Australia’s Matt Hauser won his first-ever WTCS race when he put in a decisive dig on the second and final run lap to take the glory in Montreal.
He had been to the fore throughout, leading out of the water, in the midst of a big front group on the bike and then part of a 10-man lead pack for much of the run.
But he made what proved the winning move coming off a 180-degree turn and never looked back, powering further and further clear.
He’s been on an upward trajectory over the last couple of years, taking Commonwealth Games bronze last summer and finishing second overall in Super League’s Championship series, but this marks the biggest win of his career so far.
He crossed the line 11 seconds ahead of Brazil’s Manoel Messias, with Belgium’s Jelle Geens third.
Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) notched his highest WTCS placing of the year so far in fifth, with Marten Van Riel (BEL) continuing his comeback in ninth while Jonny Brownlee (GBR) faded to 17th on the run after doing much of the work on the front on the bike.
Swim – Hauser sets the tone
Hauser started as he meant to go on by leading them out of the water, with Nicolo Strada (ITA) and Kenji Nener (JPN) second and third respectively.
But it was closely-packed in behind after the wetsuit swim – 31 athletes within 22 seconds.
Two with ground to make up were Norwegian duo Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden.
Bike – Big Blu moves into contention
The forecast deluge thankfully didn’t appear but steady drizzle had made the roads slippery and tricky to negotiate in parts.
Two casualties were home hope Tyler Mislawchuk and Vasco Vilaca (POR) in the #1 bib, who both hit the tarmac and lost any hope of a win in the process, though the latter did enough to move to the top of the overall standings.
Brownlee was often a driving force on the front but ultimately it all came back together and it was Blummenfelt who had made his way to the head of affairs by the time T2 came.
Run – ‘Job done’ for Hauser
It took a little while to settle down but when it did there was a group of 10 at the front, led by Hauser and nothing between them on the first of two laps.
That was how it stayed for the first part of the second lap but when Hauser decided it was time to go, the race was all but settled in a matter of strides.
He gradually extended his advantage and was able to ease down and enjoy the celebration, saying afterwards: “I’ve been building my momentum and felt good out there, so job done.
“It was just instinct when I kicked. You’ve just got to act in the moment – the other guys were kind of settling into a rhythm and I couldn’t let that happen. It was a big group of guys and I was lucky enough to break them up.”
WTCS Montreal 2023 results
Saturday 24 June 2023 – 750m / 20km / 5km
Elite Men
- 1. Matt Hauser (AUS) – 53:47
- 2. Manoel Messias (BRA) – 53:58
- 3. Jelle Geens (BEL) – 54:02
- 4. Tim Hellwig (GER) – 54:03
- 5. Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) – 54:05
- 6. Bence Bicsák (HUN) – 54:07
- 7. Charles Paquet (CAN) – 54:10
- 8. Roberto Sanchez Mantecon (ESP) – 54:15
- 9. Marten Van Riel (BEL) – 54:18
- 10. Kenji Nener (JPN) – 54:19
WTCS Standings after Montreal (Race 4)
- 1. Vasco Vilaca (POR) – 2207pts
- 2. Dorian Coninx (FRA) – 2132pts
- 3. Leo Bergere (FRA) – 2096pts
- 4. Hayden Wilde (NZL) – 1947pts
- 5. Matthew Hauser (AUS) – 1874pts
