After a trip to and from Abu Dhabi, the 2024 series will officially begin in Japan on Saturday, with WTCS Yokohama set to be the setting for one of the most hotly anticipated races in recent times.
Not just because it will be the first time we’ve seen the likes of Dorian Koninx and Christian Blumenfeld since their dramatic title win at Pontevedra, and not just because these will be their first series points of the year. We are now firmly in the final month of Olympic qualifying, with huge implications for athletes starting in action in Paris 2024.
The familiar course, located 40 kilometers south of central Tokyo, features two 1.5 kilometer swims, followed by a fast and flat 40 kilometer bike ride and a 10 kilometer run for a medal. There’s a story within a story for the athletes chasing their starting spot in Paris, and you can watch it all unfold on TriathlonLive.tv starting at 1pm local time.
Tokyo 2020 trio Coninx, Bergere and Lewis ride again
If France feels like it’s growing towards that moment in the Olympic sun, the prospect of fielding a men’s world champion in four of the past five years is a huge challenge for the likes of Christian Blumenfeld. Even that should be enough to give you some thought.
For Coninx, victory in the Pontevedra Championship final was the crowning glory of a year in which he won bronze at the test event in August and also enjoyed a podium experience in Paris. With a starting spot in the Olympics all but assured, it’s time to push the limits once again and see how far he can take this impressively consistent run.
One of the few people who regularly improves his performance to that level is Leo Berger. The unassuming 27-year-old, who has scored an astonishing 10 podiums in the individual series since Tokyo, is hungry for another win in the swim bike run, similar to his title-winning show in Abu Dhabi in 2022. right.
Making his long-awaited return to the series is 2019 and 2020 world champion Vincent Luis. He swims better than anyone on the day, bikes better than anyone and knows exactly how to finish a race in a high-pressure situation. Following his return at the World Cup Livin, where he won silver in the indoor supersprint, Lewis’ performance at the Olympic distance will once again be an eye-opener.
Vilasa aims to win bronze in 2023
It was here 12 months ago that Portugal’s Vasco Vilasa achieved his first consecutive series podiums and began his challenge for a major world title. His best moment was not realized because he was unwell on the day of the final, but he bounced back and won his first gold medal at the Rome World Cup. After two weeks of high altitude camping, I was ready for a change of scenery again.
Australia’s Matthew Hauser also had his best season to date in 2023, winning silver in Yokohama before winning his first series gold in Montreal, and seemed to be heating up at just the right time. His big goal this weekend will be to beat the likes of Coninx, Bergere, and Vilasa by finishing here, and to break that fast run of 29 minutes and 29 seconds. 
Olympic champion returns
Christian Blumenfeld is at the peak of his game in 2021, with his win at WTCS Yokohama paving the way for a historic double Olympic and world title. These accomplishments allowed him to experience things previously thought impossible. Three years later, no one would want to sack the Norwegian and there are few players who can dig as deep as the 30-year-old, who is already in the red. The gap from the water surface can be important.
Among the experienced competitors who will be threatening for podiums both here and in Paris are Canada’s Tyler Misrauczuk, Belgium’s Jere Jeans and American Morgan Pearson. Songhor Lehmann (HUN) and Miguel Hidalgo (BRA), who are pursuing their best form and have already booked their starting spots in the first match, will be the players to watch.
Candidates in Paris line up for their fateful date
The three Hungarians who are considering joining Lehmann on July 30th hope to secure two additional spots for their country’s national team. Bence Bisak, Mark Devay, Gabor Fardum. They are in 24th, 25th, and 31st place in the rankings, respectively, and with only six of the eight races in the second period counted at the moment, Devai has the best chance of advancing.
Jonas Schomberg fulfilled his hopes of joining Lasse Ruhr and Tim Helwig in Paris with a silver medal at the Chengdu World Cup, fulfilling his role as a force for good. Lasse Nygaard Priester is still on the hunt, thinking he probably needs his first WTCS podium to achieve that. It’s an experience for the British team, with Jonathan Brownlee assessing his chances of making Olympic history at his fourth Olympics and Hugo Milner, one of the fastest 10km runners, looking to make an impact on his first WTCS start. It becomes a battle of youth.
The Australians of Brandon Copeland, Luke Willian and Jacob Birtwhistle are aiming to qualify for the Olympics along with Matt Hauser, with Matthew McElroy, Dar Smith, Seth Ryder and Kevin McDowell on the podium. If he progresses, he will definitely start on the U.S. national team alongside Pearson.
Just over 100 points separate the Spanish trio of David Castro Fajardo, Sergio Baxter Cabrera and Alberto González García, and if they finish in the top 30 in the rankings at the end of May they will be in the top 30 in Spain and maybe even in July. This means that he will definitely be able to get the third male slot on the 30th. .
complete start list
WTCS Yokohama
May 11th, 1pm local time
TriathlonLive.tv