Pristine waters, scenic coastal routes for cycling, and a challenging lighthouse course for running. The set up is ready in the beautiful coastal town of Wollongong, Australia, for its debut on the World Triathlon Cup circuit. With a stellar line up filled with talent and Olympic dreams, the female field is ready to tackle a demanding course that will offer a 750m ocean swim with a beach start, followed by a demanding 20km hill climb on each of the five laps of the cycling course, culminating in a challenging 5km hilly run.

Wearing the one this Saturday will be Rachel Klamer (NED). The experienced Dutch woman is looking to secure her ticket for Paris 2024, which will be her fourth Olympics, and her second place last season in Karlovy Vary World Cup proved that she is always one to be considered when it comes to hard courses like the one in Wollongong.

Ainsley Thorpe, also battling for a spot on the Olympic team for New Zealand, will be toeing the start line looking to grab some valuable points that will allow her to make the team for next summer. Some strong European athletes have made it all the way to Australia to kick off their season, including Ilaria Zane (ITA) or Lisa Perterer (AUT). Both of them strong bikers and runners, they will likely try to keep the fast runners like Tilda Mansson (SWE) or Maria Carolina Velazquez Soto (COL) behind them as soon as possible.

The local squad will be led by Jaz Hedgeland, currently the second Australian athlete on the Olympic rankings, who is fighting for a spot on the team for Paris. Wearing the gold and green during the weekend will also be Charlotte McShane, Ellie Hoitink -who just won last weekend the Oceania championships-, Charlotte Derbyshire, Emma Jeffcoat, Kira Hedgeland, Tara Sosinski and Richelle Hill.

Team World Triathlon - the sport’s global development squad for athletes with Olympic potential from smaller National Federations - will be well represented in Wollongong. 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.

You can check the Wollongong start lists HERE.
Watch the race LIVE and on demand on TriathlonLIVE.tv

The picturesque coastal setting of Wollongong, in Australia, is ready to make its debut on the World Triathlon Cup circuit this weekend, an event that will also play as a test for the upcoming World Triathlon Championship Finals in 2025. With valuable Olympic points on sight, the athletes will face a 750m swim with a beach start, followed by 20km bike on a hill climb on each of the 5 laps of the course, to finish with a hard 5km hilly run course. A hard and honest course that will test the skills of the field.

Wollongong offers a picturesque coastal setting that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the sport. The location is just perfect for a superb triathlon race. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, rolling hills and lush greenery, the course offers a dynamic terrain for triathletes, combining its crystal-clear waters, scenic coastal roads for the cycling leg and challenging Light house course for the running section.

Wearing the golden number 1 will be home hero Matt Hauser. The Aussie has already set the tone for his Olympic year winning last week the Oceania Championships in Taupo, and is looking for back-to-back victories, this time on home soil. Hauser, who has already secured his spot at the Olympic Games in Paris next summer, will be leading a strong Australian squad that has quite a few athletes battling for the other spots on the Team, including Luke Willian, Brandon Copeland, Callum McClusky and Olympian Jacob Birtwhistle, who seems to be back in full form after his fourth place last weekend in Taupo, logging the fastest run of the day.

Even though the swim is not expected to be a choppy and hard one, as the athletes swim inside the harbour, the fastest swimmers on the field like Hauser, Jonas Schomburg, Jamie Riddle (RSA) or Diego Moya (CHI) will try to have an impact on the race from the early stages. And a tough, technical and hilly course like this one is just perfect for small breakaways.

Another athlete looking to secure a spot on the Olympic team will be Jonas Schomburg, fighting for the last spot on the German squad that will head to Paris this summer, and that is always one to be considered when it comes to hard and honest courses like the one in Wollongong. Other fast runners, like Richard Murray (NED), Jake Birtwhistle (AUS), Tayler Reid (NZL), Ben Dijkstra (GBR) or Matt Hauser are always a threat if it all comes to a run race.

The Team World Triathlon - the sport’s global development squad for athletes with Olympic potential from smaller National Federations - will be well represented in Wollongong, as they continue to chase Paris 2024 qualification. 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.

You can check the full start list HERE.
Watch the Wollongong Men’s race Live and on demand on TriathlonLIVE.tv.

 

 

 

Výborný nápad házenkářů! V Libereckém kraji navštěvují základní školy a ligoví hráči představují žákům házenou. A nejen teoreticky. Ukázku tréninku, různých pohybových aktivit a také krátkého zápasu si s nimi děti vyzkouší na vlastní kůži. A že se jim to líbí, o tom svědčí noví zájemci o tento sport.

V I. B třídě porazily Přepeře soupeře ze Smržovky 1:0 a chystají se do Držkova. Harrachov se chystá na derby s Jablonečkem. Půjde o Klíč Krkonoš. Jilemnice má před s sebou zápasy, které ji prověří.

Trenér jabloneckých hokejistů týmu HC Jablonec Vítězslav Jankových, je s průběhem uplynulé sezóny svých svěřenců, juniorů, spokojený. Ale netají, že výsledek mohl být lepší. A také ho lepší očekával.

Fotbalisté Cvikova se před sobotním zápasem I.B třídy proti Hrádku nad Nisou B dozvěděli šokující zprávu. Těsně před utkáním jim klubový předseda oznámil, že jejich trenér Pavel Sehnal nečekaně zemřel. Letos oslavil 60. narozeniny.

Youri Keulen překvapil na Singapore T100 triumfem v mužské kategorii, zatímco Ashleigh Gentle dominovala v ženském závodě. Radka Vodičková závod dokončila na 11. místě.

Brzké jaro dovolilo rozehrát jarní fotbalové soutěže a první zápasy ukazují, jak kvalitní byla zimní příprava jednotlivých týmů a případně jak zapadly nové posily. První zápasy nastavily zrcadlo i pěnčínskému A a B týmu. 

V Železném Brodě se v jeden den konaly hned tři sportovní akce. Jednalo se o postupové kolo projektu "Česko se hýbe", zároveň Českomoravský pohár ve sportovním aerobiku a fitness týmech pro začínající závodníky, aerobik team show a přehlídku pódiových skladeb.

Termín velikonočních svátků v tomto roce byl shodný s datem konání mistrovství Evropy v disciplíně hand to hand combat. Dějištěm šampionátu byla rumunská Transylvánie. Českou republiku reprezentovalo trio – Martina Ptáčková, Josef Ptáček mladší a Josef Ptáček starší.

Wednesday 17 April marks exactly 100 days until the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. That means 104 days to the individual men’s triathlon, 105 to the women’s and 110 to the Mixed Relay. The countdowns to the biggest races of the year are well and truly on.

Swim-Bike-Run | 1.5km-40km-10km

The Paris 2024 individual triathlons will be the ultimate athletic test of speed and endurance all wrapped up in the unique pressure pot of the Olympic Games. It is a race that will last nearly two hours, but in which the finest details can be the difference between a medal or disappointment. It is a race that nobody will be able to predict, and nobody will want to miss.

Then there’s the raw speed and team element of only the second ever Olympic Triathlon Mixed Relay to savour: super-sprint swim-bike-run x 4, men out first leg, the women bringing it home on the anchor leg, one of them the gold. Goosebumps guaranteed.

Those dates for the diaries are as follows:

Friday 26 July Opening Ceremony
Tuesday 30 July Men’s individual (8AM local)
Wednesday 31 July Women’s individual (8AM local)
Monday 5 August Mixed Team Relay (8AM local)

Between now and then, World Triathlon will bring you up close and personal to the athletes bidding to win the biggest prizes in the sport and becoming our next Olympic Triathlon Champions.

Launching today, 100 days from the opening ceremony, is the #OlympicTRI hashtag. Following it will bring fans right to the heart of all our Olympic triathlon coverage on social media in the coming months, both from the official World Triathlon channels as well as direct from the athletes chasing qualification and at the Games themselves.

Then, one month out from the Games, World Triathlon will launch the new docu-series Chasing The Dream, in which we go deep with some of the main contenders for Paris 2024, discovering when and where their personal Olympic flames were lit and what has driven them to be among the best in the world at the very toughest of sports.

First up, of course, is the matter of qualification. Only a handful of men and women have met their Federation/NOC criteria to confirm their places in Paris. For the vast majority, the Series and World Cup races between now and WTCS Cagliari are vital.

Watch the Wollongong World Cup this weekend on TriathlonLive.tv, then it is on to Chengdu World Cup, WTCS Yokohama, the Huatulco World Cup and Relay Qualification Event and Samarkand World Cup, before the qualification window closes after WTCS Cagliari.

Follow us on:

World Triathlon Twitter
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World Triathlon Facebook
World Triathlon TikTok
World Triathlon Threads
World Triathlon YouTube
World Triathlon SmugMug official photo site

After successfully hosting the Africa Triathlon Championships in 2023, Hurghada, Egypt, will once again welcome some of the continent’s biggest stars for the 2024 edition of the event. In addition to continental prestige, Olympic hopes will be up in the air, with avenues open in both the New Flag and Universality routes for aa handful of athletes.

A challenging yet fast standard distance course will be on offer in the Red Sea resort. While the men’s race looks decidedly open, the women’s event looks to have a clear favourite.

All to play for in the men’s race

With none of the 2023 podium returning, we are guaranteed to see some new faces step atop the men’s podium in Hurghada.

Jean Gael Laurent L`entete (MRI) will fancy his chances of claiming the gold medal. L`entete is the highest-ranked male, with respect to the world rankings, on the start list. As things stand, he is also in line to earn the African New Flag slot for the Paris Olympics. Hurghada will therefore present the opportunity to assert both his continental and Olympic credentials as one of Africa’s leading talents.

Right behind L`entete will be Siefeldeen Ismail (EGY) and Seifeddine Selmi (TUN). Both could vault into New Flag contention with a win while Ismail will have the added incentive of performing well before a home audience.

Moreover, keep an eye out for Zakaria Chtoui (TUN). The reigning African junior champion will be making the step up into the senior and U23 event this time round and could upset some of his more established rivals.

Eloi Adjavon (TOG) is another rapidly developing talent and should feature in the hunt for gold. Any medal by Adjavon would be a first for Togo at the Africa Championships. Like Ismail or Selmi, he could be an outsider to overhaul L`entete in the New Flag race. Equally, Adjavon could earn a Universality place at the Paris Olympics. A strong performance in Hurghada, then, should do his Olympic ambitions no harm at all.

Can anyone stop Van Der Merwe?

Vicky Van Der Merwe (RSA) has been unstoppable on African soil this year, having claimed three Africa Cup wins and the African Games title. Thus far, none of her regional rivals have had an answer to her, particularly on the third discipline.

Van Der Merwe has all but locked up Olympic qualification via the New Flag track, though that route still hangs on compatriot Shanae Williams, who will continue her bid to reach Paris via the individual rankings at this weekend’s Wollongong World Cup.

With Van Der Merwe looking to defend her continental title from 2023 and considering her extensive winning streak, it would be a shock to see her lose now. Nevertheless, an upset is by no means impossible. Among the candidates to dethrone her will be Kahina Mebarki (ALG), who won the bronze medal at the African Games, and Andie Kuipers (ZIM), who took 4th place at the same event.

Both will look to keep Van Der Merwe honest throughout the race as one misstep could open the door for a shock defeat. Similarly, Rahma Ahmed (EGY) will be one of the athletes to fly the flag for the home team and could be a dark horse.

For the full start lists, click here.

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.