The 2024 World Triathlon season kicked off with Sophie Alden and Olivia Mathias on the podium in New Zealand, while Rhys Jones, guided by Malachi Cashmore, claimed gold in Egypt.
The first World Triathlon Cup event of the year saw Sophie Alden outsprint teammate Olivia Mathias, with just one second separating the pair as they finished second and third respectively in Napier.
The pair exited the 750m swim in a Brit one-two with Alden leading the field out onto the bike. On the bike they were neck and neck as the field came together, with both Alden and Mathias exiting T2 at the same time.
Australian Sophie Linn, who went on to claim gold, overtook the British pair on the run leaving them to battle it out for second place. It was Alden who would take the silver medal as she outsprinted her teammate, with Mathias finishing third, 20 seconds clear of Portugal’s Melanie Santos.
In the men’s race, Samuel Dickinson was the highest placed of four British triathletes as he secured a top-ten finish crossing the line in seventh, just two seconds behind Italy’s Alessio Crociani.
Ben Dijkstra was the next over the line in 11th as he narrowly missed out on joining Dickinson in the top-ten, finishing just two seconds behind Austrian Tjebbe Kaindl. Just like the women’s race it was a sprint finish between the next two Brits over the line as Dan Dixon outsprinted Hugo Milner to finish 15th with his teammate coming 16th.
Napier was also home of the first mixed team relay race of the season, as a quartet of Dickinson, Mathias, Milner and Alden came fifth.
There was also elite paratriathlon action, as Rhys Jones, guided by Malachi Cashmore, claimed gold at 2024 Africa Triathlon Para Cup Sharm El Sheikh. Christopher Perham was also racing in African Triathlon Cup Sharm El Sheikh and finished fifth in a tight race that saw five triathletes cross the line within six seconds of each other.
Carl Gibson was competing in the elite races at World Triathlon Winter Championships Pragelato Sestriere. The Brit finished seventh in the winter duathlon completing the 3km ski,5km run and 3km ski in 00:56:26.
The next day he recorded a DNF in the winter triathlon, dropping out in T3 after completing the first of two, 4km run, 6km bike and 6km ski legs. A specific Age-Group Roll of Honour from the World Triathlon Winter Championships will follow.
