The Oceania Championships will take place in Taupo, New Zealand, this weekend and a star-studded field is due to compete for regional supremacy. The event will be the second of the five standard distance continental championships of 2024 and is shaping up to be incredibly tight.

Men’s race

Last year’s shock winner Bradley Course (AUS) is back to defend his title. Course achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Oceania junior, U23 and senior titles all in the same season in 2023. In doing so, he earned the uncommon right to start at both the Junior World Championships and the U23 World Championships. Now a year older, he will wear the number 1 in Taupo.

Should Course triumph again this season, he will have to do it the hard way. WTCS race winner Matthew Hauser (AUS) will be making his first start of the season and will be a formidable opponent. The fastest swimmer at last year’s WTCS Final in Pontevedra, Hauser will likely press his advantage in the first discipline.

The Australian team will also be represented by Brandon Copeland, Oscar Dart and Luke Bate. Former WTCS gold medallist Jacob Birtwhistle will be another to watch from the Australian team. He took the bronze medal at the Oceania Championships over the sprint distance earlier in the season and is the only male medallist from that event slated to start in Taupo.

As things stand, the second Australian male Olympic slot remains up in the air (Hauser locked in his place in Pontevedra). An eye-catching performance this weekend could therefore set one of those racing on the path to Paris.

From the home New Zealand team, Tayler Reid will have the dual objectives of claiming continental gold and furthering his own Olympic ambitions. He is currently locked in a fight to join Hayden Wilde on the New Zealand Olympic team.

Saxon Morgan and Janus Staufenberg will be two further men to watch from the home team. In addition, Benjamin Airey (NZL) will look to attempt a similar result to Course and add a senior continental medal to his recent bronze from the Oceania Junior Championships.

Women’s race

In the women’s race, Jaz Hedgeland (AUS) will be the provisional favourite after winning the Oceania title over the sprint distance in March. She will wear number 1 this weekend. Her fellow medallists, Brea Roderick (NZL) and Tara Sosinski (AUS), will also be racing and so she will not have things all her own way. As the Oceania champion from 2021, though, Hedgeland has plenty of pedigree at the event.

Roderick will be joined by World Cup medallist Ainsley Thorpe (NZL) on the home team who will no doubt be a contender for the podium. Meanwhile, Sosinksi will start alongside the experienced Natalie Van Coevorden (AUS). Having made WTCS and World Cup podiums previously, Van Coevorden will fancy her chances of breaking into the medals in Taupo.

Furthermore, Van Coevorden will look to nail a place on the Australian Olympic team after missing out in Tokyo. Neither of the Australian berths have been officially claimed. As a result, the likes of Hedgeland, Van Coevorden, Sosinski and more will treat the Oceania Championships as a valuable chance to showcase their abilities.

A dramatic pair of races could therefore await in Taupo. Stay up to date with all the latest from Oceania across World Triathlon channels this weekend.

Tři góly v dalším zápase I. B třídy východ vstřelil v dresu Desné turnovskému béčku David Hloušek. Jeho tým zvítězil 6:0 a on se stal kanonýrem víkendu. Fotbalových zkušeností má hodně. A přeje si, aby Desná postoupila do vyšší soutěže.

V dalším kole I. B třídy východ Zásada přerušila šňůru vítězství Harrachova, když s ním remízovala 2:2. Držkov byl překvapený ze slušného fotbalu, i když Smržovku porazil 3:1. Jilemnice se ani nezapotila a porazila Jabloneček 6:0.

Do startu hokejového mistrovství světa v Praze a Ostravě schází přesně měsíc. A s čím dál větší intenzitou se řeší otázka, vracející se během posledních dvou let jako bumerang. Mají na šampionátu startovat i hráči působící v KHL? Samotné Rusko (a Bělorusko) na turnaj nesmí, ale co borci z dalších zemí? Česká reprezentace to má – zdá se – vyřešené, ale třeba u sousedů na Slovensku v této věci docela tápou. Jak to vidí experti?

V I. A třídě nastřílel Rychnov Mimoni sedm gólů, ale trenér se z výsledku 3:7 neradoval, měl být z jejich strany dvouciferný. Derby v Bělé viděly přes dvě stovky fanoušků, domácí vyhráli 2:0, prohru si nepřipouštěli. Mšeno skákalo radostí za remízu 2:2 v Žibřidicích. V dalším kole chce doma porazit Bílý Kostel.  

Jablonečtí capoeiristé mají za sebou několik zajímavých akcí, na kterých zazářili. Medaile přivezli jak z Paříže, tak z Polska.

Derby se vším, co k tomu patří. To byl zápas I. A třídy, ve kterém se domácí Bělá utkala s celkem Semil. Před víc jak dvěma stovkami diváků se hrál od začátku rušný a bojovný fotbal. Obě mužstva chtěla tři body. Fotbalové štěstí ale stálo při domácích, kteří si za výhru 2:0 připsali na konto plný bodový zisk.

The Asia Championships over the sprint distance saw a pair of dramatic races as Junjie Fan (CHN) and Meiyi Lu (CHN) won the gold medals for the home team. Both Fan and Lu bided their time throughout the race before unleashing decisive attacks on the run. After Kazakhstan took double gold at the 2023 iteration of the event, this time round it proved to be China’s day in Dexing.

Rounding out the men’s podium were Takumi Hojo (JPN) and Yunxiang Ma (CHN). The remaining women’s medals were claimed by Miyu Sakai (JPN) and Sarika Nakayama (JPN).

The Olympic implications

The Asia Championships also had a significant impact on the race to the Paris Olympic Games.

After finishing 4th in the men’s race, Jason Ng Tai Long (HKG) has swept through 10 places in the world rankings. He now sits in 40th place overall. Crucially, he has overtaken his Olympic New Flag rival, Ayan Beisenbayev (KAZ).

Beisenbayev, the 2023 Asian sprint distance champion, could only manage 20th in Dexing. As a result, he gained no places in the world rankings and remains in 45th. Ng holds a 79 point advantage over Beisenbayev, however such a slender lead could be overturned in the course of a single race.

In the women’s event, a 7th place finish for Bailee Brown (HKG) saw her make up ground on the current occupant of the Asian female New Flag berth, Ekaterina Shabalina (KAZ). Shabalina opted against defending her title and the action at the weekend has seen her drop to 53rd in the world rankings. At the same time, Brown moved up 8 places to 63rd.

With only 10 places and 144 points splitting the two women, Brown could still leapfrog Shabalina before the end of the qualifying window. Both of the Asian New Flag places will thus be very much up for grabs over the coming weeks.

Shake up in South Africa

Meanwhile, further New Flag intrigue was on offer at the Nelson Mandela Bay Africa Cup. The key drama came in the women’s race. Vicky Van Der Merwe (RSA) won her fourth straight African event of 2024 and gained 14 places in the world rankings. She now sits in 52nd, coincidentally a single place ahead of Shabalina.

Van Der Merwe has therefore consolidated her hold on the African women’s New Flag place. Her closest rival is Amber Schlebusch (RSA), who finished 2nd in Nelson Mandela Bay. The gap between the two women, though, stands at 30 places and Van Der Merwe has since received the selectorial nod from the South African federation.

The Africa Cup may have also had an important effect on the European women’s New Flag race as Sinem Francisca Tous Servera (TUR) claimed the bronze medal. Tous’ performance has seen her gain 2 places in the world rankings and puts her in 51st. Moreover, it buys her vital, if possibly temporary, breathing space over her rivals for the European New Flag slot.

What they had to say

The Asian men’s champion, Junjie Fan, noted the conditions in Dexing made for a challenging race. “Because it rained yesterday, the road would be very slippery today. I was almost falling down on the dam twice, because my rear wheel slipped.” He added, “The water temperature is the same for all athletes, not only do I feel that the water temperature is low. Under the same conditions, it’s fair for all athletes.”

With regards to passing Hojo, the silver medallist, on the run, Fan noted, “For running, it’s better to run at your own pace. You can’t run too fast in the first lap, and if you run too fast, you may not have energy in the second lap.”

The women’s champion in Dexing, Meiyi Lu, was satisfied with how her race unfolded. “Because Dexing is the first race of this year and I have done well in winter training, coupled with the sprint distance competition, so I can better leverage my speed advantage. For running, because I spent a year and a winter training, I am not very clear about my opponent’s strength. My plan was to lead the first lap, but not run at full speed, so I could know the distance between my opponent and me. If they were very close, I don’t need to run at full speed. If they can’t even keep up with me on the first lap, I’ll just start accelerating from the first lap. But in fact, they’re very close, so if I accelerate too early on the first lap, I’ll probably be surpassed later on.”

Elsewhere, Vicky Van Der Merwe was thrilled with her current form and Olympic prospects. “I’m just so happy and thankful that all the hard work that I’ve put in has paid off! A year ago no one would have bet on me for the Olympics and now I’m the favourite - winning all 3 of our Olympic Selection races!” As for the race itself she added that it “was tough but great.”
“I received a penalty (first one ever!!) for a false start which I had to serve in T1 of course, so I really had to sprint to make the first pack! Our group worked really well together and we soon dropped 2 girls… on the run, I broke away pretty much from the start, which was tough as each lap was straight into a block headwind alone while the other girls ran in a group. I didn’t feel great on the run but still super happy with the result!”

V krajském přeboru si tři body připsaly Lomnice, Pěnčín A, Železný Brod. Bez bodů odjelo ze železnobrodského hřiště béčko Velkých Hamrů (0:1). Sedmihorky s Hrádkem se dohodly, že utkání odloží kvůli nekvalitní hrací ploše v Sedmihorkách. Na umělce už hrát nechtěly. 

It is a shocking statistic that 40% of young women leave the sport that they love because of self-consciousness about their bodies. At a time in their lives where they experience faster physical changes than any other, the attitudes, approaches and awareness of how this impacts the way so many feel girls about their appearance are being put under the spotlight to try and reverse the worrying trend.

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation’s Body Confident Sport campaign is a global partnership between the Center for Appearance Research (University of West of England), Laureus Sport for Good, The Tucker Center (University of Minnesota), Dove and Nike, with the over-arching goal of producing a mindset change in all areas of sport, from athletes to coaches and beyond to society in general.

As part of the initiative, World Triathlon has been awarded a grant of GB£30,000 that will be shared between three National Federations; Great Britain, Italy and Mexico. Each will use the money to pinpoint specific areas in which they feel the most progress can be made towards helping more young women in triathlon feel that they can embrace and be emboldened by their bodies and by how amazing they are and what they can do.

World Triathlon has made athlete body-confidence a mandatory element of its Coach Revalidation process to ensure coaches around the world are mindful of the language they use and the culture that they control within training groups and to be aware of what young women may be thinking and feeling.

“It is impossible to understate the importance of the Laureus campaign for the good of women, for sport and for triathlon,” said World Triathlon President Marisol Casado. “Triathlon is an ‘everyday is a tri-suit day’ sport, where triathletes spend most of their time in swimwear and/or a trisuit. If the statistics are shocking for the numbers of talented young women feeling more comfortable leaving all their hard work and training behind, then the main reason why is even more troubling. We have to work with these brilliant people at every step of their development to ensure they are as comfortable, happy and confident as they need to be to fulfil their potential. It is something that starts at training, impacts on racing and needs to permeate every part of our culture. I look forward to seeing the ways in which our friends at the British, Italian and Mexican Federations are able to create initiatives that will bring meaningful mindset changes to reverse this trend for future generations.”

British Triathlon’s Michelle Hayden, Head of Coaching
“British Triathlon is delighted to be working with World Triathlon and the Italian Triathlon and Triathlon Mexico National Federations to raise awareness of body confidence in young females in our sport. We are delighted to be working with coaches and female participants in our sport to raise awareness of body image and confidence. We want to empower coaches and young women in triathlon to celebrate the great things active bodies can achieve. We want to use the power of swim, bike, run and Triathlon to make our sport more accessible and an enjoyable place for women and girls to be active - simultaneously supporting our coaches to develop their knowledge and understanding.”

Triathlon Mexico’s Claudia Beristain, Project Lead
“Participating in the Body Confident Sport program for coaches and for girls aged 11-17 in triathlon is important because it promotes a healthy and balanced approach to physical activity, focusing on building confidence, self-esteem, and a positive body image. It provides coaches and girls with the necessary guidance and support to develop skills in triathlon coaching while prioritising the overall wellbeing and mental health of the participants. By adhering to this program, girls can cultivate a lifelong enjoyment of sport, enhance their physical fitness, and foster a resilient mindset, setting them up for success both on and off the racecourse. Mexico is committed to educating coaches that are Body Confident competent to create a better coaching culture in our country.”

Italian Triathlon Federation’s Riccardo Giubilei, President
“We are honoured in being selected by World Triathlon and Laureus Sport for Good Foundation to partake in this important two-year project, together with two other important Federations: Great Britain and Mexico. The topic discussed is of fundamental importance, and precisely for this reason, the Italian Triathlon Federation places among its objectives the desire to work with coaches to promote an inclusive environment for all young people, where everyone has the same opportunities to participate and feel comfortable approaching physical activities. Thanks to this program we can implement the training that we provide coaches to increase their competence and necessary skills, hence promoting a positive body image culture so that athletes can gain greater confidence in relation to their bodies during sporting activities.”

For more information, visit www.bodyconfidentsport.com

V dalším kole divize C domácí Turnov pěkně řádil a poslal soupeře, kterým byla Slavia Hradec Králové domů s nadílkou 6:0 gólů. Áčko Velkých Hamrů hrálo v Benátkách a za výhru 1:0 si přivezly tři body.

Jablonec, v dalším kole FORTUNA LIGY neobstál s ostravským Baníkem, kterému doma podlehl 2:3. I když se tým snažil a dělal co mohl, na konci utkání to alespoň k bodu nedovedl. Baník těsný náskok udržel a bral tři body. Vítězství dali základ střelci branek Klíma, Kpozo a Tekijaški, jenž si dal vlastní branku, když si srazil míč do branky.  

Fotbalisté Slavie se po 27. kole první ligy vyhoupli do čela tabulky o bod před Spartu. Sešívaní už v sobotu udolali ve vršovickém derby Bohemians 2:1, na což mistři z Letné nedokázali v neděli odpovědět. Sparta ztratila body za domácí remízu 1:1 s Mladou Boleslaví a přišla o první flek.

V dalším kole ČFL skupiny B se svěřencům trenéra Benjamina Vomáčky dařilo na hřišti soupeře. Z Mladé Boleslavi, po vyhraném zápase 3:1, si na konto připsali tři body.

Na závodě IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside 2024 se Lionel Sanders a Taylor Knibb radovali z vítězství, ale pozornost poutaly také kontroverzní diskvalifikace dvou špičkových triatlonistů. Sanders ukázal své mistrovství. Knibb dominovala ve ženské kategorii s obrovským náskokem po cyklistické části.

Aktuální zpráva přišla z fotbalového areálu v Sedmihorkách. Mistrovské utkání krajského přeboru v sobotu 6. dubna od 16,30 se nehraje. Důvodem je nezpůsobilý terén.