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In some ways, this weekend is both the beginning of something new and the beginning of the end. On the one hand, the first part of the 2024 World Cup circuit will be held, and on the other hand, the final stage of the race to the Paris Olympics will begin.
Once the World Cup matches begin, it’s expected to be a high-octane season that covers all the way to Paris and beyond.
February 24 – Napier
The World Cup season begins in Napier (NZL). Located on the east coast of the North Island, this will be the circuit’s first appearance, replacing regular venue New Plymouth. Last season, New Plymouth won twice at home with Hayden Wilde and Nicole van der Kaay respectively in their first World Cup of the year. The home crowd will be hoping for a similar home win this time around.
March 24th – Hong Kong
A month later, World Cup racing continues in Hong Kong (HKG). As with Napier, Hong Kong will also be contested over sprint distances. Therefore, an early start to the season is possible.
Furthermore, Hong Kong shares another similarity with Napier in that it makes its debut on the circuit. Hong Kong, which has hosted Asian Cup races and Asian Championships in the past, will definitely be ready to put on a show.
March 31st – Libin
History will then be made in the third World Cup of the season, which will be held a week after Hong Kong. For the first time, the World Cup will be contested in an indoor triathlon format. Libin (France) has previously hosted an indoor European Cup at a dedicated venue. This year marks the first time the format will be transferred to the world stage. Exciting opportunities to participate in innovative races await athletes.
April 20th – Wollongong
New events are certainly the theme for the World Cup’s early venues, with another new venue, Wollongong (Australia), hosting its fourth edition three weeks after the one in Libin. In particular, Wollongong welcomes his triathlon community to his 2025 WTCS finals. The World Cup will therefore provide a dry run in a similar way to how the 2022 Pontevedra World Cup laid the foundation for his WTCS final in 2023.
April 29th – Chengdu
A week later, the nostalgic stop returns. Chengdu (China) will host the event in the fall of 2023, with an early slot in 2024. Tim Helwig and Bianca Sereni won last time, and both could return. Chengdu is also the first standard distance World Cup of the season.
May 19 – Samarkand and Huatulco
Three weeks later, the second Standard Distance World Cup will be held in Samarkand (UZB). Another new World Cup venue, Samarkand has previously successfully hosted Asian Cup events. On the same weekend, the famous race is held in Huatulco (Mexico). Huatulco, famous for its hot and humid environment, is contested over sprint distances.
David Castro Fajardo and Anahi Álvarez Corral had explosive victories in Huatulco last year. Both rely on quick run splits to get home, and given recent history, Huatulco should be in for another close race in 2024.
July 6th/7th – Tizau Ivaros
Seven weeks after the Samarkand/Huatulco weekend comes the race that arguably has the strongest claim to being the most iconic venue of the World Cup.
Tiszaujvaros (HUN) has a long tradition in the triathlon community and has been popular among athletes for decades. A unique heat and final format with a sprint distance will put athletes through their paces over two days in the first weekend of July.
Last year, Songor Lehman stormed to victory in front of a jubilant home crowd, while Tilda Manson held off Noelia Huang in the most dramatic sprint finish. As this is the last World Cup before the Olympics, we look forward to Tisaujvaros’ comeback.
September 4/5 – Karlovy Vary
There will then be a nine-week hiatus due to World Cup events. However, at the Karlovy Vary (CZE) stop, it comes back with a bang. Another race steeped in tradition, Karlovy Vary is held at a standard distance on a course known as one of the toughest courses of the entire World Triathlon calendar.
The American team won two gold medals last year in Karlovy Vary, with Gwen Jorgensen and Morgan Pearson winning.
September 12th – Valencia
Jorgensen also won gold at the Valencia World Cup. This year, Karlovy Vary will be followed one week later by Valencia (ESP). However, unlike last time, it will be held at a sprint distance.
David Cantero del Campo won his first World Cup in Valencia last year, and the home team will be aiming for another victory.
September 28 – Weihai
Two weeks later, Weihai (China) will take on the circuit for its second Chinese event. Like Chenggu, the Weihai tournament will be contested over standard distances. You will be offered another challenging course with several climbs interspersed throughout the race.
Last season’s race winners were Crisanto Grajales and Bianca Sereni, whose strength on the hilly run course proved the difference.
October 6th – Rome
The World Cup circuit then moves to October. Two World Cups will be held in the two weeks after Weihai stops. Both are sprint distance events and return after attractive debuts last season.
A week after Weihai, the first match will be against Rome (ITA). Vasco Vilaca and Nina Aim won their first World Cup in the Italian capital last season, and the stop has proven to be extremely popular.
October 13th – Tangier
The next race will be held in Tangier (MAR) next weekend. Pierre Le Corret and Lisa Telch won last year’s tournament, making Tangier the third African World Cup venue after Cape Town and Richards Bay (both RSA).
October 26th – Tongyeong and Brasilia
A second World Cup doubleheader is scheduled for 2024. This will take place two weeks after the event in Tangier.
Tongyeong (KOR) and Brasilia (BRA) hold standard distance races on opposite sides of the world. The former in 2023 was won by Gwen Jorgensen and Tim Hellwig, while the latter was won by Miguel Hidalgo and Arci Bett.
Like in the case of Rome and Tangier, Brasilia will not participate in the World Cup until 2023. Therefore, this year’s tournament will build on the success of the first round.
November 3 – Vina del Mar
Come November, the penultimate World Cup of the year will be held one week after the Tongyeong/Brasilia double header. Viña del Mar (CHI) returns to the circuit for the third time.
This race has already produced some dynamic performances, especially last year’s wins from Gwen Jorgensen and Manoel Mesias. So a brave finale could be in the works for 2024.
November 10th – Miyazaki
Finally, Miyazaki (Japan) returns to close out the 2024 World Cup race. Like Viña del Mar, the race at Miyazaki is run over a sprint distance. In the last race, Bianca Sereni and Hugo Milner won in contrasting fashion.
This year’s World Cup season will therefore span nine months and feature at least 17 events. Stay on top of all the action by following all the action throughout 2024 on TriathlonLive.tv and across World Triathlon’s social channels.
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