With the Olympic qualification period coming to an end, the World Triathlon team is happy to report that several members have qualified. As a whole, the team has won medals at every international level, but with only two months until the Paris Olympics, the current project is nearing completion. Those members who have achieved their ambitions of qualifying can now focus on the Paris Games. Those who did not qualify also showed a lot of promise during the qualification period, and many of them can move forward towards competing in future Olympic Games.
Eligible players
Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR) is one of the team’s stars. A bronze medalist at the WTCS Hamburg 2022, he is a multiple World Cup medalist and will be African Champion in 2023. He finished the qualifiers in 40th place in the Olympic rankings and has solidified his presence as a consistent presence in the WTCS.
Another team member who has become a WTCS regular is Diego Moya (CHI). The only returning Olympic swimmer on the team to race in Tokyo, Moya has established a reputation as one of the best swimmers at the top level, having won two World Cup medals in Viña del Mar in 2022 and Wollongong this year on his way to Olympic qualification. Maria Carolina Velázquez Soto (COL) also made the podium in Viña del Mar in 2022 and Wollongong this year, coincidentally coinciding with Moya’s medal wins. Velázquez also made a very impressive WTCS debut with a 10th place in Montreal in 2023. Moya and Velázquez now rank 43rd and 50th respectively in the Olympic rankings.
Three of the team’s riders also won various new flag races. This group included Matthew Wright (BAR), who won the Americas Championship sprint distance in 2023. In addition to his success in Continental Cup races, Wright made a long-awaited return to the WTCS in Cagliari after nearly six years and has hardly looked back since winning the Americas new flag race.
Meanwhile, Manami Iijima (Guam) has won the Oceania New Flag slot, becoming Guam’s first Olympic triathlete. Additionally, this is the first time in Olympic triathlon history that the Oceania New Flag slot has been filled. This qualification marks a milestone for her country, as Iijima has won three silver medals in the past year at the Asian Cups in Pokhara, Hong Kong and Kota Kinabalu. Reigning African champion Vicky van der Merwe (South Africa) has won the Africa New Flag after an unbeaten record on African soil in 2024. Her recent successes include winning the African Games and defending her continental crown.
A place of universality
There are also four athletes on the list for Paris, three of whom competed on the University Route. Edda Hannesdottir (Iceland) returned from a major injury this year to win three consecutive medals at the Asia Cup. She won in Pokhara, came second in Subic Bay, and won a bronze medal in Osaka. These results saw her rise up the world rankings, qualifying her for the University Route and becoming the first triathlete from Iceland to compete in the event.
Tyler Smith (BER) and Eloy Adjabong (TOG) have also qualified for the men’s universal. Smith placed seventh at the 2023 Pan American Games and will compete in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, while Adjabong placed fifth at the 2023 African Championships. Smith will continue the Olympic gold medal tradition won by Flora Duffy in Tokyo, while Adjabong is set to become Togo’s first Olympic triathlete.
The final member of Team World Triathlon to compete in the Olympics is Erica Hawley (BER). Hawley missed qualifying by two places in the Olympic rankings (she finished the window in 60th place, as she was awarded the final spot in 58th place). However, because the second universal spot was not allocated, Hawley was at the head of the roll down and the World Cup medalists made the cut.
View to Los Angeles
Of course, Olympic qualification is what it is, so not everyone on the World Triathlon Team fulfilled their Paris ambitions, but several athletes came very close and will be competing for Olympic qualification in 2028.
One such athlete is Zuzana Mychilíková (SVK), who went into the Cagliari WTCS as one of five women with a chance of securing the final qualifying spot in the women’s Olympic rankings. In the end, Mychilíková achieved her best WTCS result of 33rd place in Cagliari, but it wasn’t enough to move her up the rankings. Given her string of top 10 finishes at World Cup level, she will be one to watch in the near future.
Mihalikova’s compatriots Ivana Kuryakova and Romana Gaidšova also came close to qualifying for the Olympics. Kuryakova has led several European new flag races, including in 2024. In April she won the America’s Cup in La Guaira and came close to putting her name on the Paris field list, but was overtaken by the dominant form of Roksana Slupek (Poland). Meanwhile, Gaidšova won her first World Cup medal in Yeongdo in 2023, testament to the great progress she made during the qualification period.
Like Mihalkova, Badr Siwane (MAR) also came close to qualifying through the Olympic rankings. He finished 86th in the qualifiers, but ultimately 83rd place was enough. Siwane won silver medals at the African Games earlier this year and at the 2023 African Championships.
Additionally, there were some close contests in the other New Flag races. Raquel Solis Guerrero (CRC) recently won the America’s Cup in Calima, boosting her chances at America’s New Flag, but ultimately missing out. Solis’ teammate Álvaro Campos Solano is also one to watch, while Amber Schlebusch and Hannah Newman will be inspired by their compatriot van der Merwe. Schlebusch in particular is one to watch, having won multiple Continental Cup events, including the America’s Cup in Sarasota and the Asia Cup in Hong Kong.
Perhaps the most dramatic improvement among the World Triathlon Team members is that of 2023 Panagiotis Vitados (GRE). Just making her international debut earlier in the season, the Greek athlete placed 4th at the World U23 Championships. Vitados is already developing rapidly and, along with Mihalkova, is part of a group that could compete in U23 competition for years to come.
Paula Vega (ECU) was unable to compete in Paris but is another young athlete who can be expected to further develop on her path to Los Angeles. Her most recent highlight was winning the 2023 America’s Cup in Manta. Similarly, the Ecuadorian duo of Gabriel Teran Carvajal and Ramon Armando Matute also came close to winning but lost to Wright at America’s New Flag. Like Vega, Teran also won a medal at the 2023 America’s Cup in Manta, winning the silver medal. Matute is the 2023 South American champion and won multiple America’s Cup races during the Olympic Qualification period.
The rest of Team World Triathlon have also been doing well recently. Vitaly Vorontsov (UKR) won a bronze medal at the America’s Cup in La Paz after winning two silver medals at the 2023 America’s Cup. Moira Miranda (ARG) placed 14th at the Pan American Games and third at the 2023 South American Championships. Henry Lepo (EST) will be the Baltic Champion in 2023 and Aleksandr Khryshov (UZB) won two medals in last year’s Asian Cup races.
Overall, the World Triathlon Team has made great strides during the Olympic Qualification period, including a first World Cup podium, a WTCS debut and a string of Continental Cup medals. With their qualification for Paris under their belts, the athletes will now prepare for the biggest race of their careers to date, but there is no doubt that all current team members will continue to make impressive progress in the sport.