Alistair Brownlee vs Javier Gomez rivalry reignited as men’s start list for T100 Miami announced

Triathlon fans will finally see another showdown between two titans of the sport next weekend, as Javier Gomez and Alistair Brownlee lineup for the Miami T100 event in Florida.

Having not raced against each other since Challenge Daytona in 2020, the pair’s rivalry will be a fascinating subplot in one is set to be an incredibly exciting race.

With 17 of the 20 men on the start list announced and the wildcards set to be confirmed tomorrow, the lineup is simply incredible and is bound to be a great spectacle for the viewers.

Who is racing?

In addition to Brownlee and Gomez, two of the men’s podium at last year’s IRONMAN World Championship will lineup, with winner Sam Laidlow and third place finisher Magnus Ditlev making the trip over to the Sunshine State.

The pair, who also raced each other over the full distance in Challenge Roth last year, will want to demonstrate their middle distance prowess in Miami, but face some tough competition from the sport’s 100km specialists.

American Jason West is one of the favourites for the win next weekend, having taken the tape at the same race last year when it was Clash Miami. Alongside him from Team USA will be Sam Long, Ben Kanute and Rudy von Berg.

Other notable names taking on the American contingent are Belgian Pieter Hemeeryck and Frenchman Mathis Margirier, both of whom had breakthrough seasons last year and will be hoping to keep the ball rolling in 2024.

Full line up of contracted T100 athletes:

1. Magnus Ditlev (DEN) 
2. Jason West (USA) 
3. Sam Long (USA)
4. Pieter Heemeryck (BEL)
5. Ben Kanute (USA)
6. Sam Laidlow (FRA)
7. Daniel Baekkegard (DEN)
8. Mathis Margirier (FRA)
9. Rudy Von Berg (USA) 
10. Leon Chevalier (FRA)  
11. Bradley Weiss (RSA)
12. Clement Mignon (FRA) 
13. Aaron Royle (AUS)
14. David McNamee (GBR)
15. Alistair Brownlee (GBR)
16. Javier Gomez (ESP) 
17. Rico Bogen (GER)  

Who is not racing?

Unlike the women’s race, where 40% of the contracted athletes are not making the trip over to Miami, the men’s field is pretty much all there, with just three absentees.

Olympian Marten van Riel, who is one of the most exciting athletes contracted to the tour, is still focused on Paris this summer, and as expected will not be one of the athletes racing in Florida.

IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship runner-up Frederic Funk told TRI247 in a recent interview that he was focusing on the second race of the series in Singapore, so will not be taking his slot in Miami.

Finally, Australian Max Neumann, who famously won the PTO Tour event in Ibiza at the start of last season, will also not be racing. It is unknown why the PTO World #175, who last raced in May 2023, won’t be lining up.