British stars Georgia Taylor-Brown and Jonny Brownlee will make their only major UK appearance before the Paris Olympics as they headline the supertri E World Triathlon Championship in London on April 13.
The pair were part of the gold medal-winning quartet at the last Olympics in Tokyo – and both also have individual silver medals to their name.
GB v France showdown
Taylor-Brown has had an extended spell on the sidelines due to injury but is raring to go again and back in action this weekend at WTCS Abu Dhabi.
Next month – at what was previously the Arena Games – she will face off at the London Aquatic Centre with French star Cassandre Beaugrand, with the duo two of the leading contenders for the individual gold at Paris 2024.
This will be Beaugrand’s third supertri E appearance – all in London – and she has proven to be a natural, having won in 2022 and finished second last year.
When she races in the UK, she tends to win – including WTCS Leeds in 2022, the Super League Triathlon Championship in London and WTCS Sunderland last year.
No margin for error
Brownlee meanwhile is at the start of a year that is likely to see him compete in a fourth Olympic Games in Paris and go in search of a fourth medal.
The supertri E World Triathlon Championship powered by Zwift is one of sport’s most innovative formats, blending real life and virtual racing and featured at the IOC’s Olympic Esports Week, with ambitions to be an Olympic sport in years to come.
The 2024 edition will up the pressure for the pros even further with up to 60 athletes competing in a dramatic one-day World Championship event in partnership with World Triathlon at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.
There will be no margin for error as a series of heats in the morning will see only 10 men and 10 women make it through to the final in the evening.
The heats will consist of two stages of swim, bike, run with a short break between them and a pursuit start for stage 2. The finals will be the full supertri E World Triathlon Championship format (Swim – Bike – Run // Run – Bike – Swim // Swim – Bike – Run) with a pursuit start in stage 3.