Search
shop

Who wins long vs short course battles at first Global Triathlon Awards?

It's been hard to pick between Duffy and GTB this season - now Sodaro, LCB and Gentle have been thrown into the mix!
News Director
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

The nominations for the first Global Triathlon Awards have just been announced ahead of the ceremony at the Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice on 20 January.

And fair to say a few talking points…

The first thing to acknowledge is that it’s a new concept which is trying to bring short, middle and long course racing together – no easy task – and is supported by Super League Triathlon, World Triathlon and the PTO which is a good start.

Norwegians cover all bases

The Norwegian men have managed to star at pretty much every distance this year so no surprise to see IRONMAN World Champion Gustav Iden and 70.3 Worlds winner Kristian Blummenfelt vying with Commonwealth Games 1-2-3 Alex Yee, Hayden Wilde and Matt Hauser in the ‘best male triathlete’ category.

Newly-crowned World Triathlon Champion Leo Bergere misses out, probably not helped by the fact his dramatic Abu Dhabi win came after the award window closed!

Flora Duffy Georgia Taylor Brown Abu Dhabi 2022 photo credit Wagner Araujo World Triathlon
[Photo credit: Wagner Araujo / World Triathlon]

In the women’s we’ve also got Kona champ Chelsea Sodaro, runner up Lucy Charles-Barclay and middle-distance star Ashleigh Gentle up against WTCS and Commonwealth Games top two Flora Duffy and Georgia Taylor-Brown.

Everyone will have their own opinions about omissions – brilliant IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship winner Taylor Knibb would be a standout for us.

Room for improvement

It’s a concern there’s so little paratri representation – a whole host of star names have excelled again over the last 12 months in that sphere.

Katie Crowhurst does feature in the ‘rookie’ category (along with Connor Bentley, Sam Laidlow, Kenji Nener and Sodaro) but ‘breakthrough’ might have been a better description for that group.

Katie Crowhurst Jessica Fullagar photo credit World Triathlon
[Photo credit: World Triathlon]

The definition was ‘an award to recognise a top-performing triathlete or para triathlete in their first year, in their qualifying period between 21st November 2021 through to 20th November 2022, competing as an elite on a specific race distance’.

And there was some leeway, so while Laidlow for example raced an IRONMAN back in 2019, he had never competed at IMWC level before 2022.

Elsewhere, while coach Tanakorn Cheeptumrong is named in the wide-ranging ‘outstanding contributor’ list it does seem odd that Olav Aleksander Bu, who has masterminded the incredible Norwegian success in men’s triathlon, doesn’t get a mention.

And maybe it would have been a tricky one to do given the backers of the awards, but a new event of the year would have had lots of strong contenders in 2022 – Sub7Sub8, Super League’s first visit to Toulouse or the new race at Bergen all spring to mind.

The public nominations have been scored across two judging rounds via a digital platform which will now be followed by an in person judging day, with Jordan Blanco, Stephane Diagana, Emma-Kate Lidbury, Tim Don and Chelsea Burns on the panel.

And the winners will be revealed next month, with Will McCloy, the ‘voice of Super League Triathlon’, hosting the event alongside Paula Radcliffe MBE, three-time winner of both the London and New York marathons.

Jonathan Turner
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.  
Discover more
Laura Siddall Challenge Roth 2025 finish line
PremiumLaura Siddall: 10 things I’ve learned from my professional triathlon career
Ruth Astle finishing IRONMAN Vitoria 2024
PremiumHow to cope with a DNF: Elite athletes share their stories
PremiumIs your evening workout routine wrecking your recovery? Expert physiologist on how to improve recovery and what NOT to do
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumTriathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
03/07/2025 - Tour de France 2025 - Grand départ Jour 2 - Lille - Présentation des équipes -Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike)
PremiumWhat triathletes can learn from the Tour de France pro peloton
latest News
Georgia Taylor Brown wins supertri Chicago 2024 photo credit supertri
Georgia Taylor-Brown on enjoying her busy “year off” and wanting “to go out on a bit of a high”
challenge roth race ranger
Challenge Roth publish RaceRanger anti-drafting data from both pro races in a first for triathlon
Sam Laidlow celebrates Challenge Roth win 2025
IRONMAN Leeds 2025: Date, start time and how to follow live
Anne Haug wins Challenge Roth 2024 [Photo credit: Simon Fischer | Challenge Roth]
Triathlon legend and current world record holder Anne Haug announces her retirement
Lovseth Perterer Sanchez IRONMAN Lake Placid 2025
Rising Norwegian star underlines Kona claims and says that’s now the big goal
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...