A lot has happened in the world of triathlon over the 12 months since Nina Eim won the inaugural World Triathlon Cup Rome. Top of that list for the German star was a 12th place finish at the Olympic Games, and she will wear the number one on Saturday in her first race since Paris 2024 on a course she now knows and loves.
It was a thrilling finale between Eim and teammate Marlene Gomez Goggel at the first Rome World Cup after they reeled in Jolien Vermeylen’s bold break, but Eim will want a better 750m swim this time around to take the pressure off on the bike.
A 250m run into transition precedes the rolling 20km bike, each of the 5 laps including a 5% climb, before a 5km run to the tape in the Italian capital. You can watch it all play out over on TriathlonLive.tv from 9:30am on Saturday 5 October.
Past performers prepare to podium
With three of last year’s top four returning to Rome, the heat will be on in the race for gold. Swimming into the sun made sighting tricky 12 months ago, leaving Nina Eim with a minute deficit to the front after just 750m in the water.
That meant she and Marlene Gomez-Goggel had work to do cover the gap on the bike, which they managed with legs to spare, even after Jolien Vermeylen (BEL) had taken off out of T2 and ramped up the pressure before getting passed over the closing stages.
That awkward swim was spearheaded by Bianca Seregni who also returns with unfinished business on home turf after coming off her bike on the second lap and recovering to finish 13th. She will also have the impressive Therese Feuersinger (AUT) to work with in the water, two athletes responsible for some of the biggest leads out of the swim we have seen in recent World Cup seasons.
Kiwis on the charge
There will be a strong New Zealand contingent lining up as Ainsley Thorpe, Nicole Van Der Kaay, Brea Roderick and Eva Goodison look to deliver a little late season surge of momentum. U23 world title hope Roderick had a strong showing in Karlovy Vary and will have the podium in her sights ahead of a big Championship Finals.
Another potential swim leader arrives in the form of Olivia Mathias, the Brit having scooped silver in Valencia in September after exiting the water on the heels of Emma Jeffcoat. The Australian herself will have designs on the podium after taking 7th three weeks ago in Spain.
Roksana Slupek’s pre-Games form was running hot, taking the Polish talent all the way to an Olympic debut and 13th-place finish. A strong swim-biker and fearless on the run, her Chengdu bronze behind Julie Derron and Tilda Mansson underlined just how far she has come in 2024. A debut World Cup gold would be the next big step forward.
Full start list available here.
