The final race of the Townsville World Multisport Championships is upon us and it is the big one, or rather we should say it is the long one. Tomorrow the elite men’s and women’s fields, as well as an array of age-groupers, will contest the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships over distances of 3km in the water, 114km on the bike and finally 30km on foot. Notwithstanding a couple of bumps on the bike and run, the course is extremely fast. Should the athletes also receive the sea conditions seen on all days except the World Cross Triathlon Championships, the swim should likewise place no limit on a swift race.
In the elite races, several athletes that have already tasted success in Townsville will be starting. Up against them will be a host of rivals that have put all of their chips on this one race. A pair of fascinating battles should therefore be in store and in this article we look at some of the key names to note.
Elite women
Marion Legrand (FRA) currently stands as the most successful elite athlete in Townsville. She won the World Duathlon Championships and then struck gold again in the Mixed 2x2 Duathlon relay. She thus will be hunting the hat-trick in the Long Distance Triathlon. Notably, her cycling skills set her apart in the Duathlon but the longer format will provide a different test altogether. Meanwhile, Ai Ueda (JPN) is another to have already enjoyed a fruitful trip in Townsville after her superb anchor leg helped Japan to the bronze medal in the mixed relay. Ueda is no stranger to the longer distances either and so could be a challenger.
Foremost among the fresh faces is Marta Lagownik (POL). Lagownik is the European champion over this format. Moreover, she is ranked number 1 in the Long Distance world rankings. The signs, then, point to her being the favourite. Elsewhere, Julie Iemmolo (FRA) returns to the World Triathlon scene after an absence of a few years. She used to race on the World Cup circuit before moving up to the longer formats. With a good race, she could get one over her compatriot Legrand. Similarly, Misai Tanaka (JPN) is the Japanese champion over the longer distance and will look to take down her illustrious teammate Ueda.
Elite men
In the men’s race, Ondrej Kubo (SVK) wears number 1 and finished 7th in this event at the European Championships earlier this summer. Joining the Slovakian athlete will be Antonio Benito Lopez (ESP), the reigning European champion. Benito was in fantastic form on his way to the gold in Coimbra and finished 2nd at the 2023 World Long Distance Championships in Ibiza. Expect him to feature prominently as he hunts a third elite gold medal of these championships for Spain.
Benito’s predecessor as European champion, Louis Naeyaert (BEL), will also be racing. Should he perform at his destructive best, Naeyaert could tear the field apart. Turning to the home team, Matt Burton (AUS) has enjoyed success at the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 levels and, as possibly the strongest cyclist in the field, may be one to watch.
Catch all the action live on TriathlonLive with the men’s race starting from 06:30 (AEST) and the women’s from 06:33 (AEST). You can also stay up to date with all the latest developments from Townsville across all World Triathlon channels.
