The fast and frantic, two-day elimination super-sprint format that made its debut on the Series calendar in 2021 returns this Friday and Saturday, as the women line up for another ultimate challenge in Montreal.
The super-sprint action - all over a course consisting of 300m swim, 3-lap/7.2km bike and 2-lap/2km run - will be held across two days, Friday’s two qualifier races and one repechage seeing thirty athletes ultimately confirmed for Saturday’s final. That final is then split into three more super-sprints, the last 10 across the line being cut from the next start until just 10 athletes remain for the final swim-bike-run for the medals.
No doubt there is a balance that will need to be found between conserving energy without risking elimination. With just 7 minutes from the first across the line to the next start horn in the finals, it’s going to be intense and entertaining and all will be live and direct over on TriathlonLive.tv.
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Qualifying race one
As the Maurice Lacroix ranking leader heading into the race, Great Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown wears the number one. Direct from a huge, silver medal-winning WTCS Leeds weekend, the 2020 World Champion will be hungry to prove her title-winning credentials once more in her first taste of the format in Montreal.
Sophie Coldwell has been in flying form since the start of 2021. Showing no apparent weakness across the three disciplines, she has been among the first out of the water and comfortable driving on the bike packs with the best in the world, establishing herself at the top of the British women’s triathlon tree.
Fresh from her confirmation on Team Australia for the Commonwealth Games and an 11th-placed finish at WTCS Leeds, Natalie Van Coevorden leads the line for Australia, sisters Kira Hedgeland and Jaz Hedgeland also looking to progress without the need to go again in a potentially draining repechage.
Fourth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Rachel Klamer (NED) returns for her first elimination battle, while Norway’s Lotte Miller will be looking to put down a marker and inject some momentum into her season.
Among the other big names eager to progress to the finals from race one without expending too much energy are the USA duo Summer Rappaport and Kirsten Kasper, Belgian Valerie Barthelemy and France’s Audrey Merle also looking like favourites on paper to make Saturday’s start line.
Qualifying race two
Cassandre Beaugrand’s gold at WTCS Leeds once again showed exactly what the French star is capable of, her lightning fast 5km run blitzing the competition and ensuring a first WTCS gold since Hamburg back in 2018. It will be interesting to see how the three-race turnaround suits her if she progresses safely to Saturday’s races.
Taylor Spivey was just one race short of teammate Seth Rider’s full house last year, smashing five super-sprints over the weekend to finish third in the individual and with enough left in the tank to help Team USA to gold in the mixed relay on the Sunday. The format clearly suits the American powerhouse, and this year’s edition could be her time to shine.
Canada’s Emy Legault arrives fresh from her first World Cup podium after taking the silver last weekend in Huatulco, and time will tell if the huge effort to hold off Bianca Seregni over the final kilometre, plus the journey back home, has taken a toll. Denmark’s Alberte Kjaer Pedersen won in Huatulco last year and she will want to test herself against the best in the world over the shortest of distances.
Beth Potter (GBR) scored fifth place at WTCS Leeds to go with her brilliant Arena Games displays that together suggest she is ready to mount a push for a first WTCS podium over the multiple-race format.
Vittoria Lopes continues to gauge her return to full fitness after 23rd in Leeds and will represent Brazil alongside Luisa Baptista, Verena Steinhauser leading the line for the Italians.
The full start lists can be found here.
WTCS Montreal
Women’s Qualification rounds
Friday 24 June, Midday (local)
TriathlonLive.tv
