World Triathlon Cup Rome will kick off for the first time this Saturday, as back-to-back weekends of World Cup racing take us to the Italian capital following a fantastic first edition of the World Triathlon Cup Tangier last weekend, won by Frenchman Pierre Le Corre and German Lisa Tertsch.
The elite men and women’s fields will again race over the sprint distance in Rome, with some notable names on the start list including American Jason West, who will be dropping down in distance to short-course racing for the first time since 2020 after a strong season over the PTO and middle distance.
Start time and how to follow live
The elite women will race first in Rome, with the gun set to go off at 09:00 local time on Saturday October 7. This corresponds to 08:00 UK time, 03:00 on the East Coast and 00:00 PST.
For the men, racing will kick off at 12:00 local time on Saturday, which is 11:00 UK time, 06:00 on the East Coast and 03:00 PST.
All the action will be available to watch live via Triathlonlive.tv
Elite Women racing in Rome
The start list in Rome is dominated by some big European names, with German duo Nina Eim and Marlene Gomez-Goggel the top two seeded women after fantastic seasons which see them sit at World #10 and #17 respectively.
Whilst compatriot Tertsch will not be racing in Rome, one less top athlete on the start line will give Eim and Gomez-Goggel the chance to compete for the top spots, having already finished on three World Triathlon Cup podiums between them so far this season.
Rachel Klamer is another athlete who has already finished on a World Triathlon Cup podium this year, with the Dutch star second in Karlovy Vary before back-to-back fifth places at the WTCS Finals in Pontevedra and the World Triathlon Cup in Tangier.
Along with compatriot Maya Kingma, Klamer will undoubtedly be one of the main contenders and if she can get off the bike with the front group, has the run prowess to take the tape, whilst Kingma will hope to put her mark on the race earlier on in the swim and the bike.
Local representatives in Rome include Verena Steinhauser, who is currently World #24 and Bianca Seregni, the recent winner of the World Triathlon Cup in Chengdu. Alice Betto, who finished 10th in Pontevedra, is another strong Italian on the start line.
Finally, Great Britain’s Vicky Holland will race for the second time in as many weekends as she continues her comeback from childbirth. Last weekend in Tangier, the Olympic bronze medalist finished a creditable seventh place in her first race back.
Elite Men racing in Rome
On the men’s side, young Portuguese star Vasco Vilaca leads the way, with the race in Rome coming after a weekend away in Malibu at the Super League Triathlon Championship Series following his 15th-place finish at the WTCS Finals in Pontevedra.
German duo Lasse Luhrs and Jonas Schomburg will be chasing valuable Olympic qualification points in Italy, as will the Spaniards Antonio Serrat Seoane and Roberto Sanchez Mantecon, the latter also be dealing with a transatlantic flight after racing in Malibu.
European champion David Castro Fajardo is one athlete who people should definitely keep an eye on, with the Spaniard’s devastating sprint finish helping him to wins in Taupo, Madrid and Huatulco so far this season.
Veteran Richard Murray will look to back up his strong performance in Tangier with another solid race, as will Norwegian star Vetle Bergsvik Thorn, who finished third in Morocco to pick up some valuable points on the road to the Olympics.
Finally, seeded all the way down at #65, American Jason West’s start is one of the biggest talking points of the race. The PTO Tour US Open and Asian Open podium finisher, who last raced short-course triathlon three years ago, will race in Rome before flying out to Brazil for the World Triathlon Cup in Brasilia next weekend.
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