Team World Triathlon – the sport’s global development squad for athletes with Olympic potential from smaller National Federations – will be well represented at the upcoming World Cup events in Wollongong and Chengdu as they continue to chase Paris 2024 qualification. The two April events represent valuable opportunities to both gain experience and score points, with Chengdu forming the first official Team World Triathlon Event of the year.
Fresh off top-10 World Cup finishes in both Hong Kong and Lievin, Zuzana Michalickova (SVK) will be one to watch again in Australia. The young Slovakian athlete has enjoyed a sparkling start to the season and is inching closer to a first World Cup medal and Paris qualification. She will be joined in Wollongong by compatriot Romana Gajdošová (SVK) who, won her first World Cup medal in Yeongdo last season.
Erica Hawley (BER) will also be starting in Wollongong as she hunts for the precious final points that could secure her qualification for Paris. A 12th place finish at the Napier World Cup at the start of the season aided Hawley’s cause and a similar finish would be a major boon for her campaign. Also racing for Bermuda will be Tyler Smith as he seeks to advance his Olympic hopes on the men’s side.
Henry Räppo (EST) and Badr Siwane (MAR) are two further Olympic aspirants from Team World Triathlon to race in Wollongong. Diego Moya (CHI) is the final member of the Team to start although he is in a rather different position. Moya has essentially locked up Olympic qualification and so will use the race as a chance to increase his medal tally at the World Cup level.
A week later, the World Cup circuit will continue in Chengdu, where Michalikova, Gajdošová and Hawley will all start. On the men’s side, Räppo and Siwane will be doing the Wollongong-Chengdu double while three further faces from the Team will start.
Gabriel Terán Carvajal (ECU) and Ramón Armando Matute (ECU) will be ready to push their pursuit of the Americas New Flag slot for Paris, while Vitali Vorontsov (UKR) will have his eyes on gaining ground in the European New Flag race.
Across Wollongong and Chengdu, the likes of Hawley, Michalickova and Siwane will be particularly hopeful of vaulting themselves onto the Olympic start lists as they each have some of the smallest gaps to make up. One big race, though, could transform the seasons of any of the Team members racing.
As always, you can watch all the action on TriathlonLive.tv and, as the Olympic qualification window continues to unfold in April, look out for Team World Triathlon as they continue their Olympic journeys.
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