Why we should look forward to Triathlon in 2021!
2020 was a difficult year for everyone with the widespread impact of the coronavirus being felt by everyone in all aspects of their lives. Races for age groupers and elite racers alike were cancelled and left many a triathlete struggling for motivation at times when any hopes of racing in the future were uncertain.
Fortunately, with a great amount of fortitude from most notably the ITU (International Triathlon Union) and PTO (Professional Triathletes Organisation), races that followed Covid-19 protocols were staged towards the latter end of the season. Whilst age group competitions, with such a vast number of competitors, are subject to ever-changing increases/decreases in cases, the likelihood is that we will see a full calendar of pro races this year. This article will be focusing on the races and events that all triathletes can look forward to this year, and to help keep those who are without races motivated to keep training as hard as ever.
The Return of the World Triathlon Series
There is no denying that all our lives felt a little emptier without the consistent monthly fixtures of the WTS to keep us entertained in 2021. Whilst Vincent Luis showed he is the strongest European with his win at the revised one-day World Championships held in Hamburg last September, it will be interesting to see who proves their consistency when we return to the regular six-month long racing season this year. In 2019 we saw a huge variety of victors on the men’s side, with Jelle Geens winning his first World Series race in Montreal and Canadian Tyler Mislawchuk taking his first win at the Olympic Test Event. On the women’s side Katie Zaferes showed why consistency is key in 2019, and although she was unsuccessful in her title defense in Hamburg, she’ll certainly want to prove she is top dog in the face of the return to competition of Flora Duffy and the continued excellence of Georgia Taylor-Brown. The World Series is also a brilliant opportunity for breakthrough performances – Bence Bicsak and Alex Yee capitalised on those chances in 2019, recording podium positions in Yokohama and Abu Dhabi respectively, whilst a young Cassandre Beaugrand also rose to prominence on the World Series in 2018, when she stormed away on the run to take the win in Hamburg. Who will use the circuit to make a name for themselves in 2021?
The Olympic Games (Finally!)
Nobody can be more excited about the upcoming Olympic Games in 2021 than triathlon fans. Not only are the best in the world going to come together to race on the men’s and women’s side, but there will be the introduction of the mixed team relay too! The men’s race quite frankly is set to be the greatest triathlon line up of all time, with the old guard, many of whom will likely be racing in their final Olympic Distance season, battling the advances of all the young talent that have emerged since Alistair Brownlee’s 2016 win in Rio de Janeiro. The women’s race is also wide open, with perhaps two of Rio’s medalist not returning – Gwen Jorgenson who is pursuing an athletics Olympic berth and Vicky Holland who will face stiff competition for the final Team GB slot behind Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown. The mixed team relay is also too tough to call, with Germany, GB, France, Australia, New Zealand, The US and Norway likely contenders, whilst RSA, The Netherlands and the host nation Japan all have the possibility to threaten on their day. I am counting down the days to that last weekend in July already!
The TriNation Podcast Christmas Special – Vincent Luis
Kona 2021
Whilst I’ve already heralded the Olympics as the best match up of all time, Hawaii 2021 promises to be a close second. In my eyes, this will be Alistair Brownlee’s last shot at cementing his place as the greatest triathlete of all time, as I don’t see Jan Frodeno racing past this year’s championship (He announced today on his Instagram that he is opening a hotel in Girona). If Jan does go out with a bang, I think many critics would be hard pressed to make a claim against him surpassing Brownlee as the GOAT, with an Olympic Gold Medal and a win at the most competitive Ironman World Championships to his name. Whilst it’s easy to get carried away with Brownlee vs Frodeno, threats could come from elsewhere. This may be Lionel Sanders’ last real chance to win Kona, whilst Tim O’Donnell will want to see if he can go one better than 2019, especially seeing as he may be looking at moving away from competing after taking a role with the PTO. Gustav Iden, the Norwegian sensation has had his Nice 70.3 World Championships qualification spot carried over to this year’s championships and has expressed his intentions on an Olympic and Kona double already. This year really does feel like the final battle between the sport’s most influential era and the era they inspired, with many big names likely to make their last dance. It’s shaping up to be quite the showdown.
The rise of YouTube and Social Media
Yes, yes, I know, YouTube is nothing new. But during the last lockdown we saw an increasing number of triathletes following in the footsteps of American videographer Talbot Cox and starting a triathlon-based channel. Kristian Blummenfelt kept us updated on the WTS equivalent of the Three Musketeers with race previews, training insights and even a Q&A with Norway’s ever smiling performance director Arild Tveiten.
Richard Murray used the site to showcase his running ability when races were cancelled, with impressive displays over 5km and 10km. He has now launched his ‘Chasing Gold Series’, which follows his and his wife Rachel Klamer’s training in the buildup to the Olympic Games. The social media account I am most excited about however is the initiative put together by American Triathletes Matt McElroy and Morgan Pearson on Instagram with the All-Hard Work club. The duo has already started the #moreclothing and #grassisfast hashtags, so keep your eyes peeled for more over the upcoming months from Boulder, Colorado. If you are struggling for motivation, especially before races get back underway, be sure to check out all the new content available.
You heard it here first, 2021 is going to be a big year for everyone in Triathlon. Make sure you’re ready!
