Sprint distance with individual on the Saturday and the exciting mixed relay on the Sunday.
Not a very strong field in the women’s, probably another Duffy domination I expect
Women’s preview…
The longest-running World Triathlon Series event returns to the calendar as this weekend the elites head to Germany to compete at the 2017 ITU World Triathlon Hamburg. As one of the busiest races of the season, the crowds come in the thousands to line the streets and shut down the city in order to cheer for the world’s best triathletes.
This year the elites welcome back the familiar sprint distance course as the WTS begins the second half of the season. The individual races will also once again open up the weekend with both the men and women racing on Saturday followed by the annual Team Mixed Relays event to take place on Sunday for the first time since the exciting announcement that the sport will officially be included in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic programme.
The women’s start list contains so many medal contenders that the final three on the podium is truly anyone’s game. Topping the roster is USA’sKirsten Kasper and Katie Zaferes. Kasper has been reaching career milestones this season that could continue this weekend in Hamburg. She stepped onto her first WTS podium in Yokohama, which then aided in getting her the number one spot in the overall Series rankings. However, a milestone she has yet to cross off is winning a WTS event, so her strong running legs could help her earn that next step.
For Zaferes, Hamburg is the place where she earned her first WTS victory. Zaferes remains as one of the strongest U.S. women in the field this season and a sprint distance definitely is where she excels. Last year she took gold in Hamburg on top of many WTS medals. This season, she already earned the silver in Yokohama and it can be in Hamburg once again that can give her gold as she sets out to reclaim her 2016 event title and since she is the only woman racing on Saturday that has won in Hamburg, she has the experience to do so.
Another American that put herself on the map in WTS Leeds is Taylor Spivey, who took the silver in the event and earned her first WTS medal.
Once again, to get to the top means having to go through the reigning World Champ, Flora Duffy(BER). She has been unstoppable this season, winning the last two races in Yokohama and Leeds. Her quest to reclaim her world title has been evident in her racing as her performances are stronger than ever.
But of the four races so far this season, two of them have been claimed by Kiwi Andrea Hewitt. She started off the year with a bang and crushed it in Abu Dhabi and Gold Coast, but then has slowed down and did not race in Leeds. However, Andrea is high up in the Series rankings, so final results in Hamburg this Saturday could give a better look at potential World Champions for 2017.
The Aussies want to get back on the podium and two of those hopefuls are Ashleigh Gentle andCharlotte McShane. Gentle was the silver medallist in Gold Coast and then finished in the top ten in Yokohama and Leeds. She has what it takes to earn some hardware, it just comes down to what she can do on race day. McShane also has been working to get back on that WTS podium that she stepped onto last season in Cozumel, it’s just a matter now of when everything will fall into place for her.
The British duo of Jessica Learmonth and Lucy Hall will be racing together. The two have been amazing this season, especially when working together. It is only a matter of time before Learmonth earns her first WTS medal, she is a frontrunner in the swim and excels at the bike, add Hall into the mix and they like to mix up the action out on the course.
Representing for the host nation, Laura Lindemann is a young athlete who was a junior and U23 world champion. Since Hamburg brings out one of the best crowds of the season, the local cheers could really help Lindemann get Germany on the podium.
Another name to watch for is Italy’s Alice Betto. She earned her first WTS podium in Leeds when she claimed the bronze. She has made a name for herself as one of the strongest cyclists in the women’s field this year, so look out for in the lead pack.
Men’s race is stacked with prety much all the top men except Ali, a bit reluctant to call the men’s, I know Gomez doesn’t go well at all over Sprint. The only chance he has of getting on the podium is if he works with Jonny and a few others on the bike. Be interesting to see how it goes down between Jonny, Mola, Murray and Alarza if they all come out of T2 together.
Men’s preview here…
The men’s start list is stacked! All of the top names are lining up this Saturday to prove who can outsprint the competition to get to the top. Hamburg is an electric atmosphere
The Spanish are coming to make waves in Hamburg as they hold the top three spots on the start list. Wearing the number one will beFernando Alarza. Alarza was the bronze medallist in Hamburg last year and already has three WTS podiums this season. He does not however have a win, so the sprint course could be his opportunity. It was Mario Mola though that did win in Hamburg last year. He is a powerhouse at the sprint distance, so he is easily one of the frontrunners for Saturday. And of course there is the question of Javier Gomez Noya, the man that is always the one to beat on the WTS course. He won in Abu Dhabi, but then skipped out in Leeds so he returns to get back to get the Hamburg gold, a feat he has not done since 2010.
With so much talent within the Spanish, individual performances could play a huge roll on who will represent Spain in the mixed relay event on Sunday.
After WTS Leeds, the power of the men’s British team grew. Tom Bishop and Adam Bowden both finished in the top five and with the Brownlee Brothers taking the gold and silver, for the first time in ITU history a nation had four athletes in the top five. Both Bishop and Bowden will be returning for Hamburg to see if they can double up on top performances. They will be joined byJonathan Brownlee, who is still on a quest to get the 2017 world title. After his bike crash that left him in 42nd position in Yokohama, every race counts now to get him as many Series points as possible. Earning the silver in Leeds aided that, so he is on track once again to be on the World Champion running.
South Africa’s Richard Murray returns to the WTS after skipping Yokohama and Leeds. His start of the season however was on track and he already has one medal under his belt by earning silver in Gold Coast, Hamburg will just be a matter of whether he can get back the momentum that he started with.
His South African compatriot Henri Schoeman is also high on the start list and is one athlete who is wanting to get his feet up onto the WTS podium. He came close in Yokohama and just missed it by finishing fourth, but as one of the field’s top swimmers and always improving on the bike and run, any race is up for grabs for Schoeman.
Another nation that could see their men on the podium is France. Vincent Luis came back to the WTS in Abu Dhabi and earned a bronze medal. However, finishing 10th in Leeds showed that Luis still is trying to get back to his former level against his competition that have been racing regularly in the Series. But when Luis is at peak fitness he is a huge threat, so it will be exciting to see what he can do in Hamburg. His compatriotsDorian Coninx and Pierre Le Corre are equal threats to the field. They both have WTS podium experience and can perform big on the day.
Other standouts in the men’s roster are Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) and Joao Pereira (POR). Blummenfelt has a come out of nowhere performance record, putting forth huge finishes at the last minute. He is an unpredictable threat that could snag a medal away in an instant. While Pereira is a solid and consistent athlete who typically finishes with strong results and very capable of getting on the podium.
Last year the Team Mixed Relays World Champion Title went to USA. This year, the men’s individual event is crucial for the American men to see who will be joining the reigning champ team. Ben Kanute is a frontrunner as he is the only returning male from last year’s team. He is known to put the pressure on and makes things interesting on the bike, we could see some breakaway attempts from him on Saturday. Other U.S. potentials is Kevin McDowell and Matt Mcelroy. McDowell and Mcelroy are both young talent and have had success on the World Cup scene.
The Aussies are also men that should not be discredited. Jake Birtwhistle earned the silver medal from a sprint finish in Hamburg last year, while big names such as Ryan Baile and Aaron Royle are lining up and looking for some hardware.
The mixed relay teams will not be announced till the Sunday apparently.