History tells us that the last King of Rome ruled all the way back in 509 BCE until he was overthrown as part of the creation of the Roman Republic. His name was Tarquin the Proud, and the title ended with him. Except for one other instance.
When Napoleon Bonaparte annexed the Papal States a little over 200 years ago, he conferred the title “King of Rome” to his son, making Napoleon II, a Frenchman, the last of the kings. Going into this weekend’s Rome World Cup, several among a French men’s team bursting with talent will look to become triathlon’s King of Rome. And with the defending gold medallist among their ranks, it will take a huge effort from the rest of the field to deny them.
The sprint distance race to settle matters awaits, with the action taking place over one swim lap of 750m, five bike laps of 4km each and two run laps of 2.5km apiece. Tune in from 11:30 (CEST) this Saturday on TriathlonLive to find out who will triumph.
Would-be kings of Rome
As if to reiterate the French team’s credentials, the top three ranked men all hail from the squad. World Cup winner Maxime Hueber Moosbrugger (FRA) wears number 1 and might just be the best runner in the field. Indeed, if he taught us one thing with his win at the Samarkand World Cup it is that no position is irretrievable as his speed can turn around even the most daunting of deficits.
Nathan Grayel (FRA) is the next man on the start list. A seasoned campaigner in the French Grand Prix, the sprint distance format will be right up his street. Then there is last year’s winner, Yanis Seguin (FRA). Having tasted success in Rome already, he will look to match Nina Eim’s feat of taking back-to-back golds in the city.
The French team also contains further contenders, such as World U23 Championships medallist Baptiste Passemard (FRA), while another not to be overlooked is Tom Lerno (FRA), who recently earned a maiden French Grand Prix victory.
Über-bikers
As the French squad is replete with fantastic runners, the place to inflict damage to their hopes may lie with the bike. In that respect, there are multiple athletes capable of tearing the race asunder. Two key athletes among this group of cycling powerhouses are Panagiotis Bitados (GRE) and Sebastian Wernersen (NOR).
Bitados has excelled over middle distance racing and was a World U23 Championships medallist last year. He will have few qualms about launching a solo attack on two wheels. Similarly, Wernersen is cut from the Norwegian cloth that gave us Kristian Blummenfelt, Casper Stornes and Gustav Iden. Should the rest of the field give him an inch on the bike, he has the capacity to turn it into a mile in no time at all.
At the same time, another of the strong bikers comes from the French squad. World Cup medallist Valentin Morlec (FRA) is a breakaway expert and, if he has not already escaped in the swim, there is every chance that Bitados or Wernersen could play into his hands.
Young hotshots
Among a large field, several starlets could also have their say. The reigning world junior champion Nils Serre Gehri (FRA) – yes, another French contender – is armed with a lightning-fast run and is worth keeping an eye on. Euan De Nigro (ITA) is one of the home team’s key hopes. Pelayo González Turrez (ESP) is a machine on the bike. Zalán Hóbor (HUN) and Gregor Rasva (EST) are fast swimmers and aggressive racers that will push the pace early on.
One athlete that is a little older than the rest of this group is Alejandro Rodriguez Diez (CUB), although he is still fairly new to this level. He was astonishing on the run back at the Huatulco World Cup as he flew to the silver medal.
Been there, done that
And finally we have the cohort of other men that already struck gold at World Cups. Vetle Bergsvik Thorn (NOR), David Castro Fajardo (ESP), Sergio Baxter Cabrera (ESP) and Lasse Nygaard Priester (GER) do not want for experience and could be best placed to deny the French team. Castro won the Napier World Cup at the start of the year. However, in what will likely be a tight finish, Thorn’s vicious finishing kick may prove decisive.
