Final fireworks expected as Long Distance Triathlon arrives in Townsville

by Ben Eastman on 24 Aug, 2024 12:15 • Español
Final fireworks expected as Long Distance Triathlon arrives in Townsville

The final race of the Townsville World Multisport Championships is upon us and it is the big one, or rather we should say it is the long one. Tomorrow the elite men’s and women’s fields, as well as an array of age-groupers, will contest the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships over distances of 3km in the water, 114km on the bike and finally 30km on foot. Notwithstanding a couple of bumps on the bike and run, the course is extremely fast. Should the athletes also receive the sea conditions seen on all days except the World Cross Triathlon Championships, the swim should likewise place no limit on a swift race.

In the elite races, several athletes that have already tasted success in Townsville will be starting. Up against them will be a host of rivals that have put all of their chips on this one race. A pair of fascinating battles should therefore be in store and in this article we look at some of the key names to note.


Elite women

Marion Legrand (FRA) currently stands as the most successful elite athlete in Townsville. She won the World Duathlon Championships and then struck gold again in the Mixed 2x2 Duathlon relay. She thus will be hunting the hat-trick in the Long Distance Triathlon. Notably, her cycling skills set her apart in the Duathlon but the longer format will provide a different test altogether. Meanwhile, Ai Ueda (JPN) is another to have already enjoyed a fruitful trip in Townsville after her superb anchor leg helped Japan to the bronze medal in the mixed relay. Ueda is no stranger to the longer distances either and so could be a challenger.

Foremost among the fresh faces is Marta Lagownik (POL). Lagownik is the European champion over this format. Moreover, she is ranked number 1 in the Long Distance world rankings. The signs, then, point to her being the favourite. Elsewhere, Julie Iemmolo (FRA) returns to the World Triathlon scene after an absence of a few years. She used to race on the World Cup circuit before moving up to the longer formats. With a good race, she could get one over her compatriot Legrand. Similarly, Misai Tanaka (JPN) is the Japanese champion over the longer distance and will look to take down her illustrious teammate Ueda.


Elite men

In the men’s race, Ondrej Kubo (SVK) wears number 1 and finished 7th in this event at the European Championships earlier this summer. Joining the Slovakian athlete will be Antonio Benito Lopez (ESP), the reigning European champion. Benito was in fantastic form on his way to the gold in Coimbra and finished 2nd at the 2023 World Long Distance Championships in Ibiza. Expect him to feature prominently as he hunts a third elite gold medal of these championships for Spain.

Benito’s predecessor as European champion, Louis Naeyaert (BEL), will also be racing. Should he perform at his destructive best, Naeyaert could tear the field apart. Turning to the home team, Matt Burton (AUS) has enjoyed success at the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 levels and, as possibly the strongest cyclist in the field, may be one to watch.


Catch all the action live on TriathlonLive with the men’s race starting from 06:30 (AEST) and the women’s from 06:33 (AEST). You can also stay up to date with all the latest developments from Townsville across all World Triathlon channels.

Related Event: 2024 World Triathlon Long Distance Championships Townsville
25 Aug, 2024 • event pageall results
Results: Elite Men
1. Antonio Benito Lopez ESP 05:02:54
2. Steven Mckenna AUS 05:06:03
3. Louis Naeyaert BEL 05:07:29
4. Dylan Magnien FRA 05:11:28
5. Benjamin Hill AUS 05:14:43
Results: Elite Women
1. Charlène Clavel FRA 05:45:14
2. Marta Lagownik POL 05:47:16
3. Julie Iemmolo FRA 05:51:04
4. Ai Ueda JPN 05:59:00
5. Katherine Gillespie-Jones AUS 06:03:29
Results: PTWC Men
1. Trent Fielder H1 USA 11:50:42
Results: PTS5 Men
1. Bruce Jordan NZL 08:09:26
Results: PTVI Men
1. Dean Cameron B1 AUS 08:37:37
2. John Domandl B2 AUS 09:16:22
Results: 18-19 Male AG
1. Bastian Meza CHI 06:36:23
2. Riley Billingham AUS 06:44:41
3. Ryan Billingham AUS 06:46:23
4. Jonah Greenham AUS 07:19:11
Results: 20-24 Male AG
1. Dylan Clough AUS 05:50:44
2. Charlie Stern AUS 05:52:43
3. Oliver Terry AUS 06:00:35
4. Owen Silver AUS 06:02:21
5. Daniel Paddison AUS 06:04:18
Results: 25-29 Male AG
1. Rémi Jauzac FRA 05:39:13
2. Daniel Readman GBR 05:50:24
3. Billy Bowman NZL 05:57:26
4. Tim Belstead AUS 06:01:50
5. Jack Smith AUS 06:03:19
Results: 30-34 Male AG
1. Filip Szymonik POL 05:33:52
2. Andrew Nash AUS 05:36:37
3. James Martin AUS 05:48:06
4. Max Gordon NZL 05:53:07
5. Bernie McDowell AUS 06:08:22
Results: 35-39 Male AG
1. Will Clarke AUS 05:26:18
2. Daniel Smith AUS 05:39:03
3. Sebastien Carabin BEL 05:43:00
4. Taylor Elms AUS 05:51:21
5. Shaine Webber AUS 05:53:15
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