We are in for a treat at the World U23 Championships as arguably the strongest men’s field seen in recent times prepares for what promises to be a humdinger of a race. There are at least a dozen legitimate gold medal contenders, with plenty of other hopefuls raring to go, and all are set to race on a perfect sea-front stage in Wollongong.
A two-lap 1500m swim kicks things off. Next is a 40km bike made up of seven laps, each of which contains a punchy hill. Five loops of the run course (with a slightly different out-lap) then comprise the final 10km run where the medals will be decided. In this preview, we pick out some of the names to watch, from the top seeds to the danger men to the left-field bets. Read on to find out who falls into which box before catching the racing live on TriathlonLive on Thursday 16th October at 13:15 (local time; 05:15 CEST).
The top seeds
Wearing number 1 is Márton Kropkó (HUN). Despite being a first-year U23 athlete, he has made several dents into senior fields this year, winning a maiden World Cup medal in Samarkand and earning a recent 7th place finish at WTCS Weihai. Breakaways are his primary weapon of choice. His bold move at the 2023 World Junior Championships did not result in a medal, but, two years older and stronger, Kropkó could be the man that sets the terms of the race in Wollongong.
Mitch Kolkman (NED), the returning bronze medallist, is next on the start list. Like Kropkó, he is one of the stronger swimmers in the field and will thrive in any breakaway. After him, however, we come to an athlete with a very different profile.
In recent months, Oliver Conway (GBR) has been a revelation. He won the Saidia World Cup (on his World Cup debut) and then finished 4th at WTCS Karlovy Vary (which was also his WTCS debut). Wollongong will be his World U23 Championships debut and I think you can see where we are going with this… Conway might not be as strong as Kropkó and Kolkman in the first two disciplines. There are few that can match him on the run, though, not least given he raced at the European U20 Cross Country Championships in December.
Fourth on the start list is 2023 World Junior champion João Nuno Batista (POR). Like Kropkó, he fared well at WTCS Weihai, placing 8th, while he also won the European Junior title last year. Big things have been expected of Batista’s career, such has been his level of success from an early age, and Wollongong might be his chance to style himself in the same manner as one of his most famous countrymen: the Special One.
The danger men
The front end speed of Kropkó and Kolkman, the running chops of Conway, the all-round ability of Batista: alone this combination would make for a tantalising clash. But there are plenty of other threats to the podium. Foremost among them will be Mathis Beaulieu (CAN). The bronze medallist behind Kropkó in Samarkand, he is already twice a World Cup medallist. He also made the podium behind Batista at the 2023 World Junior Championships.
Then there is last year’s World Junior Championships silver medallist, Reese Vannerson (USA). The American made serious waves by winning the Chengdu World Cup earlier this year. That came off the back of a string of Americas Cup wins; when Vannerson gets a sniff at gold, he tends to snatch the chance with both hands.
Furthermore, Australia will have a double punch through Bradley Course (AUS) and Brayden Mercer (AUS). The former was Oceania senior and junior champion in the same year in 2023, an achievement never seen before. He finished 5th in Saidia earlier this year and has a nice growing collection of Asia Cup medals. Mercer, meanwhile, will be looking to recapture the high of the silver medal he won at the Napier World Cup.
The left-field bets
Finally, we come to a quartet that might fly under the radar before potentially stunning the aforementioned names. Thomas Hansmaennel (FRA) was the 2022 World Junior champion and has been finding his feet at the senior level. Similarly, Solomon Okrafo-Smart (GBR) won back-to-back Europe Cup medals earlier this year and belongs in the same conversation as Conway and Vannerson when contemplating the best runners in the field.
Then there are two men that will have no problem going it alone. Sullivan Middaugh (USA) is the Americas U23 champion and took silver at the senior Americas Championships; he is nothing short of exceptional on two wheels. He will have good company in Sebastian Wernersen (NOR), the latest in Norway’s line of powerhouses who is number 5 on the start list.
All in all, this race is anyone’s guess. On their day, the dozen men listed could strike gold. With the depth of the field, however, there is a good chance someone not named barges their way past them and onto the podium.
The medal count
Over the fifteen men’s World U23 Championships since the first WTCS Final in 2009, two countries stand out with three gold medals apiece. They are Great Britain and France. Britain also has a further seven podiums to France’s two. Right behind them on two golds, though, are Australia, Spain and Germany; of that trio, the hosts seem likeliest to claim gold number 3 in Wollongong.
On the other end of the spectrum, this is not just a gold medal Team USA have not won in the period; the American men have not even made the podium in the World U23 Championships since 2009. Vannerson, Middaugh and more are therefore not just chasing a gold. They are chasing history.
