World Triathlon

Earlier this week, the Olympic qualification window snapped shut and the final slots for the triathlon events at Paris 2024 were allocated. A handful of athletes had already been nominated by their respective national federations in light of their performances during the qualifying window. However, several athletes remained on tenterhooks as the slots were assigned to National Olympic Committees (NOCs) rather than the athletes that earned them. The exception came in the universality places which were awarded to named athletes.

Already, though, the start lists for Paris are starting to take shape. While some selection battles are still to be settled, multiple NOCs have confirmed various athletes onto their Olympic teams in the past few days. In this article, we will highlight the athletes that have guaranteed their slots in Paris. Note, in some cases there are athletes that have earned a slot for their country and there is no other eligible contender but the selections have not yet been confirmed. For such circumstances, we will wait until the formal announcement by their national federations.

The 2023 qualifiers

Alex Yee (GBR) was the first man to punch his ticket to Paris back at the Olympic Test Event last summer. As per the British selection policy, the defending Olympic silver medallist needed to medal at the Test Event; he duly won the race. At the same competition, Dorian Coninx (FRA) finished 3rd however the French selection policy included a clause that required Coninx to subsequently prove his fitness in 2024. As such, while Yee had definitely qualified, the 2023 world champion remained in limbo and has not yet officially qualified.

Morgan Pearson (USA) and Tim Hellwig (GER) also locked in their Olympic places at the Test Event by finishing 6th and 7th, respectively.

At the women’s Test Event, Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) finished 2nd but like Coninx still had to prove her condition in 2023. As a result, Laura Lindemann (GER) was the first woman to officially qualify by dint of her 3rd place finish. Taylor Knibb (USA) and Nina Eim (GER) likewise sealed their spots by placing 5th and 6th, respectively.

A month later, Beth Potter (GBR) added her name to the list of female qualifiers at WTCS Pontevedra. The 2023 world champion had already won the Paris Test Event but had to medal at the WTCS Final in order to meet the steep British criteria. Naturally, Potter won the Final in style. Lisa Tertsch (GER) became the third and final German woman to qualify for the Olympics with a barnstorming 4th place in Pontevedra while Rachel Klamer produced a vintage performance to take 5th place and put herself on the Dutch team.

In the men’s race in Pontevedra, Pierre Le Corre (FRA) finished 3rd to provisionally secure his slot. As with his compatriots, though, he had a further hurdle to clear in 2024 before his status was confirmed. Meanwhile, Lasse Lührs (GER) and Matthew Hauser (AUS) earned their spots by placing 5th and 8th, respectively, at the WTCS Final. 

At the end of the year, Manoel Messias became the first pick for the Brazilian Olympic triathlon team after winning two WTCS medals in 2023. The defending Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) and the 2021 World U23 champion Csongor Lehmann (HUN) likewise received their nominations while Mexico selected the trio of Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal, Lizeth Rueda Santos and Aram Michell Peñaflor Moysen.

The early 2024 crowd

Selections continued during the qualification window in 2024 as Portugal nominated a quartet of Vasco Vilaca, Ricardo Batista, Melanie Santos and Maria Tomé. This came after the same foursome secured Olympic qualification through the Mixed Team Relay.

Jonas Schomburg (GER) also nabbed the final German berth. To do so, he had to be the highest ranked non-qualified German man in the top-30 of the Olympic rankings. A strong start to the season put him on course to do so. Then, a medal at the Chengdu World Cup made it mathematically impossible for him to be overtaken and his place was assured.

Later on, Luke Willian (AUS) became the second Australian man to dial in his slot with his fabulous bronze medal at WTCS Yokohama. At the same race, Kenji Nener (JPN) logged a personal best WTCS finish of 7th to clear the Japanese selectors’ requirement of a top-8 result. Nener’s place on the Japanese team was subsequently confirmed this week.

In the women’s race in Yokohama, Leonie Periault (FRA) finished 1st while Emma Lombardi (FRA) came 3rd. Prior to the event, Lombardi revealed that a top-6 finish would be enough to earn French selection, although the positions are still to be formally confirmed.

One French athlete that has confirmed their place is Pierre Le Corre. After his WTCS Pontevedra result, he finished 6th at WTCS Cagliari to book his place. In addition, Cassandre Beaugrand proved her fitness with a win in Cagliari, her first over the standard distance in the WTCS. While the final announcement of the French Olympic team is pending, Le Corre and Beaugrand can be considered safe.

After the qualification window

In this section, the bulk of the athletes listed are those that earned slots for their country and needed to wait until the end of the qualifying window for their places - and thus selection - to be confirmed. The likes of Crisanto Grajales (MEX), Vetle Bergsvik Thorn (NOR) and Bence Bicsák (HUN) have completed the men’s teams of their respective countries. Similarly, Miguel Hidalgo (BRA) has been revealed as the second man on the Brazilian team alongside Messias. On the note of the Brazilian team, Vittoria Lopes and Djenyfer Arnold have been officially selected.

Yuko Takahashi (JPN) has been selected as the only woman on the Japanese team while Makoto Odakura (JPN) joins Nener as part of the two-man male contingent. Belgium have unveiled a team of Jelle Geens, Marten Van Riel, Claire Michel and Jolien Vermeylen. Denmark will be represented by the recent winner of the Huatulco World Cup Alberte Kjaer Pedersen as well as Emil Holm while Zsanett Kuttor-Bragmayer has been named on the Hungarian team.

Charles Paquet (CAN) becomes the first confirmed representative of the Canadian Olympic triathlon team after a bright start to his WTCS season. Right now Paquet sits 2nd in the overall Series standings after two events

Team World Triathlon members Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR) and Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto (COL) were the only members from their country to earn Olympic selection. Elizabeth Bravo (ECU) was in the same position for Ecuador after her qualification was formalised this week while Shachar Sagiv (ISR) and Rostislav Pevtsov (AZE) have had their places at the Games confirmed by their respective federations. Moreover, after winning World Cup medals of each colour already this season, Tilda Månsson (SWE) has received her Olympic slot. The Swedish athlete is currently in line to be the youngest triathlete at the Games, although her status could yet be affected by the selections still to be confirmed.

Elsewhere, Diego Moya and Gaspar Riveros earned selection for Chile while Bermuda confirmed the selection of three athletes: Flora Duffy, Erica Hawley and Tyler Smith. Meanwhile, Edda Hannesdottir (ISL) and Eloi Adjavon (TOG) were confirmed as the recipients of the remaining universality places (alongside Smith). They will be the first ever representatives of Iceland and Togo, respectively, at the Olympic triathlon events.

Several athletes that earned qualification through the New Flag route have also had their berths confirmed. This group includes Vicky Van Der Merwe (RSA), Romina Biagioli (ARG), Ekaterina Shabalina (KAZ), Roksana Slupek (POL) and Manami Iijima (GUM) on the women’s side. The men to have confirmed their New Flag places are Matthew Wright (BAR), Jason Tai Long Ng (HKG) and Felix Duchampt (ROU).

Stay tuned as further Olympic qualifiers will be revealed in the coming days and thereafter stay up to date with all the latest in the build-up to the Paris Olympic Games across all World Triathlon channels.