Czech Republic ready for return of World Triathlon Cup Karlovy Vary
Czech Republic is ready for the return of the World Triathlon Cup Karlovy Vary this week-end, Sunday 12th September.
The beautiful spa town of Karlovy Vary in the Bohemia region of Czech Republic hosts a tough Olympic distance race consisting of a 1.5-kilometre swim in Rolava Lake, then seven laps of a 6.5-kilometre bike circuit, which will feature cobbles street, hills and technical descents rounded off with a four-lap run course.
With most World Champions and multiple WTS and World Cup winners absent from the start line having already raced a heavy season competing in such events as the Tokyo Olympics’ and Edmonton World Championship this race provides the perfect opportunity for some of the brightest young triathlon talents in the world to line up and battle it out for glory.
Hungary are fielding a strong trio of men in the shape of recent U23 World Champion Csongor Lehmann and the Devay brothers Mark and Zsombor with their trademark swim power very much on display whilst all three will relish the Karlovy Vary hills and descents.
Great Britain are providing opportunities for some of their talent waiting in the wings with British Champion and recent silver medalist at the European Triathlon Cup in the Ukraine Harry Leleu who will be joined by young Scotsman Cameron Main who took bronze at the same event. It is worth noting that this race will see the return of international racing for Barclay Izzard who was one of the British quartet of Georgia Taylor-Brown, Jess Learmonth and Alex Yee who secured bronze at the Mixed Team Relay World Championships in Hamburg 2019 and was the winner of the 2019 Huelva Triathlon European Cup.
The GB field is finalised with the ever-consistent Jack Willis and Grant Sheldon who is looking to capture the form that gained him bronze at this very race circuit in 2019.
The Kiwi duo Dylan McCullough and Saxon Morgan of 2018 Youth Olympic fame make their WTC debuts. Another notable name is the American Chase McQueen fresh from his mixed relay triumph in Montreal.
The Czech’s are fielding seven male athletes and with them being on home soil all will be looking for a podium spot for the pride of their nation.
In the Womens race all the local support will be behind the Czech favourite Vendula Frintova who won the Karlovy Vary race both in 2018 and 2019. After a disappointing Olympics she will be looking to bounce back with a gutsy performance in front of her home crowd.
GB field two young starlets in Sophie Alden who took 7th place in the U23 World Championships in Canada. She is joined by the canny Scot Sophie Green who was 15th in the U23 World Championship race after taking gold at the Europe Triathlon Cup Coimbra in Portugal and Bronze in ETC in Ukraine two week earlier.
Possibly the fastest runner in the field is Germanys Lisa Tertsch who came stellar 8th in the U23 World Championships but will nonetheless have been disappointed with the result and will be looking to getting back to her winning ways having stood on the podium in both European and World Cups.
Her fellow team-mate Marlene Gomez-Islinger will need no confidence booster having come in 17th in the senior World Championships in Canada and being WTC gold medalist at Arzachena 2021.
Other notable names you cannot disregard are Norwegian pairing of Solveig Lovseth and Stine Dale and Swiss athelete Julie Derron who made a top five finish here in 1998 and took Silver at the WTC Arzachena this year.
You can catch all the action of World Triathlon Cup Karlovy Vary on TriathlonLive.tv. Sunday 12 September with the men underway at 10am (CEST) and the women at 3pm (CEST),
