For Sophie Evans (GBR), the Lanzarote World Cup was a unique race. In addition to it being her first international triathlon as a mother, it was also her first competing under her marital name (she previously raced under her maiden name Coldwell).
“It felt really special. There have been a lot of changes over the last year becoming a mum and also racing now with my married name, so it almost felt like the start of a new chapter. Having Phoebe here in Lanzarote made it even more meaningful. It’s taken a lot to get back to the start line, so today was about enjoying the process again and being grateful to race.”
After her maternity absence, she would have been forgiven for feeling her way back into form without causing a stir. Evans, however, seriously impressed on her way to 5th place, throwing in a field-leading bike split (33:08) for good measure.
“Hand on heart, I didn’t have a result in mind! It’s my first ITU (World Triathlon) race back in nearly two years and my first one since having Phoebe, so the goal was really just to get back on the start line, race hard and see where I’m at. Of course I’m competitive and once you’re in the race you always want more, but a top-5 today feels like a really positive step in the right direction.”
Having been part of the breakaway pack, Evans slipped off the back in the early phases of the run. Was this a tactical decision to let the pack go early in the run and then move up, or was it one that was made for her?
“A little bit of both to be honest. I knew coming in that I needed to run my own race today, I haven’t had the consistency I need to be running at my best. After some time away you don’t quite know where the limits are yet, so the aim was to start controlled and build into it. When the pace went early I let it go, but as the run went on I felt stronger and was able to move through a few places, which was really encouraging.”
Meanwhile, Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR) landed back on the men’s podium after a multi-year absence.
“My last World Cup medal was in 2022 in Viña del Mar, where I finished 3rd. Since then, I’ve changed and evolved a lot, with plenty of self-reflection along the way. Over the past few years, I’ve been able to take a step back, return to some of the fundamentals that worked well for me, and most importantly surround myself with the right people. Today, that helps me move forward with a better balance between my job, my training, and performance.”
Triathlete by weekend, firefighter by weekday, Abdelmoula’s current balance makes him unique among the field. “I’m still working as a firefighter,” he confirmed, “so of course I have to adapt my training to that rhythm. During 24-hour shifts, a full night of sleep is never guaranteed. There can be calls at any moment, and even when nothing happens, you’re always waiting for the alarm to go off. So the quality of sleep isn’t the same as when I’m at home.”
“Because of that, I organise my training sessions as best as I can and try not to overdo it. I focus as much as possible on recovery and sleep, even if that sometimes means reducing the intensity or the volume of training.”
In the men’s race, there was also a second ever World Cup top-10 for 2022 World Junior champion Thomas Hansmaennel (FRA).
“I’m really happy with how I managed the race and with what I was able to execute. I’m trying to trust my choices and race with my strengths, even though I still have relatively little experience at this level given my young age. Every race is a great opportunity to learn and gain experience, so it’s encouraging to already be able to compete close to the best. Overall, I feel like things are moving in the right direction.”
Hansmaennel’s World Cup personal best stands at the 4th place he achieved in Samarkand last year. As it happens, he was closer to the medals with his 10th place in Lanzarote. A swing of 9 seconds would have put him right with Abdelmoula, a sign the Frenchman is creeping closer to that first podium. Can he feel it in the near future?
“Yes, being less than 10 seconds away from a World Cup podium in such a strong field clearly shows that it’s possible. I think I’m not missing much to get there. I still need to keep gaining experience and stay consistent at this level. It’s definitely very motivating and gives me confidence for the rest of the season.”
“For my part, I’ll just keep working, learning and progressing to try to get closer and closer to that level. My next opportunity will be the World Cup in Chengdu in May, so it will be another chance to compete at this level and see where I stand.”
Inevitably, though, the last word here belongs, as it did in the race, with David Cantero del Campo (ESP). His run garnered the most attention, not least given he overturned a penalty to take down Tim Hellwig (GER) on the blue carpet. Yet one highly relevant detail was his swim. Cantero emerged in 16th place, putting him in the main pack and right where he needed to be to control the race.
“I think we did a pretty good winter season getting the focus on the swim and trying to not lose much time at the water. Also we’ve been working on sea skills over the last few weeks in Alicante. I think that’s been important after lots of months without doing it.”
Already a double winner at Valencia World Cup, plus winner of the World U23 Champs in Torremolinos, now he has a win in Lanzarote. Cantero in Spain increasingly seems like an unbeatable proposition.
“For many people maybe it can be an added pressure which sometimes is too high, but I realised every time I race on home soil gives me wings to always fight for everything.”
So the WTCS Final in Pontevedra (Spain) this year…
“Taking the gold in Pontevedra would be something really special but I also think it’s going to be pretty difficult especially this year with the comeback of some good names like Alex (Yee), Hayden (Wilde) etc. But I also think that it’s going to make it more interesting.”
Harder, maybe, but Cantero is certainly not ruling out the possibility. With his season launched in style, who knows how it might end.