Six Bahrain Endurance 13 athletes are set to race the World Triathlon Championship Series event in Leeds: Alistair Brownlee, Javier Gomez, and Vincent Luis in the men’s race, Vicky Holland and Cassandre Beaugrand in the women’s race.
Leeds is a hometown race for Brownlee; he has used his familiarity with the course to devastating effectiveness in his 2016 and 2017 wins. “Olympic qualification has still to be decided so there is a fair bit on the line and I will be giving it my all, as always,” he says. “I’m not sure how many more Olympic distance races I will compete in, but the opportunity to line up in my home town is always special, and I am really looking forward to it.”
Gomez is set for his first World Triathlon race of 2021 after an aching wisdom tooth last month delayed his season start. He finished third in Leeds in 2019, the last year the race was held. He says, “I am very excited to race a WTS after nearly two years. It is going to be a good test of my level of fitness and to see where I am before facing the last and most important training block before the Olympics. I have been training well, and I am motivated to race against the best again.”
Blummenfelt is racing his fourth event in a row as part of his Tokyo preparation.
With Olympic qualification secured, Luis, Beaugrand, and Holland will be in Leeds to get more race experience under their belts before the final push towards Tokyo. Beaugrand was 13th in 2019, her first appearance. Luis’s highest-placed finish in Leeds was third in 2018, while Holland won the race that same year on her way to becoming world champion.
With athletes of their caliber toeing the starting line, expect to see a Bahrain Endurance 13 athlete or two shape the race, if not take the top spot.
