 10th place at her WTCS debut in Montreal last summer, Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto (COL) is in line to be the third Team World Triathlon member to qualify for Paris. She currently stands 55th in the Olympic rankings and has a decent buffer over those still hunting qualification. Of the trio, Velasquez will be the only one to start her season in February as she tackles the Napier World Cup. 

Bermuda’s new rising star
For the rest of Team World Triathlon, the race to Paris will only intensify over the coming months. One athlete with a good chance of qualifying is Erica Hawley (BER). Hawley will be racing in Napier this month as she looks to build upon the maiden World Cup medal that she won in Yeongdo in 2023.

While Abdelmoula, Moya and Velasquez should be safe in the qualification race, Hawley will be looking over her shoulder. She is 65th in the Olympic Qualification rankings however the current projected cut-off is for the 66th-ranked athlete to make it. As such, only a slight drop could cost Hawley a spot at the Olympics.

Due to the near-certain qualification of reigning Olympic champion, Flora Duffy (BER), Hawley will also not be eligible for a New Flag slot. Rather, she will have to defend her Olympic ranking and the Americas New Flag will go elsewhere.

As a reminder, whereas the Olympic Qualification rankings dictate the allocation of the individual Olympic slots, the New Flags are awarded on the basis of the world rankings. For each of the five continental confederations, the athlete with the best world ranking from a country that has not already earned a slot to the Paris Olympics will receive the quota place.

Americas
In the case of the Americas, the athlete due to take the women’s New Flag is, at this stage, Romina Biagioli (ARG). Currently 65th in the world rankings, Biagioli also earned the Americas New Flag at the Tokyo Olympics. No Argentinian female triathlete is due to qualify for Paris ahead of her, although her compatriot and fellow Team World Triathlon member, Moira Miranda, is chasing from 114th in the world rankings.

Raquel Solis Guerrero (CRC) and Paula Vega (COL) are two further Team members that will hope to usurp Biagioli from 100th and 173rd, respectively, in the world rankings.
Meanwhile, Matthew Wright (BAR) is forecasted to claim the men’s Americas New Flag slot. The Team World Triathlon member and Americas Sprint distance champion sits 49th in the world rankings.

His fellow Team members, Ramón Armando Matute (ECU, 99th in the world) and Gabriel Terán Carvajal (ECU, 104th) will be chasing, as will Tyler Smith (BER, 117th) and Alvaro Campos Solano (CRC, 206th).

Oceania race
Several other members of the Team are due to lock in New Flag places. Manami Iijima (GUM) is the front-runner in the women’s Oceania race, and if she succeeds, it will be the first time that Oceania qualifies an athlete for the Olympics on the New Flag slots, and also the first triathlete from Oceania but not born in Australia or New Zealand to make it to the Olympics. Iijima will look to improve upon her world ranking of 157th as she launches her season at the Oceania Cup in Wanaka. No Oceania male triathlete is eligible to claim the New Flag.

Africa
Amber Schlebusch and Hannah Newman (both RSA) are fighting for the same African New Flag slot. So, too, is Vicky Van Der Merwe (RSA), the reigning African champion. Van Der Merwe is 82nd in the world rankings while Schlebusch and Newman are 87th and 139th, respectively. The projected African New Flag recipient, though, is actually Shanae Williams (RSA, 71st) who is not on the Team like her three compatriots.

Badr Siwane (MAR), the final African representative of Team World Triathlon to regularly race at the World Cup level, is ineligible for the African New Flag due to Abdelmoula’s anticipated qualification. He will therefore have to rely on qualifying through the Olympic rankings. While he is ranked 100th in that respect, a place in the top-80 is expected to be required.

Elsewhere, several African athletes are assisted through the African Scholarship system. While they are not yet regulars at World Cup events, the likes of Jean Gael Laurent L`entente, Eloi Adjavon, Seifeldeen Ismail and Seifeddine Selmi will be in the hunt for either the African New Flag slot or for a Universality place in Paris. Through Team World Triathlon, they will be supported on their respective journeys to the Games, while targeting Continental Cups and boosting their world rankings will form their main priorities.

Europe
Three Slovakian members of Team World Triathlon are gunning for the European women’s New Flag slot. Ivana Kuriackova leads the way, standing 57th in the world rankings. Her teammates Zuzana Michalickova (70th) and Romina Gajdošová (80th) will nonetheless pursue her. Of the trio, only Michalickova will tackle the upcoming Napier World Cup.

Moreover, Edda Hannesdottir (ISL) is on her way back from injury. Although she currently resides outside the top-300 in the world, she could easily make up the ground with a few big performances. Should Hannesdottir return to her 2022 form, she could very soon enter the conversation for Paris, whether through the European New Flag slot or the Universality mechanism.

Vitali Vorontsov (UKR, 109th), Panagiotis Bitados (GRE, 111th) and Henry Räppo (EST, 197th) will all try to close the points deficit to non-Team member Felix Duchampt (ROU, 69th) in the European men’s New Flag race. Notably, being 93rd in the Olympic rankings, Bitados may have a better chance of qualifying individually than through the New Flag system.

Asia
Finally, while the Asian male New Flag race is heating up between Jason Tai Long Ng (HKG, 45th) and Ayan Beisenbayev (KAZ, 53rd), a member of Team World Triathlon, Aleksandr Kurishov (UZB, 120th), stands an outside chance of securing the slot.

Ekaterina Shabalina is due to take the female Asian New Flag, although there is no representation among the Asian women on the Team.

Altogether, as many as twelve athletes from Team World Triathlon could yet qualify for the Paris Olympics. As the athletes get their seasons started, then, there will be plenty on the line.

Pavel Wohl, přední postava českého triatlonu, poskytl exkluzivní rozhovor o svém nedávném soustředění a o tom, na jaké aspekty výkonu se zaměřil. Se sezónou za dveřmi se české želízko pilně připravuje a dostává se do špičkové formy.

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon are pleased to announce that the California leg of its new T100 Triathlon World Tour will take place in San Francisco at the iconic Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon on 8-9 June, in a partnership with IMG.

Known as the San Francisco T100, the 100km race (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) will be set in the stunning San Francisco Bay area and feature the world’s top 20 female and top 20 male professionals, who will start in time-honored fashion by plunging into the icy water adjacent to Alcatraz Island.

“Escape From Alcatraz is one of the world’s most celebrated triathlons and on any self-respecting triathlete’s bucket list of races,” said PTO CEO Sam Renouf. “So to secure it as one of the eight stops on the new T100 Triathlon World Tour is a huge coup for us. When we sat down to discuss the opportunity with IMG, they immediately understood our vision for these races representing the very pinnacle of our sport, which is why they wanted to get involved and work with us to secure the necessary permissions from the City.”

“We are excited to partner with the PTO to bring the T100 Triathlon World Tour to San Francisco and the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon,” said Jennifer Lau, Vice President of Action Sports Events at IMG, the sports, events and representation company that owns the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. “Seeing the Escape course attempted at the elite level will only solidify the perseverance and tenacity the race requires from our age group athletes, inspiring past, present and future competitors to reflect on and re-imagine what their limits are. We’re excited to see how our partnership with PTO will help to redefine triathlon. A huge thank you must also go to the Presidio, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, National Park Service, and SF Travel, who have all been instrumental in making this possible.”

“We are thrilled to announce the addition of the San Francisco T100 to the T100 Triathlon World Tour calendar, proving once again the great collaboration that marks a significant milestone for World Triathlon. This partnership with the PTO represents an unwavering commitment for all of us, and the athletes, to elevate the sport. The race, with its iconic backdrop, will serve as the perfect location for another great event in 2024. Together, we aim to redefine excellence and create an enduring legacy for the global triathlon community with this Tour”, said World Triathlon President and IOC Member, Marisol Casado.

Since the first race in 1981, the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon has hosted top professional and amateur triathletes to attempt the impossible - Escape from Alcatraz Island. The infamy of Alcatraz Island is part of the attraction that draws more than 2,000 triathletes to San Francisco year after year. The mystique of the island and technicality of the course, most notably the challenging open water swim in the San Francisco bay, continue to draw competitors for the chance to make their Escape. The challenging course has continued to be a bucket list race for triathletes for more than 40 years.

Leading American professional triathlete and four-times Escape From Alcatraz winner Ben Kanute was quick to share his excitement at the news.

“This is huge news for the new T100 Triathlon World Tour. This race has always been special to me because of the rich history and the legends of the sport that have won there. It is a weekend I am really looking forward to, and cannot wait to chase another title on one of the most iconic triathlon venues,” said Ben.

2021 Escape From Alcatraz Champion and current PTO World #10 Emma Pallant-Browne from Great Britain agreed, saying: “2021 was my first time competing in this race as well as my first-time visiting San Francisco, and I absolutely loved it. So the opportunity to return and take the start line in one of the new T100 races is very motivating.”

Whilst the PTO will not be running any T100 Age Grouper races over the weekend, IMG will be running the usual amateur race opportunities which involve the challenging 1.5 mile swim through the San Francisco Bay, followed by the technical 18 mile bike through the Presidio, and finishing with an 8-mile run out to Baker Beach and up the infamous 200-plus step Sand Ladder. The action will take place Sunday, June 9 and spectators are invited to watch from the Fitness Festival taking place on Saturday and Sunday at Marina Green.

This news follows the PTO’s launch of the new T100 Triathlon World Tour last month in London’s Docklands, when it announced that 40 of the world’s best triathletes will compete over eight 100km races across three continents. The tour starts in Miami on 9 March before finishing with a Grand Final in the Middle East at the end of November, where a women’s and men’s World Champion will be crowned - thanks to the PTO’s partnership agreement with World Triathlon, which has designated the tour as ‘the official World Championship of long distance triathlon’.

The full T100 Triathlon World Tour calendar for 2024 includes:

9-10 March – Miami T100 at CLASH Endurance Miami
13-14 April – Singapore T100
8-9 June – San Francisco T100
27-28 July – London T100
28-29 Sept – Ibiza T100
19-20 Oct – Lake Las Vegas T100
16-17 Nov – Dubai T100
29-30 Nov – Grand Final – location to be announced soon

Očekávané derby krajské hokejové ligy vyznělo na jabloneckém ledě jednoznačně pro Gepardy. V posledním kole základní části vidělo zaplněné hlediště jabloneckého zimního stadionu již třetí derby. A vždycky si fanoušci pochvalovali, že sledují lepší hokej, než ve vyšších soutěžích. Gepardi duel zakončili vítězstvím 7:1. A chystají se na play off.

Zase o týden blíž ke startu ČFL má jablonecká rezerva. Pokračuje v přípravě podle plánu. Dalším soupeřem v přátelském utkání bylo mužstvo Povltavské fotbalové akademie. Oba týmy patří do ČFL, pouze hrají rozdílnou skupinu. Nad rovnocenným partnerem Jablonečtí vyhráli 1:0. Ale druhý poločas trenéra zklamal.

Na jablonecké Střelnici bylo vidět v dalším kole FORTUNA:LIGY zajímavé fotbalové utkání. Na sever Čech přijel soupeř z jihu republiky. Domácí premiéra se svěřencům trenéra Látala povedla. České Budějovice vyprovodili výsledkem 5:2.

V sobotu 17. února v 15 hodin čeká doma jablonecký tým velmi důležité utkání proti Českým Budějovicím.  V prvním jarním zápase v Edenu se přesvědčili, jakou sílu má divácká podpora a celková kulisa na vývoj zápasu. Domácí příznivci dotlačili Slavii k výhře 4:3 i přes bojovný výkon Jablonce. A právě takovou podporu teď potřebují svěřenci trenéra Látala na Střelnici.

Skoro přesně na den, za dva měsíce po posledním vzájemném derby dvou jabloneckých hokejových týmů, se mužstva zase potkají. V dalším kole krajské ligy proti sobě nastoupí HC Jablonec a HC Gepradi Jablonec. Utkání v neděli 18. února začíná v 18,15 hodin.

V Plavech trénuje A tým od začátku února. Hráči začali víkendovým soustředěním na běžkách v Bedřichově. Sehráli už pohárové utkání s Albrechticemi. Ve druhém přípravném týdnu mají na programu výběhy do okolí a další duel Zimního poháru Libereckého kraje. 

/FOTO, VIDEO/ Krásná Studánka zatím neprožívá povedený ročník. Její hlavní tým je poslední v A třídě, když ztrácí tři body na předposlední Semily a pět na další tři celky výše. B-tým je na stejné pozici v okresním přeboru, ale ztrácí čtyři body na rezervu Doubí a propastných devět na druhý tým Vesce. Nikdo v klubu to ale nechce takto nechat.

Šestnáct týmů už zase baví fanoušky. Fotbalové ligové jaro se rozjelo na plné obrátky a Deník při té příležitosti přináší zajímavý kvíz. Kolik hráčů napříč všemi kluby FORTUNA:LIGY poznáte? Otestujte se!

/HLASUJTE V ANKETĚ/ Vilémov a Šluknov. Dva fotbalové kluby z Děčínska, hrající v Ústeckém kraji, chtějí přejít do soutěží, které spadají pod Liberecký kraj. Oba krajské fotbalové svazy jim daly prakticky zelenou. Co na to ale říkají kluby, hrající přebor a I.A třídu na Liberecku, Jablonecku, Českolipsku a Semilsku? Názory se různí. 

Dalšími zápasy pokračovala II. liga ve volejbale mužů a na programu kola byl zápas prvního s druhým, tedy Malé Skály a Havlíčkova Brodu. Začátek zápasu nezastihl Malou Skálu ve zcela ideální formě, mužstvo působilo vlažným dojmem a neagresivním výkonem dělalo chyby, které pomohly soupeři držet několikabodový náskok.

Tým Sedmihorek pod vedením trenéra Pavla Šafáře neměl na podzim zrovna na růžích ustláno. V krajském přeboru Libereckého kraje přezimoval na osmé příčce. Ale představy o podzimní části soutěže měli hráči, trenér i vedení klubu, vzhledem k umístěním v předchozích sezónách, asi jiné.