The World Cup tour continues in Asia this weekend with the renowned race on the calendar in Tongyeong, South Korea. Athletes will compete for Olympic points, ranking and personal bests in a fast and furious sprint-distance showdown (750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run). The fields are stacked with talent and motivation in an all-important Olympic qualification window for Paris 2024. Watch the World Cup action on Saturday, 21st October with the women’s race starting at 8am local time and the men’s race from 10.30am, over on TriathlonLive.tv.
53 Elite women are set to line up to compete in the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Tongyeong.
THE TOP CONTENDERS
Japan’s Yuko Takahashi will wear number one on Saturday. The Japanese star has had an extremely successful season which includes being crowned the Asian Games champion in Hangzhou and taking the National Champion title in Japan, all this month. USA’s Erika Acklerlund returns to another World Cup start list after 7th place in last weekend’s race in Chengdu, China. Hungary’s Zsanett Kutto-Bragmayer will prove stiff competition this weekend. The Hungarian is often an early race leader with her fierce swim stroke and powerful bike skills. Claire Michel (BEL) will be looking to continue her podium success after delivering an almighty performance in Chengdu last week to run away with the silver medal. Australia’s Sophie Linn brings great form into this race and will be eyeing World Cup success after being a player on the World Triathlon Championship Series stage for most of the season.
JORGENSEN AND HOLLAND BRING THE EXPERIENCE
Olympic champion Gwen Jorgensen (USA) will continue the chase for points in Tongyeong and her campaign toward qualifying for the next Olympic Games in Paris 2024. Jorgensen, who has returned to the sport after having two sons, has recently delivered masterclass performances in Karlovy Vary and Valencia to earn World Cup golds. Olympic medallist Vicky Holland (GBR) has returned to World Triathlon after recently giving birth to her first child. Holland has had an impressive comeback to racing, with strong results in both the Tangier and Rome World Cups and will be one to watch come Saturday.
ONES TO WATCH
Australia’s sister duo Jaz and Kira Hedgland are ready to bring their best to Tongyeong. Kira Hedgeland was 11th in the recent World Triathlon Cup Tangier and Jaz Hedgeland is a regular contender on the World Triathlon Championship Series stage. Don’t disregard Germany’s Anabel Knoll from medal contention. Knoll has had a strong season, racing at both the World Triathlon Championship Series and World Triathlon Cup levels, including 9th place in the inaugural race in Sunderland.
BREAKTHROUGH TALENT
Spain’s Cecilia Santamaria Surroca has produced top 10 finishes in the recent World Cups in Tangier and Karlovy Vary and is vying for podium success at this level. New Zealand’s Eva Goodisson showcased a powerful swim/bike combination last weekend in China and led for majority of these segments in the World Cup. Goodisson returns to the start line this week in South Korea, ready to improve on her 21st place in Chengdu.
TEAM WORLD TRIATHLON
Slovakia’s Ivana Kuriackova and Romana Gajdošová along with Guam’s Manami Iijima and South Africa’s Vicky Van Der Merwe have arrived in South Korea as members of the Team World Triathlon. These Elite women continue their quest to qualify for Paris 2024. Gajdošová earned silver earlier this year in the World Triathlon Cup Yeongdo and 7th in the World Triathlon Cup Weihai while Kuriackova produced a strong top-10 finish last week in Chengdu.
10 Korean athletes will be lining up in the women’s field to represent the nation this weekend.
Watch the women’s race action on Saturday, 21st October from 8am local time on TriathlonLive.tv.
Review the full women’s start list.