We were sad to hear the news that renowned multisport photographer, Michael Rauschendorfer, has died aged 51 following a battle with cancer. His photos have graced the pages of 220 and website for many years, in particular his fantastic images from the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Our condolences are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
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Fellow photographer Delly Carr wrote these words about his colleague and friend, for the ITU
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To honour his exceptional talent, below is a selection of his stunning photographs from the Ironman World Championships.
Britain’s Jess Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown crossed the line hand-in-hand in a shortened Olympic test event in Tokyo – and were disqualified for intentionally trying to tie.
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It was the final twist in a dramatic morning of triathlon in Tokyo that had seen concerns over heat stress halve the run distance to 5km, world number one Katie Zafares crash out on the bike, and two-time world champion Flora Duffy return after more than a year out to be crowned the eventual victor.
The disqualifications also meant Vicky Holland, who needed a podium finish to guarantee Olympic selection, was promoted to third, which would have confirmed her slot for Tokyo 2020 – except the British selection criteria states a fundamentally changed race structure – such as halving the run distance – nullifies the opportunity.
At the time of publishing the British team have an appeal pending over the disqualification, but even if that is not successful – and it does appear clear-cut – Learmonth and Taylor-Brown gave selectors a huge nudge as they broke clear in dominant fashion to run stride-by-stride for most of the 5km run.
“I’ve never been as prepared for a race in my life,” Learmonth said before realising she had been disqualified. “Normally when I prepare everything goes wrong, so I was surprised it went so well. We worked well together, on the bike hoping to shell people. Because we’d done it all together, I was happy to cross the line together. My little belly must have edged hers. It’s not all about being lean.”
Her Leeds’ training partner, Taylor-Brown, currently ranked third in the World Triathlon Series, once place behind Learmonth, was equally blissfully unaware they had infringed. “It was hot, but I’m super happy,” she said. “I committed from the start and got in the front bike pack and we worked well together, dropping people constantly.
“On the run, me and Jess got a little bit of a gap, we jogged round and were chatting away. We worked together the whole time. We’re team-mates, room-mates and friends, and it’s nice to come across the finish line together with a smile on our faces.”
Holland produced the fastest run split, Non Stanford was promoted to seventh and Sophie Coldwell to ninth, indicating that the southern Japanese training base of Miyazaki that British Triathlon has used to acclimatise is paying dividends.
The decision to halve the run distance to 5km was made just four hours before the race start after a final check of the conditions.
The ITU defers to a measure called the Wet-Bulb Glow Temperature (WBGT), which combines temperature, humidity, wind chill and sunlight. Forecasts suggested that by the end of the run it would have risen to a ‘perceived temperature’ of 32, judged as an ‘Extreme Level’.
The water temperature for the 1,500m swim was also measured at a balmy 30.3 degrees, but it proved no obstacle for Learmonth who soon had the field strung out in the purpose-built Odaiba Bay, emerging 10sec clear of Summer Rappaport, the USA triathlete who would go on to benefit from Zafares’s crash to claim an Olympic qualification spot.
Zafares looked a looming threat in third, with the best of the other being Taylor-Brown in eighth, 17sec back, followed by Holland in 15th, Stanford in 17th, and Coldwell, whose strength is often the swim, in a disappointing 23rd.
Learmonth was pegged back by Zafares at the start of the bike, before the leading duo were quickly reeled in by a chase pack led by the returning 2016 and 2017 world champion Duffy.
Duffy was racing at this level for the first time since July 2018, yet showed few signs of rust as she pressed on at the front and on a technical course with many twists, Zafares came a cropper in seemingly innocuous circumstances when she appeared to hit a kerb on a straight.
The crash also brought down her compatriot Kirsten Kasper, but while Kasper was able to remount, it was race over for Zafares, who will look to recover before the World Series Grand Final in Lausanne in a fortnight where a comfortable mid-pack finish will ensure the world title.
The front group was whittled down to just seven by halfway with Holland, Stanford and Coldwell driving the pace of the second group to try and claw back some of the 58sec deficit.
At the front, Duffy and Learmonth continued to keep the tempo high and Emma Jackson, who won the last World Triathlon Series event in Edmonton was the next to suffer and lose contact.
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The front pack made up of Duffy, Taylor-Brown, Learmonth, USA’s Taylor Spivey, Italy’s Alice Betto and Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes arrived in T2 1min 47sec ahead, before the two Brits and Duffy instantly opened a gap on to the 5km run.
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As Duffy’s lack of race sharpness finally caught up with her, Learmonth and Taylor-Brown pulled away, looking comfortable throughout, but when neither contested the sprint finish and they linked hands to cross the line, it left officials first looking to the photo-finish to separate them and then turning to the rule book for a double disqualification.
#TokyoTestEvent poll – DSQ or NDSQ?
What do you think – should @Jess_Learmonth & @georgiatb be DSQ’d for crossing the line hand-in-hand?You have 24 hours to vote…@BritTri @worldtriathlon https://t.co/hiK5du3Sfw
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) August 15, 2019
Britain’s Jess Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown crossed the line hand-in-hand in a shortened Olympic test event in Tokyo – and were disqualified for intentionally trying to tie.
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It was the final twist in a dramatic morning of triathlon in Tokyo that had seen concerns over heat stress halve the run distance to 5km, world number one Katie Zafares crash out on the bike, and two-time world champion Flora Duffy return after more than a year out to be crowned the eventual victor.
The disqualifications also meant Vicky Holland, who needed a podium finish to guarantee Olympic selection, was promoted to third, which would have confirmed her slot for Tokyo 2020 – except the British selection criteria states a fundamentally changed race structure – such as halving the run distance – nullifies the opportunity.
At the time of publishing the British team have an appeal pending over the disqualification, but even if that is not successful – and it does appear clear-cut – Learmonth and Taylor-Brown gave selectors a huge nudge as they broke clear in dominant fashion to run stride-by-stride for most of the 5km run.
“I’ve never been as prepared for a race in my life,” Learmonth said before realising she had been disqualified. “Normally when I prepare everything goes wrong, so I was surprised it went so well. We worked well together, on the bike hoping to shell people. Because we’d done it all together, I was happy to cross the line together. My little belly must have edged hers. It’s not all about being lean.”
Her Leeds’ training partner, Taylor-Brown, currently ranked third in the World Triathlon Series, once place behind Learmonth, was equally blissfully unaware they had infringed. “It was hot, but I’m super happy,” she said. “I committed from the start and got in the front bike pack and we worked well together, dropping people constantly.
“On the run, me and Jess got a little bit of a gap, we jogged round and were chatting away. We worked together the whole time. We’re team-mates, room-mates and friends, and it’s nice to come across the finish line together with a smile on our faces.”
Holland produced the fastest run split, Non Stanford was promoted to seventh and Sophie Coldwell to ninth, indicating that the southern Japanese training base of Miyazaki that British Triathlon has used to acclimatise is paying dividends.
The decision to halve the run distance to 5km was made just four hours before the race start after a final check of the conditions.
The ITU defers to a measure called the Wet-Bulb Glow Temperature (WBGT), which combines temperature, humidity, wind chill and sunlight. Forecasts suggested that by the end of the run it would have risen to a ‘perceived temperature’ of 32, judged as an ‘Extreme Level’.
The water temperature for the 1,500m swim was also measured at a balmy 30.3 degrees, but it proved no obstacle for Learmonth who soon had the field strung out in the purpose-built Odaiba Bay, emerging 10sec clear of Summer Rappaport, the USA triathlete who would go on to benefit from Zafares’s crash to claim an Olympic qualification spot.
Zafares looked a looming threat in third, with the best of the other being Taylor-Brown in eighth, 17sec back, followed by Holland in 15th, Stanford in 17th, and Coldwell, whose strength is often the swim, in a disappointing 23rd.
Learmonth was pegged back by Zafares at the start of the bike, before the leading duo were quickly reeled in by a chase pack led by the returning 2016 and 2017 world champion Duffy.
Duffy was racing at this level for the first time since July 2018, yet showed few signs of rust as she pressed on at the front and on a technical course with many twists, Zafares came a cropper in seemingly innocuous circumstances when she appeared to hit a kerb on a straight.
The crash also brought down her compatriot Kirsten Kasper, but while Kasper was able to remount, it was race over for Zafares, who will look to recover before the World Series Grand Final in Lausanne in a fortnight where a comfortable mid-pack finish will ensure the world title.
The front group was whittled down to just seven by halfway with Holland, Stanford and Coldwell driving the pace of the second group to try and claw back some of the 58sec deficit.
At the front, Duffy and Learmonth continued to keep the tempo high and Emma Jackson, who won the last World Triathlon Series event in Edmonton was the next to suffer and lose contact.
The front pack made up of Duffy, Taylor-Brown, Learmonth, USA’s Taylor Spivey, Italy’s Alice Betto and Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes arrived in T2 1min 47sec ahead, before the two Brits and Duffy instantly opened a gap on to the 5km run.
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As Duffy’s lack of race sharpness finally caught up with her, Learmonth and Taylor-Brown pulled away, looking comfortable throughout, but when neither contested the sprint finish and they linked hands to cross the line, it left officials first looking to the photo-finish to separate them and then turning to the rule book for a double disqualification.
#TokyoTestEvent poll – DSQ or NDSQ?
What do you think – should @Jess_Learmonth & @georgiatb be DSQ’d for crossing the line hand-in-hand?You have 24 hours to vote…@BritTri @worldtriathlon https://t.co/hiK5du3Sfw
— 220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) August 15, 2019
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Tyler Mislawchuk took victory in the men’s Tokyo test event that in contrast to the women’s race the day before was almost completely drama-free.
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There was no shortened run course, no disqualifications for contrived ties and no discussion over whether performances would counted towards Olympic qualification criteria or not.
And three days shy of his 25th birthday, Canadian Mislawchuk could celebrate early as he outstripped Norway’s Casper Stornes in the closing stages to take the tape in 1:49:50 and the biggest win of his career.
New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde finished third, with Jonny Brownlee, who would have guaranteed his Olympic selection with a podium, in fifth, 37sec behind the winner.
Tom Bishop was the next Brit home in 15th place with Alex Yee experiencing a testing race throughout as he came in 4min 10sec adrift in 33rd.
“That’s the biggest race outside the Olympics for me,” Mislawchuk said. “I cannot believe it. I thought: ‘I may never have a chance to win a big race like this again. so I have to take it now.’ It’s a good omen and now I know how to prepare for next year.”
Conditions were overcast and windy, and with water and air temperatures at 29 degrees – unlike the women’s race where the run was halved to 5km – worries about heat stress for the competitors subsided, meaning the full Olympic distance could be contested.
Also in contrast to the women’s race, a clutch of the big names in the World Triathlon Series were absent, including the top four in the rankings.
Neither series leader Vincent Luis of France, second place and reigning champion Mario Mola, nor fellow Spaniards Javier Gomez and Fernando Alarza, were present.
Factored into the decision to stay away was staying fresh for the WTS Grand Final in Lausanne in a fortnight, because while Katie Zafares already has one hand on the women’s trophy, the men’s competition is tighter.
Diving into the waters of Odaiba Bay, Commonwealth champion Henri Schoeman was quick to take the initiative. The South African was first to complete the 1,500m swim, with Brownlee 9sec back in fourth, Bishop 48sec in arrears with Yee another 9sec adrift.
While the gaps at the front were large enough to forge a breakaway group on the bike, no-one was able or willing to push on enough and by the end of the third lap of eight, Bishop and pre-race favourite Jake Birtwhistle were back with the leaders that contained over half the 67-man starting line-up.
Yee and South Africa’s Richard Murray were two that hadn’t made it, over 1min behind in a much smaller chasing group and desperately in need of making inroads ahead of the run.
Yee’s breakthrough season had started with a win in a World Cup race in Cape Town, before finishing runner-up to Mola in Abu Dhabi and running through for an impressive fifth place in Yokohama, but he was finding life much tougher here.
The much-fancied Kristian Blummenfelt crashed out with two laps remaining, and WTS Bermuda winner Dorian Coninx also failed to finish the 40km bike leg.
On to the run and Wilde, Mislawchuk, who made his first WTS podium in Montreal in July, and Stornes, last year’s WTS Bermuda winner, opened a gap over the first 5km, with Brownlee 24sec behind running toe-to-toe with Norway’s Gustav Iden.
Backing up from a win in the previous WTS race Edmonton, Brownlee’s first at elite level since 2017, he went in with hopes high of the necessary podium that would cement his Olympic spot.
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But it wasn’t to be as the front three pulled further clear, until a late sprint from Stornes was bettered by Mislawchuk and the Norwegian could not respond.
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Tyler Mislawchuk took victory in the men’s Tokyo test event that in contrast to the women’s race the day before was almost completely drama-free.
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There was no shortened run course, no disqualifications for contrived ties and no discussion over whether performances would counted towards Olympic qualification criteria or not.
And three days shy of his 25th birthday, Canadian Mislawchuk could celebrate early as he outstripped Norway’s Casper Stornes in the closing stages to take the tape in 1:49:50 and the biggest win of his career.
New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde finished third, with Jonny Brownlee, who would have guaranteed his Olympic selection with a podium, in fifth, 37sec behind the winner.
Tom Bishop was the next Brit home in 15th place with Alex Yee experiencing a testing race throughout as he came in 4min 10sec adrift in 33rd.
“That’s the biggest race outside the Olympics for me,” Mislawchuk said. “I cannot believe it. I thought: ‘I may never have a chance to win a big race like this again. so I have to take it now.’ It’s a good omen and now I know how to prepare for next year.”
Conditions were overcast and windy, and with water and air temperatures at 29 degrees – unlike the women’s race where the run was halved to 5km – worries about heat stress for the competitors subsided, meaning the full Olympic distance could be contested.
Also in contrast to the women’s race, a clutch of the big names in the World Triathlon Series were absent, including the top four in the rankings.
Neither series leader Vincent Luis of France, second place and reigning champion Mario Mola, nor fellow Spaniards Javier Gomez and Fernando Alarza, were present.
Factored into the decision to stay away was staying fresh for the WTS Grand Final in Lausanne in a fortnight, because while Katie Zafares already has one hand on the women’s trophy, the men’s competition is tighter.
Diving into the waters of Odaiba Bay, Commonwealth champion Henri Schoeman was quick to take the initiative. The South African was first to complete the 1,500m swim, with Brownlee 9sec back in fourth, Bishop 48sec in arrears with Yee another 9sec adrift.
While the gaps at the front were large enough to forge a breakaway group on the bike, no-one was able or willing to push on enough and by the end of the third lap of eight, Bishop and pre-race favourite Jake Birtwhistle were back with the leaders that contained over half the 67-man starting line-up.
Yee and South Africa’s Richard Murray were two that hadn’t made it, over 1min behind in a much smaller chasing group and desperately in need of making inroads ahead of the run.
Yee’s breakthrough season had started with a win in a World Cup race in Cape Town, before finishing runner-up to Mola in Abu Dhabi and running through for an impressive fifth place in Yokohama, but he was finding life much tougher here.
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The much-fancied Kristian Blummenfelt crashed out with two laps remaining, and WTS Bermuda winner Dorian Coninx also failed to finish the 40km bike leg.
On to the run and Wilde, Mislawchuk, who made his first WTS podium in Montreal in July, and Stornes, last year’s WTS Bermuda winner, opened a gap over the first 5km, with Brownlee 24sec behind running toe-to-toe with Norway’s Gustav Iden.
Backing up from a win in the previous WTS race Edmonton, Brownlee’s first at elite level since 2017, he went in with hopes high of the necessary podium that would cement his Olympic spot.
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But it wasn’t to be as the front three pulled further clear, until a late sprint from Stornes was bettered by Mislawchuk and the Norwegian could not respond.
Lauren Steadman, Joe Townsend and Dave Ellis, guided by Tim Don, were the British winners as the Paratriathlon World Cup doubling as the Paralympic test event took place in Tokyo.
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In what has been a difficult week for organisers, the races were switched to a duathlon after early morning water tests showed high levels of E-Coli in Odaiba Marine Bay.
It meant the traditional first leg of a 750m swim was replaced with a 2.5km run, with the usual 20km bike and 5km run to follow.
The change of format did not deter the British contingent, with Townsend taking advantage of the absence of imperious Dutch duo Jetze Plat and Geert Schipper to lay down a marker for next year.
The former Royal Marine commando was first to take the tape in the wheelchair division, pulling back the head-start given to Ahmed Andaloussi due to his higher level of disability, to win by over 1min.
It was a British one-two in the PTS5 category where Steadman took the honours, reversing the result over fellow Brit Claire Cashmore from the Montreal World Series race in June and the national championship in May.
The Paralympic silver medallist from Rio produced a final 5km run of 20:26 to break away and win by 94sec, with reigning Paralympic champion, Grace Norman of the USA, in fifth.
With both Steadman and Cashmore former Paralympic swimmers, being able to take the top spots on the podium despite a revised run-bike-run format, outlined why the women’s PTS5 division is arguably the strongest hope for British medals next year.
The third British winner was Dave Ellis in the visually impaired category who was guided by three-time Olympian Tim Don. Ellis had missed out on Rio when his category was not among the nominated three men’s classes, but proved too fleet of foot, with a 16:39 final 5km to run out a comfortable winner.
Cornwall’s Melissa Reid also picked up silver in the PTVI class behind Jessica Tuomela of Canada, describing it as “one of the hardest races I’ve ever competed in”.
Fran Brown matched Reid’s feat in the PTS2 class where she was runner-up behind Hailey Danz of the USA. The 34-year-old from London is a former climber and has yet to finish off the podium in any paratriathlon she’s started.
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There was a further medal for George Peasgood (PTS5), who took bronze as he was pegged back by his nemeses Stefan Daniel of Canada and Martin Schulz on Germany on the final leg.
It mirrored the results from Montreal and last season’s Grand Final on Gold Coast, with Peasgood once again showing he is the best cyclist in the division, but not having the footspeed to contend with the top two.
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Other British performances witnessed Commonwealth champion Jade Jones-Hall finish fourth in the wheelchair division, and in the PTS4 class, Steven Crowley finished ninth and Hannah Moore pulled out on the second run while leading.
Lauren Steadman, Joe Townsend and Dave Ellis, guided by Tim Don, were the British winners as the Paratriathlon World Cup doubling as the Paralympic test event took place in Tokyo.
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In what has been a difficult week for organisers, the races were switched to a duathlon after early morning water tests showed high levels of E-Coli in Odaiba Marine Bay.
It meant the traditional first leg of a 750m swim was replaced with a 2.5km run, with the usual 20km bike and 5km run to follow.
The change of format did not deter the British contingent, with Townsend taking advantage of the absence of imperious Dutch duo Jetze Plat and Geert Schipper to lay down a marker for next year.
The former Royal Marine commando was first to take the tape in the wheelchair division, pulling back the head-start given to Ahmed Andaloussi due to his higher level of disability, to win by over 1min.
It was a British one-two in the PTS5 category where Steadman took the honours, reversing the result over fellow Brit Claire Cashmore from the Montreal World Series race in June and the national championship in May.
The Paralympic silver medallist from Rio produced a final 5km run of 20:26 to break away and win by 94sec, with reigning Paralympic champion, Grace Norman of the USA, in fifth.
With both Steadman and Cashmore former Paralympic swimmers, being able to take the top spots on the podium despite a revised run-bike-run format, outlined why the women’s PTS5 division is arguably the strongest hope for British medals next year.
The third British winner was Dave Ellis in the visually impaired category who was guided by three-time Olympian Tim Don. Ellis had missed out on Rio when his category was not among the nominated three men’s classes, but proved too fleet of foot, with a 16:39 final 5km to run out a comfortable winner.
Cornwall’s Melissa Reid also picked up silver in the PTVI class behind Jessica Tuomela of Canada, describing it as “one of the hardest races I’ve ever competed in”.
Fran Brown matched Reid’s feat in the PTS2 class where she was runner-up behind Hailey Danz of the USA. The 34-year-old from London is a former climber and has yet to finish off the podium in any paratriathlon she’s started.
There was a further medal for George Peasgood (PTS5), who took bronze as he was pegged back by his nemeses Stefan Daniel of Canada and Martin Schulz on Germany on the final leg.
It mirrored the results from Montreal and last season’s Grand Final on Gold Coast, with Peasgood once again showing he is the best cyclist in the division, but not having the footspeed to contend with the top two.
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Other British performances witnessed Commonwealth champion Jade Jones-Hall finish fourth in the wheelchair division, and in the PTS4 class, Steven Crowley finished ninth and Hannah Moore pulled out on the second run while leading.
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Great Britain’s Alex Yee lost out by the slimmest of margins to France’s Dorian Coninx in a thrilling finish to the Tokyo mixed relay test event.
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The British quartet of Jess Learmonth, Gordon Benson, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Yee, had led from the start and the contest looked to be heading their way on the anchor leg, when Yee strode out of transition for the final 2km run.
But France’s Dorian Coninx, a World Triathlon Series winner in Bermuda in April, refused to be shaken off and had enough energy left for a sprint finish on the blue carpet, where the two had to be separated by a photo-finish.
It was also Britain’s 50th mixed relay competition, but they just missed out on a 13th victory. “It was a great fight,” Yee said. “I gave everything I had and today it wasn’t enough.” USA finished third, ahead of Italy, with Australia in fifth.
The low water quality that meant the swim was cancelled for the Paratriathlon test event had improved sufficiently for the relay to take place over its planned format of a 300m swim, 7.4km bike and 2km run.
Learmonth retained her form from the individual race on Thursday to dominate the opening leg. After her usual strong swim, only Summer Rappaport could stay with the Brit out of T2 and on to the bike leg.
But the Leeds’ triathlete opened a gap on the American before they reached T2 and extended it to 22sec through the run before tagging Benson, with France’s Cassandre Beaugrand and Germany’s Laura Lindemann catching Rappaport by the handover.
Benson, a Rio 2016 Olympian who hadn’t started in the individual race here, had the tough ask of racing solo from the front and initially saw the advantage eroded before extending it to 15sec, with France’s Pierre Le Corre, USA’s Seth Rider and Italy’s Gianluca Pozzati prominent among the chasers.
On to the third leg and Taylor-Brown held off USA’s Tamara Gorman and France’s Leonie Periault during the bike stage, but was caught on the run, which sent Yee away with Coninx, just ahead of USA’s Ben Kanute, with Italy almost 30sec back and Australia the best of the race, just under a minute in arrears.
Kanute, a powerful cyclist, knew his only chance of victory lay in trying to gain a race-winning gap on the bike, but when that didn’t materialise, it was down to Yee versus Coninx on the run.
The Brit set the pace throughout the 2km run, but Coninx hung on before delivering a decisive finish.
It showed the strength in depth of France, who have won the past two mixed relay world titles and secured victory in Tokyo without their No 1 ranked performer Vincent Luis.
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It was also spectacular way to conclude the test event races after a tricky week for organisers trying to make correct decisions over water quality and the potential of heat stress in the new venue of Odaiba Marine Bay.
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Great Britain’s Alex Yee lost out by the slimmest of margins to France’s Dorian Coninx in a thrilling finish to the Tokyo mixed relay test event.
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The British quartet of Jess Learmonth, Gordon Benson, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Yee, had led from the start and the contest looked to be heading their way on the anchor leg, when Yee strode out of transition for the final 2km run.
But France’s Dorian Coninx, a World Triathlon Series winner in Bermuda in April, refused to be shaken off and had enough energy left for a sprint finish on the blue carpet, where the two had to be separated by a photo-finish.
It was also Britain’s 50th mixed relay competition, but they just missed out on a 13th victory. “It was a great fight,” Yee said. “I gave everything I had and today it wasn’t enough.” USA finished third, ahead of Italy, with Australia in fifth.
The low water quality that meant the swim was cancelled for the Paratriathlon test event had improved sufficiently for the relay to take place over its planned format of a 300m swim, 7.4km bike and 2km run.
Learmonth retained her form from the individual race on Thursday to dominate the opening leg. After her usual strong swim, only Summer Rappaport could stay with the Brit out of T2 and on to the bike leg.
But the Leeds’ triathlete opened a gap on the American before they reached T2 and extended it to 22sec through the run before tagging Benson, with France’s Cassandre Beaugrand and Germany’s Laura Lindemann catching Rappaport by the handover.
Benson, a Rio 2016 Olympian who hadn’t started in the individual race here, had the tough ask of racing solo from the front and initially saw the advantage eroded before extending it to 15sec, with France’s Pierre Le Corre, USA’s Seth Rider and Italy’s Gianluca Pozzati prominent among the chasers.
On to the third leg and Taylor-Brown held off USA’s Tamara Gorman and France’s Leonie Periault during the bike stage, but was caught on the run, which sent Yee away with Coninx, just ahead of USA’s Ben Kanute, with Italy almost 30sec back and Australia the best of the race, just under a minute in arrears.
Kanute, a powerful cyclist, knew his only chance of victory lay in trying to gain a race-winning gap on the bike, but when that didn’t materialise, it was down to Yee versus Coninx on the run.
The Brit set the pace throughout the 2km run, but Coninx hung on before delivering a decisive finish.
It showed the strength in depth of France, who have won the past two mixed relay world titles and secured victory in Tokyo without their No 1 ranked performer Vincent Luis.
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It was also spectacular way to conclude the test event races after a tricky week for organisers trying to make correct decisions over water quality and the potential of heat stress in the new venue of Odaiba Marine Bay.
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1. Duffy holds the key. Two-time ITU world champion Bermudan Flora Duffy, who hadn’t raced at this level for over a year because of injury, provided a timely reminder of how she dictates women’s triathlon racing. A case in point is that as one of the best swimmers and the strongest cyclist, Duffy’s presence means the Olympic race is likely to be decided by a breakaway – even on a flat course such as Tokyo. The only caveat to this is Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig, who races sparingly, but can perhaps match Duffy’s power on two wheels, and has the potential to bring a chase pack back into contention. The Spirig factor aside, the knock-on consequence for selectors, not least the British, must be a further leaning towards triathletes who can make the front pack.
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2. British qualification is no clearer. Despite the criteria for Olympic qualification being incredibly tough – primarily podiums in both the Yokohama World Series and Tokyo test event – there was still potential for it to sort out a couple of spots. But with no top three finishes in Yokohama, none on the men’s side in Tokyo, and the disrupted format in the women’s race, nothing, as yet, has been confirmed. On one hand it shows the strength in depth, particularly on the women’s side, but the risk becomes that competing triathletes have to peak twice in 2020, first for a further attempt to qualify and then the Games themselves. And as history has shown, that is not an easy task.
3. Tokyo too testing? Being part test event, part Olympic qualification event has worked well in the past for pre-Olympic action, but there were almost too many unknowns in Tokyo, which meant the testing part was rigorous, but the qualification aspect a lottery. While there was much brouhaha in the wider media over the disqualification of Jess Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown for a contrived tie, the more critical part was providing clarification for the triathletes over whether, and by how much, their performances would count towards individual qualification. Vicky Holland, for example, knew that a podium guaranteed her a Tokyo 2020 spot. The race being cut to a 5km run ripped that chance away, yet she still produced the fastest run split, coped impressively with the heat, and, after the DQs, finished third. Does that help or hinder her chances? As the reigning world champion said: “I wouldn’t want to be a selector.”
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4. A last word on the DQs. While the disqualification for hand-to-hand no-combat grabbed the headlines and split opinion, dwelling on it ad nauseam serves little purpose. As far back as 2012, triathletes were warned against deliberately crossing the line together, when the Brownlee brothers, dominant at the time, did the same at a lowkey race in Blenheim and were asked whether it was something they might consider in the Olympics. It’s been cast as a daft rule in some quarters, but is clearly stated in the rules and is there to respect the integrity of competition. Most within the sport would have known about it. Learmonth and Taylor-Brown just looked happy to have performed so well in the heat, and seemed oblivious, but while they went through the motions with the protest, few in the British Triathlon camp will really be complaining – including the duo, who are probably just kicking themselves over some lost prizemoney.
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5. What now for 2020? It’s difficult to know what comes next for triathlon at Tokyo 2020, but nothing should be off the table. The new venue at Odaiba Marine Park struggled due to the water quality and that has to remain a fear. It’s not just a concern for triathlon either, the marathon swimmers won’t want to be on the eve of competition wondering what kind of E-Coli strain they might pick up the following morning. The heat stress measurement – the wet-bulb glow temperature – that was adhered to resulting in a shortened women’s run, has now also set a precedent. The ‘perceived temperature’ of 32 degrees that led to alteration is not extreme for the city at this time of year, and with the Olympics even earlier next summer, a repeat is likely. Relaxing guidelines that are in place to protect athletes’ health seems risky without an admission they were too strict in the first place, so do mitigating arrangements need putting in place before the event itself? And does this mean, that as has been hinted at before, the Olympics will become a sprint distance race?