As a test run for the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Finals, the Wollongong World Cup certainly delivered. The men’s and women’s races brimmed with action and the crowds were on fire. If the return to Wollongong bears any resemblance to what was seen at the weekend, the denouement of the 2025 season is set to be a real treat.
The Wollongong World Cup has also had consequences of a more immediate kind. Following both the men’s and women’s races, the Olympic qualification rankings have been shaken up once again. Barely a month remains until the end of the qualification window and the changes in the rankings may have profound effects on some athletes’ Paris hopes.
The Men’s Olympic Rankings
The biggest changes took place for the home Australian team. Race winner Luke Willian (AUS) jumped six places to 41st in the Olympic qualification rankings. Moreover, his compatriots Brandon Copeland and Jacob Birtwhistle rose by one and seven places respectively, and now sit in 38th and 53rd.
Team Australia would like nothing more than seeing two of those men break into the top-30 and join Matthew Hauser to earn a third male Olympic starting slot. In the coming weeks, then, the form of Willian, Copeland, Birtwhistle and Napier World Cup winner Callum McClusky will have to be watched very closely indeed.
Another prominent shift came from Gábor Faldum (HUN). His 9th place in Wollongong saw him gain four places in Olympic rankings, putting him in 31st. Hungary already has three men inside the top-30, provisionally giving them three Olympic berths. Faldum’s rise nonetheless adds welcome depth to the Hungarian team. Should he gain further places, he will offer insurance against any drops in rankings by his compatriots. Furthermore, he will intensify the selection challenge around the Hungarian Olympic team.
Richard Murray (NED) was another athlete to make a noteworthy rise. He climbed eight places to break into the top-50 in the rankings and holds 49th place.
The Women’s Olympic Rankings
Ainsley Thorpe (NZL) was the only woman to threaten the top-30 in the Olympic rankings following the Wollongong World Cup. Her bronze medal-winning performance saw her rise four places to 30th. However, as New Zealand do not have a third woman within striking distance of the top-30, Thorpe’s move may have a muted impact with respect to her country’s hopes of qualifying a third woman for the Paris Olympics.
The silver medallist in Wollongong, Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto (COL), made a big jump in the rankings. She climbed eleven places and now finds herself in 46th place. The Team World Triathlon member has therefore almost certainly sewn up Olympic qualification.
Not to be ignored is the race winner, Tilda Månsson (SWE). The young star also shot eleven places up the rankings and now occupies 61st place. As with Velasquez, she can now be quietly confident of securing her ticket to Paris.
There were similar rises for Erica Hawley (BER), Tereza Zimovjanova (CZE) and Romana Gajdošová (SVK). A top-5 finish has seen Hawley rise by seven places. She now sits in 57th in the rankings and is very close to punching her ticket to Paris. Zimovjanova gained five places and now is on the bubble for Paris qualification in 65th. Meanwhile, Team World Triathlon member Gajdošová has moved up six places to 80th and is closing fast on possible Olympic qualification.
Over the coming World Cup and WTCS races in April and May, plenty can still change in the Olympic rankings. As such, the likes of Månsson, Zimovjanova, Gajdošová and maybe even Hawley could still be pipped by the rises of others. Every finish in the coming weeks could therefore have profound impacts for the Olympic hopes of a lot of athletes.
Stay up to date with the drama and the rises and falls on TriathlonLive.tv and across World Triathlon social channels. You can also view the latest men’s rankings here and the women’s rankings here.
