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World Triathlon Series - 2020 season preview

By Doug Gray | 03 Feb, 2020
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On 6 March, the 2020 World Triathlon Series will get underway in the UAE capital. WTS Abu Dhabi kicks off a seven-stop season of high drama as the world’s top triathletes battle for the ranking points that, along with those gained from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic races, will ultimately decide who will be crowned this year’s World Champions at the Edmonton Grand Final.

It was an unpredictable 2019 season that eventually saw Vincent Luis (FRA) take the men’s title at a tense Lausanne Grand Final, where Katie Zaferes (USA) also delivered a majestic win fully deserving of the title of World Champion.

This time around, past world champions all in contention once more include Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee (GBR), Flora Duffy (BER), Javier Gomez Noya (ESP), Vicky Holland (GBR), Mario Mola (ESP) and Nicola Spirig (SUI) meaning that, alongside last year’s impressive crop of breakout stars, the only predictable thing in 2020 will be the pure race entertainment.

As ever, you can follow all the action on ITU’s home of multisports, TriathlonLIVE.tv.
Here’s a taste of what is to come.


WTS Abu Dhabi: Friday 6 March
After the first 750m swim of the year on the edge of the Persian Gulf, the athletes hit the undulating Formula One circuit for the 20km bike and 5km run segments, taking in the twists and tunnels of the world-famous venue. After the rains of 2018, glorious conditions welcomed the athletes to the Yas Marina start line 12 months ago, and in the men’s race it was a battle between experience and young talent setting the blue carpet alight, as Mario Mola began the defence of his world title in style by fending off British young gun and WTS debutant Alex Yee to take the tape by just 3 seconds. In the women’s race, Katie Zaferes sent out an early warning to her rivals with a powerful display, taking the tape by nearly half a minute. As ever, the race will present an intriguing test for the work put in during the closed season training and could well set the tone for the rest of the year.

See past results from WTS Abu Dhabi here.


WTS Bermuda: Saturday 18 April

The gruelling Bermuda course made a glittering WTS debut in 2018 as Flora Duffy sent the island wild with an imperious winning display, only to be denied the opportunity to repeat the feat last year due to injury. That left it down to Katie Zaferes to boss the 2019 race, the ten climbs of Corkscrew Hill on the bike seeming to pick off challengers one-by-one. After the Norwegian men swept the podium in 2018, Dorian Coninx (FRA) was the surprise package in last year’s men’s race, all of which suggests this could be the occasion to propel a new star into the headlines once more. A gutsy bike ride can make all the difference out here and an attacking mentality such as that shown by Casper Stornes two years ago, is key.

See past results from WTS Bermuda here.


WTS Yokohama: Saturday 16 May 

For over a decade, the Japanese city of Yokohama and its compact, urban course has become synonymous with world-class triathlon. The 1500m swim gives way to a demanding, 9-lap bike that offers no room to relax as it winds through the city streets, before a 4-lap run reveals the final outcome of the race. In recent years, this has been a successful hunting ground for Mario Mola and Flora Duffy, before them Javier Gomez and Gwen Jorgensen. Reigning world champions Vincent Luis and Katie Zaferes landed the golds in 2019, making Yokohama one of the truest examinations of the very best, where world title credentials are tested to the limit.

See past results from WTS Yokohama here.


WTS Leeds: Sunday 7 June
The start of June can mean only one thing in the triathlon calendar: WTS Leeds weekend. The surrounding Yorkshire countryside is home to the brothers Brownlee and the event is forever tied with the legacy of their Olympic successes and iconic performances over the years. The course begins with a two-lap swim of the lake in Roundhay Park followed by a long point-to-point ride through the city suburbs, heading into central Leeds for seven tight laps of an updated bike course for 2020. Spectators will now be even closer to the action as the athletes head down the tight King Edward Street and Albion Place and back onto The Headrow on both the bike and the 4-lap run. It was over the closing stages last year that home favourite Georgia Taylor Brown dug in to win and Jacob Birtwhistle also scored his debut WTS gold, the Australian coming out on top from one of the strongest men’s start lists of recent years.

See past results from WTS Leeds here.


WTS Montreal: Sunday 28 June

Last year saw magnificent Montreal unveil a new-look sprint-distance course on which Jelle Geens was able to emerge at the head of a thrilling sprint finish between the Belgian, defending champion Mario Mola and Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk. Geens became the third man to land his first WTS gold in 2019, while in the women’s race there was a familiar one-two-three as Katie Zaferes finished ahead of Britain’s Taylor Brown and Learmonth. The steep climb and descent around Beaver Hall always has the potential to impact the outcome here. With the race followed by just one trip back to Europe before the return to Canada for the Grand Final, the psychological advantage of leaving Montreal with the kind of performance that can cement a Series lead or radically reduce a deficit at the top, means there will be no holding back out there.

See past results from WTS Montreal here.


WTS Hamburg: Saturday 11 July
The ever-popular WTS Hamburg assumes even greater importance in 2020 as the penultimate race of the season, and the crowds are sure to come out in force again for what is always a hotly anticipated affair. The swim includes a disarmingly dark, 40m tunnel section before athletes emerge out and onto their bikes for a flat, technical 6-lap ride that twists its way along three sides of the Binnenalster waterfront. Concluding in dramatic style in front of the Town Hall, it was Britain’s Non Stanford who delivered the run of the day in 2019, powering home right out of T2 and all the way to the line without looking back, Birtwhistle and Luis battling it out down the chute in a rather tighter men’s finale that saw the Australian edging the sprint.

See the 2019 results from WTS Hamburg here.


World Triathlon Grand Final Edmonton: 22-23 August
The 2020 season will reach its climax back in Canada as the Grand Final takes over the Alberta city of Edmonton for the first time since 2014. The new-look course is built on the skeleton of the sprint-distance affair that has been a staple of the WTS circuit since Gwen Jorgensen and Javier Gomez were crowned here six years ago, majestic Hawrelak Park again the focus of the action. It is a city that also holds good memories for the likes of past winners Mario Mola, Flora Duffy and Vicky Holland, while last year both Emma Jackson and Jonathan Brownlee signalled their long-awaited returns to winning ways right here. This time, of course, the title of World Champion is on the line as the culmination of months of hard work will see two athletes crowned the very best of the best.

See the 2019 results from WTS Edmonton here.