Sunday morning in Huatulco will be time for redemption for many. For the ones that didn’t have a great day out there during the Mixed Relay Olympic Qualifier Event, the ones that couldn’t finish or event he ones that did not have the chance to race at all. But really valuable Olympic rankings points are up for grabs and the 53 men taking the start are all up for it. A hard and choppy 750m swim, 22km on the bike with a serious climb on every lap to finish with a 5km run on the Mexican heat. Buckle up! The Men’s race in Huatulco promises to be one for the ages.
Wearing number 1 on Sunday morning will be Norway’s Vetle Bergsvik Thorn, one of the happiest men in Huatulco this weekend after his Team won the Mixed Relay Qualifier, which gives the Norwegian Team a ticket for the Paris 2024 Olympics next summer. A very solid athlete on the three disciplines, he has also proved that the heat is made for him. He showed on the Mixed Relay that the beach start and big waves are not a challenge for him, and will be ready to push the throttle from the gun.
There are quite a few excellent swimmers lining up this Sunday on the Chahué beach. South Africans Jamie Riddle and Henri Schoeman have lost count of the times they have led out of the water when starting directly from the beach, and they both would be looking forward leaving behind the disapointment of their Team not able to finish the race on Friday, after Riddle crashed on the bike. Both of them are sitting on the Olympic rankings as of today quite confidently, but a great place in Huatulco will indeed help them to secure their Olympic spot. Riddle, though, would have to find a new bike to ride with, since his frame was broken after the crash on Friday.
Also great swimmers are Diego Moya (CHI) and Bence Bicsak (HUN), with the second having learnt from the experience of struggling to get out of the water on the strong currents of the Bay in Huatulco. They are also both currently on the list of qualified athletes for the Games, but in the case of the Hungarian, is key for him to finish the Qualification period ahead of his teammates to guarantee himself a spot on the Olympic team.
Brok Hoel (CAN) is another one that can be easily added to the list of the excellent swimmers, and will be trying to redeem himself of the dissapointment of Team Canada being disqualified on the Mixed Relay Qualifier Event.
But the race is not short on strong riders, that will try to make an impact on the race from the early stages and even, if possible, break away to avoid a running race. Count Casper Stornes (NOR), Alois Knabl (AUT), Kevin McDowell (USA), Tjebbe Kaindl (AUT), Richard Murray (NOR) and Mitch Kolkman (NED), the latest in desperate need of grabbing enough points to become eligible for the Olympics (ranked 140 on the Olympic rankings, currently sitting on 146th place- to secure Team Netherlands spot at the Mixed Relay in Paris.
If finally it all comes to a run race, watch out for Genis Grau (ESP). The young Spaniard won the Huatulco World Cup in 2022 and finished in fourth place in 2023, and is really hard to beat on the run under these conditions.
The World Triathlon Cup Huatulco Men’s race will start at 7.30am local time on Sunday, and you can watch it live on TriathlonLIVE.tv.
Check the start lists HERE.
