10 Potential Male First Timers To Watch At Tokyo 2021
Despite the Tokyo Olympics being delayed until 2021, the men’s Triathlon still promises to be one of the most hotly contested events of the games. The depth of talent in the sport across so many nations has rarely been seen before, especially amongst the younger athletes who were likely only excited teenagers watching the last Olympic Triathlon on their TVs at home. Of course with the delay of the games, selections and qualifications are by no means complete and the athletes listed below may not even end up qualifying (though all being immensely talented athletes we find this unlikely!). Here are our picks for 10 potential first-timers to watch at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic games:
1) Tayler Reid – Age 24
Kiwi Tayler Reid is one of the most talented athletes of his age in the world. Having won the 2018 U23 World Title in Gold Coast, he demonstrated his relish for the big stage as well as his athletic prowess across all three disciplines. Reid is renowned for being a dangerous threat on the swim, and you can be sure to find him pushing the pace in the water, whether in an Oceania Cup or a World Series race.
2) Matt Hauser – Age 22
Although being one of the youngest on our list, Aussie Matt Hauser is a force to be reckoned with. His 4th place at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, as well as multiple wins at Chengdu World Cup have shown him to be one of the most capable athletes over the shorter Sprint and Super-Sprint distances. He is certainly no slouch over the longer Olympic distance however, with a 9th place at the U23 World Championships in Lausanne. Another strong swimmer, expect to see Hauser towards the front out of the water whatever the standard.
3) Luke Willian – Age 24
The second Australian featured today is the incredibly consistent Luke Willian. Ranked 23rd in the world, Willian has repeatedly shown that despite his age, he is perfectly capable of mixing it with the world’s best on the big stage. With a couple of World Cup wins and numerous podiums, it is clear to see that he is a formidable athlete. His standout performance so far seems to be Yokohama WTS 2019, where he finished 7th after an incredible run, where only the likes of Alarza, Luis, and Yee outran him. With running capability like that, you’d be unwise to count out Luke Willian when it comes down to the latter stages of the race!
4) Leo Bergere – Age 24
Next up is Frenchman Leo Bergere. With a 2019 WTS ranking of 8th, Bergere has proven himself as a genuine competitor on the biggest annual stage in the world, and his 2 top-5 WTS finishes are a testament to his all round ability to put together a strong performance when it really matters, a quality which surely marks him out as one to watch in Tokyo should he qualify.
5) Casper Stornes – Age 23
On his day, Norwegian Casper Stornes is very, very difficult to beat. His 2nd place finish at the Tokyo Test Event and his win at WTS Bermuda in 2018 were truly spectacular performances and have marked him out as one of the best triathletes in the world when he is at his peak. Add to these results a couple of podiums at Ironman 70.3 Bahrain, and suddenly his palmares could instill just about anyone with a little fear. If Stornes is on form, you, as well as the rest of the field will certainly know about it.
6) Bence Bicsak – Age 24
Hungarian Bence Bicsak can rarely be found anywhere but the front of a race, whether it be a European Cup, World Cup, or a World Series showdown. In his greatest performance to date, a 3rd place podium finish at WTS Yokohama, he demonstrated his considerable capabilities across all 3 events disciplines, making the small and select lead group on the bike from his swim performance, amongst titans of the sport such as Gomez, Luis and Schoeman. He then posted the fastest bike split of the race, and conceded the win to a supreme Vincent Luis by only 5 seconds. A truly outstanding performance, and one to mark him out as one to watch very carefully at Tokyo, as well as various other WTS Top 10s and a 9th at the Tokyo test event.
7) Gustav Iden – Age 23
From Norway, Gustav Iden has made himself a name as one of the best triathletes in the world. A world ranking of 7th, 3 World Cup wins, 2 WTS podiums and an Ironman 70.3 world title all sound very impressive, and rightfully so. To have achieved what Iden has in such a short career so far as a professional triathlete is remarkable, and you can be sure his list of achievements will only grow from here. If there is a chink in Iden’s armour, it is the swim leg. Of course, Iden is far from a weak swimmer, but he may struggle with the pace if the swim at Tokyo is hard, and you can be sure athletes such as Luis and Schoeman will do their utmost to put an athlete as dangerous as Gustav Iden under pressure wherever they can!
8) Hayden Wilde – Age 22
Kiwi Hayden Wilde is one of the youngest on our list, and also one of the least experienced. Originally a cross triathlete, he only turned to ITU racing in 2016, but in this time he has gone from success to success. He has improved startlingly quickly since making the transition, and in 2019 he finished the season with a world ranking of 12th, as well as a 3rd place finish at the 2019 Tokyo Test event, a performance which marks him out as a true medal contender when the real event comes, and with another year of improvement under his belt, who knows how dangerous Wilde can be by 2021?
9) Jake Birtwhistle – Age 25
2 WTS wins, 8 WTS podiums, 2 Commonwealth medals, and a World Relay title are the accolades of one of best triathletes in the world, and Australian Jake Birtwhistle is just that. Having shown his class as a junior at the 2014 Junior Worlds with a silver medal, Birtwhistle slowly worked his way up through the professional ranks, until 2018 saw him take a Silver medal in the Commonwealth Games, and in 2019, take 2 WTS wins less than a month apart. One of the fastest runners in the sport, Birtwhistle is a major contender for the medals at Tokyo, and will be one of the favourites to watch.
10) Alex Yee – Age 22
Despite ‘only’ having won 1 World Cup and made 1 WTS podium, Brit Alex Yee takes our top spot as the Number 1 Potential First Timer to watch at Tokyo 2021 because of the sheer class he demonstrates, and the danger he poses to the best triathletes in the world. With a 10000m PB of 27:51, there are few who can even hope to outrun him, and he has shown this with incredible run performances at Yokohama WTS, where he ran quicker than the likes of Luis and Gomez, as well on numerous other occasions. When Yee is racing, the most nerve-wracking part of the race is seeing how far back he is out of the water, because you can be sure, if he is anywhere close to the front by the time the race comes to the run, he will stand a good chance of winning. His first race of 2020, Mooloolaba World Cup saw him exit the water only 13 seconds down on mega-swimmer Varga, although, following a very unfortunate incident on the bike, he was put out of contention for the race. He still posted the fastest run split of the race, despite having to run the final kilometer of the bike barefoot carrying his bike, not only showing his ability, but also his grit and determination. In our opinion, Yee will be another major contender for the medals at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
Article written by British Junior Triathlon Champion Noah Canby
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