Kenji Nener to lead a strong World Cup line up in Miyazaki

by courtney.akrigg@triathlon.org on 26 Oct, 2023 11:42 • Español

The 2023 World Triathlon Cup tour lands in Miyazaki, Japan, this Saturday as top athletes continue the chase for points, in a crucial Olympic qualification window for Paris 2024. Race day will stage a Standard-distance course which starts with a 2 lap 1.5km swim in Hitotsuba Beach, transitions to a 8 lap 40km bike course and finishes with a 4 lap 10km run. The races will be streamed in full on TriathlonLive.tv with the men starting at 8am local time and the women at 10.30am.

66 men are on the start list for the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki and the field is fiercely stacked with experience and emerging talent.

THE CONTENDERS
Japan’s Kenji Nener will wear number one and lead the men onto the beach for the start of the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki. Nener was recently crowned 2023 Asian Games champion, secured the title in the Japan National Championships and arrives in Miyazaki in terrific form to close his season with the Olympic-distance race in front of a home crowd.

Nener will be challenged by Germany’s powerhouse and breakaway king Jonas Schomburg, Hungary’s Bence Bicsák and Canada’s Tyler Misawchuk. The trio are all hunting a win in Japan to close a huge block of racing and earn valuable Olympic points for Paris. Schomburg has raced back-to-back World Cup races with Chengdu followed by Tongyeong and is in Miyazaki this week. He’s determined to set up a good race and will likely attempt a breakaway on the bike.

Bicsák just missed the podium in the recent World Triathlon Cup Chengdu and will be racing for redemption in Miyazaki. The Hungarian skipped racing in Tongyeong to focus on training in Japan ahead of Saturday’s World Cup.

Mislawchuk had the second fastest run split in Tongyeong last weekend and is hunting to cap his 2023 season.

David Castro Fajardo, winner of the 2023 World Triathlon Cup Huatulco and 2023 Europe Triathlon Championships Madrid, will be a man to watch this weekend. The experienced Spaniard is in fantastic form after a top 10 finish in the recent 2023 World Triathlon Cup Brasilia.

RICARDO BATISTA AND LASSE NYGAARD PRIESTER ON THE CHARGE
Sprint-distance specialist Ricardo Batista was awarded silver last week after a brilliant race set-up. The Portuguese athlete earned silver in Miyazaki in 2022 when the races was held across the sprint-distance and will test his form in this weekend’s standard-distance race.

Germany’s Lasse Nygaard Priester has had a strong season with World Cup medals in Weihai and Valencia this year. Priester raced in Chengdu, Tongyeong and is back to show his form in Miyazaki this weekend.

Switzerland’s Max Studer will be one to watch this weekend. Studer hasn’t been able to show his true form in the recent World Cups where he landed 12th place in Karlovy Vary and 16th place in Tongyeong.

GIANLUCA POZZATTI LOOKING TO DEFEND HIS TITLE
Italy’s Gianluca Pozzatti won in Miyazaki in 2022 when the race was sprint-distance. Pozzatti was 19th in the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Finals in Pontevedra last month and 12th place in the inaugural World Triathlon Cup Rome. The Italian, who claimed victory in the 2023 ITA Sprint Triathlon National Championships, will be looking to defend his World Triathlon Cup title in Japan in the standard-distance race.

WERNZ, BIRTWHISTLE, COPELAND AND RIDDLE EYEING WORLD CUP VICTORY
With the likes of Germany’s Valentin Wernz, Australia’s Jake Birtwhistle and Brandon Copeland and South Africa’s Jamie Riddle, the battle for World Cup medals will be fiercely competitive come Saturday.

STRONG SQUAD OF BRITISH ATHLETES RACING IN MIYAZAKI
Max Stapley, Jack Willis, Harry Leleu, Sam Dickinson, Hugo Milner and Cameron Main will all be representing Great Britain in the Miyazaki battle this Saturday and may attempt similar team tactics, just as they did last weekend in Tongyeong, to remain at the front of the race and be in the contention for medals.

Review the full start list.

Watch the race on Saturday 28th October from 8am local time on TriathlonLive.tv.