After making a successful bow on the World Cup circuit in 2024, the Samarkand stop is back this weekend. Taking on the standard distance race will be a field of 32 women, among which there is no shortage of World Cup medallists. Hot, sunny conditions are forecasted and will likely make the final few laps of the 4.5 lap 10km particularly gnarly. Before that, there will be a 1500m swim of two laps and a 40km bike of six laps where the race could blow apart. Find out who could be in with a shout of winning below and be sure to tune in to TriathlonLive on Saturday 24th May at 11:30 local time (08:30 CEST).
Returning favourites
Jessica Fullagar (GBR) is the top returning finisher having won a maiden medal in Samarkand last year. Her 2nd place finish remains one of the high points of her career and showed that she is more than capable of smashing the race to pieces on the bike. In the absence of last year’s winner and her breakaway partner Lena Meißner (GER), Fullagar may need to look for someone else to work with this weekend. Then again, such is her strength on two wheels, she might just go it alone.
Her compatriot Tilly Anema (GBR) is one interesting potential ally for Fullagar. Anema won the Quarteira Europe Cup in impressive fashion earlier this year, a race at which she led practically throughout as part of a small escape group. Paris Olympian Melanie Santos (POR) was another to medal in Quarteira from the breakaway and similarly could be a useful partner for Fullagar.
The next best returning finisher from 2024 is Ilaria Zane (ITA). Zane was the 5th place finisher last time round and has a slew of World Cup medals to her name. As one of the few athletes starting with knowledge of the course, she is a canny enough racer to use that to her advantage.
Red-hot form
Diana Isakova (AIN), already a World Cup medallist, enters Samarkand as an obvious gold medal candidate after finishing 6th at WTCS Yokohama at the weekend. In Japan, she spent much of the 10km run in the mix for the medals and all bar one of the women that finished ahead of her were WTCS gold medallists; the exception was also a WTCS medallist for good measure. Given Isakova has no real weaknesses across the board, she will likely challenge for the win so long as she has recovered from her Yokohama exertions.
Her teammate Valentina Riasova (AIN) is also in form having won the Chengdu World Cup a week prior. While Riasova did not perform in Yokohama, the manner of her victory in Chengdu will have the field itching to drop her before the run. After all, the way she put Sandra Dodet (FRA) and Roksana Slupek (POL) to the sword over 10km was quite something.
Alissa Konig (SUI) is another World Cup medallist starting and enters as the second highest ranked woman in the field after Isakova. She will look to occupy the top step of the podium for the first time and has demonstrated the running speed to make that happen.
Overall, this weekend will see quite a young field racing. As a result, the experience of Zane, Santos or France’s World Cup medallist Mathilde Gautier could prove decisive in shaping the race.