After hosting a thrilling debut on the circuit 12 months ago, the blue carpet will be rolled out again in Italy’s iconic capital for the men’s 2024 Rome World Cup on Saturday 5 October.
It was Vasco Vilaça who made waves over the sprint-distance course last year. This time around, it will be an Australian wearing the number one as Luke Willian spearheads a talented field with many of the athletes looking for a strong hit out before the Championship Finals in two weeks’ time.
A 750m swim exits to the northern edge of the Lago dell’EUR and into a 250m uphill run through the park to transition. Frome there, it’s a technical 5-lap bike, each loop with a grinding 400m climb to test the legs, before a 5km run to the tape. Watch it all unfold from midday local time, on TriathlonLive.tv.
If anyone can, it’s Willian
Fifth in the Championship Series, World Cup gold in Wollongong followed by a first Series medal in Yokohama, Luke Willian arrives hot off the plane from WTCS Weihai to pick up the number one decal this weekend.
He may have been the third fastest Aussie runner in Wollongong behind Callum McClusky and Jake Birtwhistle, but winning the gold confirmed the 27-year-old as a great all-rounder, and he will be using the race as a post-China shake out before mounting his challenge for a first overall Series podium in Torremolinos.
Expect Willian to emerge from the lake right on the feet of New Zealand’s irrepressible Tayler Reid, Canadian Aiden Longcroft-Harris and Frenchman Valentin Morlec, all of them torpedoes likely to be stretching the field through the water.
Bike versus run power for the battle of Rome
That 250m run to T1 could make or break some of the athletes’ efforts to hit the front pack, the likes of Simon Westermann (SUI) and Henry Graf (GER) certain to be straight onto the gas to try and put some daylight into the fastest runners, including the rising French duo of European Championship silver medallist Yanis Seguin and Aurelien Jem.
Spain’s Kevin Tarek Vinuela Gonzalez showed his prowess last month over the tough Karlovy Vary course to take bronze, and the 2024 Aquathlon World Champion will surely be pushing the pace right from the start horn.
A strong Italian delegation includes the ever-dangerous Gianluca Pozzatti and Nicola Azzano hoping to give the Italian crowds more to cheer than this time last year when Alessio Crociani’s 10th place was the hosts best. Talented youngsters Euan De Nigro and Pietro Giovannini will want to seize their moment in the spotlight, the latter making his World Cup debut.
