World Triathlon

The 2022 World Triathlon Long Distance World Championships will cover the 100km distance, 2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run format, on Sunday 21st August, with elite and age-group athletes vying for world titles. The Aquabike Age-Group races will also take place on Sunday, over a 2km swim and 80km bike course. The events form part of the 2022 World Triathlon Multisport Championships and include Long Distance, Aquathlon and Aquabike races and takes place at the iconic x-bionic® sphere sports complex, just 25km from the historic capital Bratislava. The event is hosted by Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and is running alongside the Collins Cup and PTO age group races from 18th-21st August 2022. The Challenge Family team, who delivered their flagship race The Championship at the same venue for the past 5 years, as well as the 2021 World Triathlon Multisports Championships in Almere, are the Event Delivery partner.

Men’s race
Austria’s Thomas Steger, will wear number one, was 5th in the 2021 World Triathlon Long Distance Championships Almere-Amsterdam and took gold in the 2019 Austria Middle Distance Triathlon National Championships.

Next on the start list is Pablo Dapena Gonzalez of Spain, who won the 2018 Fyn Long Distance Triathlon World Championships and silver to Javier Gomez Noya in the 2019 Pontevedra Long Distance Triathlon World Championships. In 2021 he crossed the line in 6th position in the 2021 World Triathlon Long Distance Championships Almere-Amsterdam. The Spaniard, who is a new father, says the flat and fast course in Samorin differs immensely from where he trains in Pontevedra, Spain, but is looking to add another Long-Distance World Championship medal to the collection.

The competition will be fierce as Frenchman Pierre Le Corre makes his debut in the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships Samorin. Le Corre arrived in Samorin just days after earning the silver medal in the 2022 Europe Triathlon Championships Munich. Le Corre mentioned that his fellow French compatriots will be ones to watch as well as New Zealand’s Kyle Smith, South Africa’s Jamie Riddle and Germany’s Florian Angert.

Germany’s Florian Angert, who won at the race venue in The Championship 2021 will be one to watch. In 2019 Angert claimed silver in the 2019 GER Middle Distance Triathlon National Championships and has his focus fixed on securing a podium spot, at the World Championships in Slovakia.

Kyle Smith put together a string of terrific middle distance results in 2021 and will be hunting a medal in the 2022 World Triathlon Long Distance World Championships.

Jamie Riddle of South Africa, a rising star on the World Triathlon circuit, will be another man to watch in this race. Riddle is strong across all disciplines and will be looking to stay on the heels of the leaders in the swim, produce a powerful bike portion of the race and aim to be in the battle for medal contention on the run. Riddle has shown class on the World Triathlon circuit across the 2022 season at a World Triathlon Championship Series level and recently at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham representing South Africa.

Long course champion Tim Reed of Australia will line up in Samorin. Reed hasn’t raced a World Triathlon race since Huskisson in 2009 but arrives in Samorin in incredible form after a solid training block and with a wealth of experience and results across long distance racing.

Women’s race
The women’s side is a mix of experience with the likes of Lucy Charles-Barclay of Great Britain, returning to to racing after injury, on the start line in the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships Samorin. Charles-Barclay is one of the world’s best long course triathletes and will be looking to set up the perfect comeback race in Slovakia. The British triathlete, who loves to race, has shared her ambition to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Triathlon. All eyes will be on Charles-Barclay come Sunday in Samorin.

Sarissa De Vries of the Netherlands and gold medallist in the 2021 World Triathlon Long Distance Championships Almere-Amsterdam will wear number one while French woman Manon Genet claimed silver in the 2021 World Triathlon Long Distance Championships Almere-Amsterdam will wear number three.

The rivalry between Great Britain duo Emma Pallant Browne and Barclay-Charles will be fierce and powerful on course. The competition was a factor in Pallant Browne’s decision to race in the Long Distance World Championships. Emma Pallant has proved herself to be one of the fastest women over triathlon’s middle distance and will be fierce competition in the 2022 World Triathlon Long Distance World Championships.

Sweden’s Lisa Norden, 2012 Olympic silver medallist and 2008 and 2016 Olympian. Norden who has progressed to a highly regarded middle and long-distance athlete and arrives in Samorin as a firm favourite in the elite women’s Long Distance World Championships. Norden is focused on the 2022 IRONMAN World Championships in Kona in October.

Brazil’s Luisa Baptista, has had a notable season, earned bronze in the 2022 World Triathlon Cup Arzachena, took part as Nicola Spirig’s crew in the unique Sub7Sub8 project, where she showed her class across the marathon, proving to be one to watch in Samorin.

Review the Elite athlete start lists and follow the Elite races in Samorin on TriathlonLIVE.tv from 9am local time.