Based on course statistics, we once named the Croyde Ocean Triathlon the fifth-hardest Olympic-distance triathlon in the world.
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Having done 2019’s event this weekend in North Devon (and finished in 323rd place), we can confirm this is one tough cookie of a challenge, with a sea swim, relentlessly-rolling 40km bike and a mixed terrain 12km run along coastal paths where, for us at least, the only option was a rueful smile and to walk the multiple inclines. And all in scorching conditions with barely a breeze to sooth the skin.
Sunday’s race was the fifth consecutive Croyde Ocean Triathlon, and its sell out field of 480 (150 were on the waiting list) and number of repeat athletes is testament to the friendly feel of the race and a jaw-dropping course (is there a better view in UK tri than the run course one over Saunton Sands?) that entices multiple visits to this gorgeous corner of Devon.
The race saw two-time winner and local lifeguard Jack Hutchens exit the 1.5km swim alongside Bristol’s David Langston in just 19:31, before Hutchens extended his narrow advantage after the steep transition run and T1 to 29secs.
Hutchens then posted the fastest 40km bike and 12km run splits of the day to break the tape in 2:16:33, establishing a new course record by over five minutes. Second place went to fellow Croyde lifeguard Oli Wright and bronze went to Matt Cox. Stepping into the lead was Newbury’s Victoria Duncan, who was overall winner by a comfortable 7mins, beating Rebecca Stobart (Cornwall) into second place and London’s Claire Pepper into third.
There were over 40 relay teams taking part, with ‘Snot and Dribble’ in first place for the males. First in the female category were JCB, the Family Cup went to Family Elphick and the first mixed team was Team 76 77 78. There was even a finish line proposal between Croyde Tri regulars Ashley Kirkham and Victoria Doran.
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2020’s Croyde Ocean Triathlon in association with the Pickwell Foundation is taking place on Sunday 12 July. Limited early bird entries are available at www.croydeocean.co.uk
Australian Emma Jackson took advantage of the absence of the top-ranked contenders to register her first triumph in the World Triathlon Series.
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The 27-year-old, who hadn’t been on a WTS podium since 2014, out-sprinted the USA’s Summer Rappaport with fellow Aussie Ashleigh Gentle in third.
Scotland’s Beth Potter, the reigning European champion, who was making her first World Series start, ran through the field to finish 13th, with fellow Brit Sophie Coldwell in 15th.
Edmonton in Canada played host to the penultimate WTS event of the eight-race season, with only the Grand Final in Lausanne still to come.
With the series darting from Montreal to Hamburg and then back to North America in recent weeks, and with triathletes prioritising the Tokyo test event next month, there was a reduced field of 42 women starting, with the top three-ranked triathletes, Katie Zafares, Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown all absent.
Also missing was last year’s Edmonton winner and reigning world champion Vicky Holland, who after dealing with a troublesome Achilles injury was hit with a stomach bug.
Spain’s Sara Perez Sala was closely followed by Coldwell and Rappaport for the early stages of the non-wetsuit 750m lake swim, before the American took charge to lead out of the water and run up into T1.
Rappaport and Coldwell were slickest through transition and were joined by Taylor Spivey – the highest ranked athlete in the field – to open a 16sec gap on the field by the end of the first of five bike laps.
However, by the time they swept back through Hawrelak Park for the end of lap two they’d been hauled back to form a lead group of 19 triathletes, with Potter in the chasing group, 33sec adrift.
In a largely uneventful 22km bike leg, it was a surprise was to see World Under-23 champion Taylor Knibb, fourth in Abu Dhabi and fifth in Montreal and a renowned cyclist in triathlon, slip off the pace.
Knowing she was unlikely to contend on the run, Coldwell remained the main aggressor on the bike and was first to dismount ahead of T2, but it was Australian Jaz Hedgeland who struck out first on the 5km run.
Rappaport then pushed through to the front, before Gentle eased alongside with Belgian Clare Michel and Jackson also in close attendance.
It came down to a battle between the four in the final mile and although Jackson looked to be flagging at times, she held strong enough to take the tape.
It was also another success for the Joel Filliol trained group of athletes, adding to Non Stanford and Jake Birtwhistle’s wins in Hamburg in the previous round of WTS racing.
“It’s quite emotional wining my first WTS,” Jackson said. “I had good run in Montreal and Hamburg but had been in the chasing [bike] pack and hadn’t been able to show what I’m capable off. To be here today and actually win is quite unbelievable.”
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With five races plus the Grand Final counting, Zafares – who narrowly missed out to Holland last year – will be assured of winning the world title provided she finishes no lower than 12th.
Double Olympic medallist Jonny Brownlee took victory in Edmonton to show he’s still a force to be reckoned with at the top level of the sport.
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Brownlee hadn’t been on a World Triathlon Series podium since winning in Stockholm in 2017 and has had a miserable 2019 season, finishing an uncharacteristic 11th in Bermuda, 35th in Leeds and being unable to finish in Hamburg after a bike crash
But he looked in imperious form in Canada, powering through all three disciplines to take the tape ahead of reigning world champion Mario Mola with Belgian Marten van Riel in third.
“I doubted myself a lot,” Brownlee admitted. “Athletes have short term memories and it doesn’t matter what we’ve done in the past. I didn’t know if I’d get on a podium again, let alone win. It’s been tough but I’ve finally won something.
“The swim was great, I got some clear water, the bike we really committed, and then the run I felt really good. With a lap to go I knew I’d be alright.
“People say he’s past it and has had his best years, but I still feel my best races are to come.”
One of those races now looks more likely to be the test event in Tokyo next month where a podium finish will guarantee Brownlee selection for next year’s Olympics.
This was not a weak field either. In contrast to the earlier women’s race, most of the leading male contenders had turned up in Alberta in force.
It was testament to the most open world title race since the inception of the World Series in 2009, with triathletes looking for vital points ahead of the Grand Final in Lausanne.
Three Spaniards were in the top five of the rankings including Mola and Javier Gomez who have won the last six world titles between them.
Alex Yee was the leading Brit in the standings in 13th, but instead chose to race in athletics’ Anniversary Games in London where he posted a new 5km personal best of 13:29.
Series leader Luis set the pace in the 750m lake swim in Hawrelak Park in 8:30. Brownlee looked impressive to emerge in fifth, just 5sec back, and was able to form a strong front bike pack of five with Matt Hauser, Ben Kanute, Luis and Van Riel.
The quintet pushed hard to establish a 29sec gap in the first of five bike laps which had one short climb and a descent where speeds reached over 70km/h.
That lead was gradually whittled away, but Jake Birtwhistle, the only male triathlete to have won two WTS events this season – in Leeds and Hamburg – was an early retirement.
The lead group was 17sec ahead coming into T2, as a crash in in the chase pack as they approached transition left triathletes sprawled across the tarmac.
Brownlee looked strong from the start of the run and only Van Riel could stay with the pace. The Belgian’s resistance finally broken as they approached the last mile, but as Mola ran through for second, the Van Riel did enough to hold on for his first World Series podium.
A young New Zealand team defeated Great Britain in the mixed relay in Edmonton to give the Kiwis their first victory in this format in the World Triathlon Series.
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All aged under 23, the quartet was anchored by Hayden Wilde who burst away from 2016 Rio Olympian Gordon Benson on the run to win by 9sec, with the USA third and the Australians fourth after serving a time penalty after a botched handover.
The win came despite Wilde squandering a lead at the start of the final leg after he went off course during the 300m swim.
But he recovered to split the front group of four with Benson over the 6.4km cycle before producing a faster 1.7km run split.
The race had started with USA’s Summer Rappaport, Britain’s Sophie Coldwell and Holland’s Maya Kingma breaking away on the first leg.
Rappaport’s superior running ability gave the USA a 7sec advantage for the changeover, but Coldwell handed over to Jonny Brownlee who produced the fastest split of the day to build a 14sec buffer for the 2016 European champion India Lee.
Unfortunately for the Brits, Lee was quickly reeled in by USA’s Taylor Knibb and New Zealand’s Nicole van Der Kaay, with Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle also pulling out a strong performance to thrust her nation back into contention.
Knibb and Van Der Kaay pulled clear of Lee on the bike, and although the Basingstoke triathlete did pull back to Knibb on the run, it was New Zealand’s Wilde who was tagged first with a 15sec advantage.
That was soon relinquished by the Kiwi after a poorly navigated swim, and with Australia’s Matt Hauser making up more ground, four teams arrived in transition together for the final bike ride.
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From there Wilde and Benson managed to move clear again, with Hauser and the USA’s Seth Rider locked in a battle for third before Wilde got the edge on the final run.
1. 5, 4, 3, 2 and No 1 is the countdown for Katie: USA’s top triathlete Katie Zafares missed Edmonton knowing only victory could have improved her best five-race total ahead of the Grand Final. Such has been her form and results in 2019, she really only needs to stay uninjured and upright on the bike in Lausanne for the race to be little more than a coronation. The reality is that she will go there to try and win a fifth victory of a dominating WTS season and in doing so will show satisfying linear year-on-year progression since 2015 of finishing fifth, fourth, third, second and top of the world.
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2. Lausanne is Luis’ to lose: Although it’s been the most unpredictable men’s WTS season to date, the consistency of France’s Vincent Luis means he will travel to Switzerland knowing that fifth place will be good enough to guarantee the world title. The big two to miss out in Edmonton were Javier Gomez and Jake Birtwhistle, who could have gained enough points to be within striking distance in Lausanne, but failed to finish. That’s not to begrudge Luis his rightful place as world No 1. He has won the past two Grand Finals and contested every WTS race this season, winning in Yokohama and finishing no lower than sixth place elsewhere.
3. What’s in a name? If you’re an Australian called Emma there’s a fair dinkum chance you’re decent at triathlon. Think Carney, Snowsill, Moffatt… in 2011 in Hamburg, there was even three Australian Emmas on the podium together. One of those was a teenage Emma Jackson, who looked destined for a glittering career. It hasn’t quite worked out as planned and the win in Edmonton marked her first WTS podium for over five years. The victory was also another success for the Joel Filliol squad of triathletes that includes Zafares and Luis, a further reminder that it’s presently head and shoulders the most successful coaching set-up in the sport.
4. Brownlee back on it: From July 2010 to May 2014 – almost four years – Jonny Brownlee only missed the podium once – and that was a DNF when Non Stanford crashed in a mixed relay. The years since the infamous Cozumel combustion of 2016 have been more of a struggle though, as the Yorkshireman has battled both injuries and a greater depth of competition. In Edmonton he was back with the type of race and performance made to suit his strengths: an assured swim in the top five, a small front pack prepared to work hard to stay away, and a confident front-running last 5km to finish it off. Brownlee is too far back to challenge for WTS honours this season, but watch out for him to lay down a marker at the Olympic Test Event in Tokyo next month.
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5. Crashes are part of racing. The ITU came under-fire from Brett Sutton, the coach of London Olympic champion Nicola Spirig, for the nature of the course in Hamburg in the previous WTS event. Spirig was making her return to WTS competition and was one of many athletes that took a tumble on the greasy city centre roads after the heavens opened. Sutton’s gripe was that there were too many athletes on a course that was too narrow and had too many other hazards, such as the slippery paint of the road markings. Australian Aaron Royle jumped to the defence of the governing body by pointing out that Hamburg has been a race venue, largely without issue, for years. In Edmonton, there was another almighty spill in the men’s race just metres from T2 as triathletes tried to unclip. But what actually happened is difficult to gauge because the cameras either didn’t catch much footage or the director chose to pan away. Having been stung by criticism in Hamburg, I hope the ITU are not going to sanitise the race footage for fear of more backlash. Otherwise, while we can debate how fair the courses are for athletes, it’s patently unfair on the watching fans.
Saturday 3rd August saw the first running of the XTri World Championships, held at the race series’ flagship event, the Norseman. In a change to the usual running of the event, a field of 42 pro athletes were invited to jump from the iconic ferry 5 minutes before the usual Norseman field, to take part in an exhilarating competition amongst the very best extreme endurance athletes in the world to be crowned XTri World Champion.
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Qualification was via a first or second-placed finish at selected world series races, or a top five placed finish at Norseman 2018. Lining up to represent Great Britain were former full-time pro and cancer doctor Lucy Gossage in the women’s race and fellow former pro Mark Threlfall in the men’s race. There was some strong competition too – joining them were three-time winner and 2018 champ Norwegian Allan Hovda, multiple Xterra and ÖtillÖ champion Martin Flinta and pro women Morgan Chaffin and third-placed 2018 competitor Flora Colledge.
Into The Fjord
The World Champs race started after the ferry jump at 04:55am, with athletes swimming the 3.8km in the Hardangerfjord back to transition in the beautiful town of Eidfjord. After a very warm couple of weeks in the area, water temperatures were unusually warm at 17 degrees C and first out of the water was Britain’s Mark Threlfall, setting a blistering pace of 00:47:51. America’s Morgan Chaffin was first in the women’s pro category in 00:53:31.
Meanwhile, the main Norseman race started five minutes after the main race, but saw an outstanding performance from sports scientist, TV Comic Relief athlete coach and former Olympian Professor Greg Whyte, who was out of the water in just 00:48:54, overtaking much of the pro field in the process!
On to the bike course, which saw athletes take on 180km from Eidfjord to Austbygde, with over 3000 metres of climbing and a trip across the Hardanger plateau and the iconic Imingfjell, with multiple long difficult climbs and descents. The weather was adding to the challenge as well, with chilly stretches in low cloud on the plateau around Dyranut, yet strong sunshine and high temperatures as the athletes made the descent into T2.
Mountain Battle
In the men’s race, a clear battle emerged between Norwegians 2018 winner Allan Hovda and Hans Christian Tungesvik, with the latter leading and achieving a lead of 34 minutes across the course. In the women’s race, GB’s Lucy Gossage emerged as a clear leader, her prowess on hot, hilly Ironman courses such as Ironman Kona and Lanzarote showing as she rode strongly though the course, with Flora Colledge and Morgan Chaffin unable to catch her as she entered the run leg.
The Norseman run sees competitors take on the 42.2km marathon distance by starting on an undulating road leg, before embarking on the steep switchbacks of ‘zombie hill’ and then the final climb to Gaustatoppen, a 5km stretch up a mountain composed of rocky, treacherous trails.
In the men’s World Championship race Allan Hovda showed his prowess on this course by overtaking Hans Christian Tungesvik after around 15km, before the pair embarked on the steep climb to the finish. In dramatic scenes though, Tungesvik, supported by Norseman athlete Richard Rozok, overtook Hovda with only a couple of hundred metres to go, to take the first World Championship title in 09:59:40.
In the women’s race Lucy Gossage retained control throughout the run and, joined by her mum as support for the final climb, ran over the line with the emotion of the moment clear to see, her final time 11:27:12.
Norseman Achievements
Back in the main Norseman race some impressive times were set as well, with Danne Boterenbrood taking the women’s race in 13:13:59 and Frederik Linge Johnson the men’s in 10:47:55. Professor Greg Whyte was delighted to achieve a black finisher’s tee as well with a finish time of 15:24:16.
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The morning after the @nxtri – what an experience; a truly extreme triathlon in a truly epic country. Still ecstatic about achieving ‘Black’ being supported by the dream #team @andydigweed & #RichBall Film of the journey from the legend @benjhull and @mattlittler (the #Hollyoaks Pink Flamingos) coming soon from ‘Great Whyte Productions’ @huubdesign @orrobikes @i_rideuk @on_running #NothingGoodComesEasy #performance #nxtri #triathlon #ultraendurance #sport #exercise #swim #bike #run #swimming #cycling #running
A post shared by Greg Whyte (@profgregw) on Aug 4, 2019 at 2:05am PDT
Also racing was BBC Breakfast’s Louise Minchin, who 220’s Editor Helen Webster spoke to during the days before the race.
Fresh from a finish at Patagonman earlier in the year, Louise battled the tough Norseman course to complete a white tee finish saying afterwards in an Instagram message: “16 hours and 46 minutes after I jumped into this fjord, I am officially a Norseman, what a tough incredible amazing day.”
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I am a bit broken but I am officially a Norseman and over the moon to be the proud owner of a white t-shirt. Huge respect to everyone who finished, it was a tough but brilliant day and the one thing I hadn’t trained for was the unexpected heat! Thanks for all who have sponsored me for @mindcharity too much appreciated. Thanks to everyone at @nxtri for an unforgettable and very long day. #triathlon #norseman #swimbikerun I am going to have a rest now.
A post shared by Louise Minchin (@louiseminchin) on Aug 4, 2019 at 7:59am PDT
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220’s Editor Helen Webster was working as a presenter on Norseman Live at the race this year. Here are the highlights so you can re-watch the magic and drama of the 2019 race
Triathlon is warming up for the Tokyo test event in more ways than one. Anticipation is building among athletes looking to all but guarantee Olympic and Paralympic selection and fans who will be granted a window into how next year’s Games might play out. And then, well, there’s the weather…
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If 2016 in Rio was predicted to be hot, racing along the famous Copacabana stretch has nothing on what competitors are bracing themselves for at the Japanese capital’s Odaiba Marine Park. Last year the nearby city of Kumagaya logged a record 41.1 degree Celsius and start-times have already been moved forward to 8am (7.30am for the test event) to try and mitigate the heat. It might still not be enough. The last time Tokyo hosted the Olympic Games, they moved the whole thing back to October.
Nations are investing time and money in finding the best ways to cope. Jonny Brownlee has turned the heaters up to max in his conservatory in Leeds and the British contingent are currently acclimatising in a training camp in Miyazaki in southern Japan. Come race day,where triathletes needed a Dryrobe to stay warm in London’s chilly Hyde Park in 2012, this time they will wear cooling vests in an effort to keep core temperatures as low as possible before the off.
Previous test events have rarely been a reliable indicator of who will triumph the following year, with only Alistair Brownlee (2011) and Gwen Jorgensen (2015) repeating their success from the trial run, but they do play an important role in allowing both triathletes and their support teams the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the course and conditions to reduce the chances of anything unforeseen scuppering the main event.
QUALIFICATION
Even more important for athletes is that test events are often nominated by federations as key selection races. Such is the case with British Triathlon for Tokyo, whose qualifying criteria is so strict that only Jonny Brownlee and Vicky Holland, as existing Olympic medal winners, have an opportunity to qualify outright. Their task is to finish in the top three.
It’s a policy that is indicative of both the strength in depth of British talent and selectors wishing to keep their options open as long as possible to guarantee the best three male and female triathletes are on the start-line at the Games.
In reality, a podium performance by any British triathlete would go a long way to putting them in pole position for selection. On the men’s side, Brownlee lines up with Alex Yee and Tom Bishop. Brownlee and Yee have both shown they have the talent and potential to win medals–Jonny’s being long proven and Yee, a fresh-faced 21, but already with a World Series second place and World Cup win to his name. As long as they are fit, it is unthinkable that both will not go.
Bishop is an experienced World Series racer, but hasn’t shown he can make the leap from being a regular top 20 finisher to a genuine podium contender. He did finish second in Abu Dhabi in 2017, but has only once cracked the top 10 this season.
It means that whatever happens in the test event, the selectors are likely to wait until Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee decides whether to have a fourth crack at Olympic glory, or, even though they have moved away from the pilot model, whether he would be drafted in as the ultimate swim-biking support athlete to help Yee and Brownlee win a medal.
The men’s choices are relatively cut and dried compared to the British women. It’s why putting down a marker in the test event is of the utmost importance to all–and especially Vicky Holland. The reigning world champion has had a disappointing season by her increasingly high standards. She’s had three top 10 finishes, but has placed no higher than seventh and on every occasion has been beaten by two or three compatriots. At 33 years of age, while she might have the experience of London 2012, Commonwealth medals and a bronze to show from Rio, she will desperately want to cement her slot here or could miss out altogether.
Joining her on the start-line will be Jess Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Non Stanford and Sophie Coldwell. It’s an embarrassment of riches. Learmonth is ranked No 2 in the world, Taylor-Brown No 3 and Stanford No 5, but because they also came sixth, fifth and eighth respectively–missing a top three spot–in Yokohama in May, British Triathlon’s first nominated qualifying event, none can qualify outright.
To add more complexity, it’s also not as straightforward as just having a straight shootout for the places, as effectively happened between Helen Jenkins and Jodie Stimpson on Gold Coast in 2016, because selectors will also be considering racing styles to provide the best chance of a medal.
The nub of it is that Learmonth and Coldwell are powerful swim-bikers, Taylor-Brown is blossoming as the complete triathlete, and Stanford and Holland rely more on their run. The biggest challengers to the Brits are currently American Katie Zafares and, if she regains fitness, Bermudan Flora Duffy. Both are strong swimmers and often blast away from the front to gain a gap on to the final 10km. But Tokyo is also a pan-flat course, meaning it’s typically easier for a chasing bike pack to catch back up. Do selectors opt for Learmonth and hope she’s in a small enough breakaway to grab a medal, or jettison her completely, gambling it will slow the race up at the front and bring the other British women into contention. It’s an extremely tough call, which is why the pattern of the test event, and not just the result, will offer much insight.
Although the race is not part of the World Triathlon Series, the competition will be fierce, and the Japanese Federation has stumped up equivalent prize money. On the women’s side, the top 18 ranked World Series triathletes are all on the start-list including the USA’s Zafares, Taylor Spivey and Summer Rappaport, who have duked it out all season with Britain to be the world’s leading nation. The US triathletes have the additional incentive of knowing a top three finish, and being one of the top two Americans, will ensure qualification.
The other name to leap off the start list is of 2016 and 2017 world champion Duffy. The Bermudan hasn’t raced through injury since July last year, having dominated the sport in the wake of Gwen Jorgensen’s switch to marathon running after the Rio Olympics. It’s more likely that Duffy is on a reconnaissance mission than being fit enough to challenge. Nicola Spirig, the 2012 champion and 2016 silver medallists, who gave birth to her third child in April, is also an omission. Spirig has long played to her own tune when it comes to selecting racing, and wasn’t present at the 2015 test event either before providing a real test for the champion-elect Jorgensen in Brazil. She has stated she plans to return for a fifth Olympics.
On the men’s side, the top four from the World Series are all absent. France’s Vincent Luis, the World Series leader, and Spain’s Mario Mola, the reigning world champion, have opted out, as have Mola’s compatriots Javier Gomez and Fernando Alarza. Luis and Mola’s coach, Joel Filliol, confirmed it’s to concentrate on the WTS Grand Final in Lausanne a fortnight after the test event, where Luis only needs to finish fifth to claim his first world title.
It leaves Australian Jake Birtwhistle as the highest ranked triathlete, ahead of Belgian Marten van Riel and South Africa’s Olympic bronze medallist Henri Schoeman. Both Brownlee, who goes into the race in his best form in almost three years having won last time out in Edmonton, and Yee, will fancy their chances of a morale-boosting victory.
PARATRIATHLON
The number of paratri classes that will be contested has risen from six to eight for Tokyo, but not everyone has benefitted from the changes, including Britain’s only Paralympic tri champion Andy Lewis, whose PTS2 category has been cut.
The men’s and women’s wheelchair and visually impaired divisions are both included, as are both PTS5 classes, where Lauren Steadman, the current world champion and a familiar face from last year’s Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC, is handily placed to qualify.
Along with Claire Cashmore and George Peasgood (also PTS5), Jade Jones-Hall (wheelchair) and Dave Ellis (visually impaired), Steadman has an opportunity to confirm selection for the Paralympics because of an earlier podium in June in Montreal. They would all again need a top three finish, but because only one paratriathlete per category is guaranteed a slot at this stage it will be a straight shootout between Cashmore and Steadman. Alison Peasgood (visually impaired) could also have cemented her spot, but will miss the event as she recovers from pericarditis, an inflammation of the protective heart lining.
MIXED RELAY
Having narrowly missed out for a place at Rio, the much-anticipated mixed relay also makes its bow in Tokyo 2020, featuring two men and two women teams racing over a 300m swim, 7.4km cycle and 2km run. Britain is assured of a starting berth and triathletes will be picked from those racing in the individual competition. Unlike the test event that offers just one full day’s grace between the women’s race and the relay, the Olympics will allow four days of recovery, but while Britain look to have a formidable quartet, world champions France and Commonwealth winner Australia have performed far better in recent seasons.
You can watch all the action live on triathlonlive.tv
Schedule
Tokyo 2019 test Event
15 August: Women’s individual
16 August: Men’s individual
17 August: Paratriathlon World Cup
18 August: Mixed Relay
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
26 July: Men’s individual
27 July: Women’s individual
1 August: Mixed relay
Olympic test event winners and Olympic champions
The role of honour shows how the test event is rarely a strong predictor of Olympic success.
Sydney 1999 test event (May): Greg Bennett, Michellie Jones
2000 test event (April): Peter Robertson, Michellie Jones
2000 Olympic Games: Simon Whitfield, Brigitte McMahon
We were sad to hear the news that renowned multisport photographer, Michael Rauschendorfer, has died aged 51 following a battle with cancer. His photos have graced the pages of 220 and website for many years, in particular his fantastic images from the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Our condolences are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
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Fellow photographer Delly Carr wrote these words about his colleague and friend, for the ITU
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To honour his exceptional talent, below is a selection of his stunning photographs from the Ironman World Championships.
Britain’s Jess Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown crossed the line hand-in-hand in a shortened Olympic test event in Tokyo – and were disqualified for intentionally trying to tie.
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It was the final twist in a dramatic morning of triathlon in Tokyo that had seen concerns over heat stress halve the run distance to 5km, world number one Katie Zafares crash out on the bike, and two-time world champion Flora Duffy return after more than a year out to be crowned the eventual victor.
The disqualifications also meant Vicky Holland, who needed a podium finish to guarantee Olympic selection, was promoted to third, which would have confirmed her slot for Tokyo 2020 – except the British selection criteria states a fundamentally changed race structure – such as halving the run distance – nullifies the opportunity.
At the time of publishing the British team have an appeal pending over the disqualification, but even if that is not successful – and it does appear clear-cut – Learmonth and Taylor-Brown gave selectors a huge nudge as they broke clear in dominant fashion to run stride-by-stride for most of the 5km run.
“I’ve never been as prepared for a race in my life,” Learmonth said before realising she had been disqualified. “Normally when I prepare everything goes wrong, so I was surprised it went so well. We worked well together, on the bike hoping to shell people. Because we’d done it all together, I was happy to cross the line together. My little belly must have edged hers. It’s not all about being lean.”
Her Leeds’ training partner, Taylor-Brown, currently ranked third in the World Triathlon Series, once place behind Learmonth, was equally blissfully unaware they had infringed. “It was hot, but I’m super happy,” she said. “I committed from the start and got in the front bike pack and we worked well together, dropping people constantly.
“On the run, me and Jess got a little bit of a gap, we jogged round and were chatting away. We worked together the whole time. We’re team-mates, room-mates and friends, and it’s nice to come across the finish line together with a smile on our faces.”
Holland produced the fastest run split, Non Stanford was promoted to seventh and Sophie Coldwell to ninth, indicating that the southern Japanese training base of Miyazaki that British Triathlon has used to acclimatise is paying dividends.
The decision to halve the run distance to 5km was made just four hours before the race start after a final check of the conditions.
The ITU defers to a measure called the Wet-Bulb Glow Temperature (WBGT), which combines temperature, humidity, wind chill and sunlight. Forecasts suggested that by the end of the run it would have risen to a ‘perceived temperature’ of 32, judged as an ‘Extreme Level’.
The water temperature for the 1,500m swim was also measured at a balmy 30.3 degrees, but it proved no obstacle for Learmonth who soon had the field strung out in the purpose-built Odaiba Bay, emerging 10sec clear of Summer Rappaport, the USA triathlete who would go on to benefit from Zafares’s crash to claim an Olympic qualification spot.
Zafares looked a looming threat in third, with the best of the other being Taylor-Brown in eighth, 17sec back, followed by Holland in 15th, Stanford in 17th, and Coldwell, whose strength is often the swim, in a disappointing 23rd.
Learmonth was pegged back by Zafares at the start of the bike, before the leading duo were quickly reeled in by a chase pack led by the returning 2016 and 2017 world champion Duffy.
Duffy was racing at this level for the first time since July 2018, yet showed few signs of rust as she pressed on at the front and on a technical course with many twists, Zafares came a cropper in seemingly innocuous circumstances when she appeared to hit a kerb on a straight.
The crash also brought down her compatriot Kirsten Kasper, but while Kasper was able to remount, it was race over for Zafares, who will look to recover before the World Series Grand Final in Lausanne in a fortnight where a comfortable mid-pack finish will ensure the world title.
The front group was whittled down to just seven by halfway with Holland, Stanford and Coldwell driving the pace of the second group to try and claw back some of the 58sec deficit.
At the front, Duffy and Learmonth continued to keep the tempo high and Emma Jackson, who won the last World Triathlon Series event in Edmonton was the next to suffer and lose contact.
The front pack made up of Duffy, Taylor-Brown, Learmonth, USA’s Taylor Spivey, Italy’s Alice Betto and Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes arrived in T2 1min 47sec ahead, before the two Brits and Duffy instantly opened a gap on to the 5km run.
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As Duffy’s lack of race sharpness finally caught up with her, Learmonth and Taylor-Brown pulled away, looking comfortable throughout, but when neither contested the sprint finish and they linked hands to cross the line, it left officials first looking to the photo-finish to separate them and then turning to the rule book for a double disqualification.
#TokyoTestEvent poll – DSQ or NDSQ? What do you think – should @Jess_Learmonth & @georgiatb be DSQ’d for crossing the line hand-in-hand?
You have 24 hours to vote…@BritTri @worldtriathlon https://t.co/hiK5du3Sfw
Tyler Mislawchuk took victory in the men’s Tokyo test event that in contrast to the women’s race the day before was almost completely drama-free.
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There was no shortened run course, no disqualifications for contrived ties and no discussion over whether performances would counted towards Olympic qualification criteria or not.
And three days shy of his 25th birthday, Canadian Mislawchuk could celebrate early as he outstripped Norway’s Casper Stornes in the closing stages to take the tape in 1:49:50 and the biggest win of his career.
New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde finished third, with Jonny Brownlee, who would have guaranteed his Olympic selection with a podium, in fifth, 37sec behind the winner.
Tom Bishop was the next Brit home in 15th place with Alex Yee experiencing a testing race throughout as he came in 4min 10sec adrift in 33rd.
“That’s the biggest race outside the Olympics for me,” Mislawchuk said. “I cannot believe it. I thought: ‘I may never have a chance to win a big race like this again. so I have to take it now.’ It’s a good omen and now I know how to prepare for next year.”
Conditions were overcast and windy, and with water and air temperatures at 29 degrees – unlike the women’s race where the run was halved to 5km – worries about heat stress for the competitors subsided, meaning the full Olympic distance could be contested.
Also in contrast to the women’s race, a clutch of the big names in the World Triathlon Series were absent, including the top four in the rankings.
Neither series leader Vincent Luis of France, second place and reigning champion Mario Mola, nor fellow Spaniards Javier Gomez and Fernando Alarza, were present.
Factored into the decision to stay away was staying fresh for the WTS Grand Final in Lausanne in a fortnight, because while Katie Zafares already has one hand on the women’s trophy, the men’s competition is tighter.
Diving into the waters of Odaiba Bay, Commonwealth champion Henri Schoeman was quick to take the initiative. The South African was first to complete the 1,500m swim, with Brownlee 9sec back in fourth, Bishop 48sec in arrears with Yee another 9sec adrift.
While the gaps at the front were large enough to forge a breakaway group on the bike, no-one was able or willing to push on enough and by the end of the third lap of eight, Bishop and pre-race favourite Jake Birtwhistle were back with the leaders that contained over half the 67-man starting line-up.
Yee and South Africa’s Richard Murray were two that hadn’t made it, over 1min behind in a much smaller chasing group and desperately in need of making inroads ahead of the run.
Yee’s breakthrough season had started with a win in a World Cup race in Cape Town, before finishing runner-up to Mola in Abu Dhabi and running through for an impressive fifth place in Yokohama, but he was finding life much tougher here.
The much-fancied Kristian Blummenfelt crashed out with two laps remaining, and WTS Bermuda winner Dorian Coninx also failed to finish the 40km bike leg.
On to the run and Wilde, Mislawchuk, who made his first WTS podium in Montreal in July, and Stornes, last year’s WTS Bermuda winner, opened a gap over the first 5km, with Brownlee 24sec behind running toe-to-toe with Norway’s Gustav Iden.
Backing up from a win in the previous WTS race Edmonton, Brownlee’s first at elite level since 2017, he went in with hopes high of the necessary podium that would cement his Olympic spot.
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But it wasn’t to be as the front three pulled further clear, until a late sprint from Stornes was bettered by Mislawchuk and the Norwegian could not respond.