White Continues Tokyo Quest in Arzachena
Russell White continues his quest to hold on to an Olympic Qualifying spot tomorrow (Saturday) as he races with Ian Manthey and Maeve Gallagher in the Sardinian resort of Arzachena.
The weather is hot, the scenery is stunning and the competition will be fierce as Manthey and White face off against a host of big hitters including both Brownlee brothers, Kristian Blummenfelt and Vincent Luis. Another big consideration in the sprint distance event is the gruelling hill the field will have to tackle three times over the course of 20km on the bike.
Russell White is ranked 25th in the field of 62 and according to Triathlon Ireland Performance Director Stephen Delaney, he will be looking to simply maximise his points haul, especially in comparison to athletes ranked close to him on the Olympic simulation such as Richard Varga and Stefan Zächhaus.
“Russell will be hoping to have a strong swim and have the race split up. With the hill, you’d have to expect that it will split up to some extent. If he makes it in to that front group, he can be well in the mix.”
White told us after last week that he feels he is starting to find his form. Delaney echoes this optimism.
“You can see improvement so he’s in a much happier space after last weekend.”
Ian Manthey will be seeking an faster swim in comparison to Lisbon, where he found himself chasing on the bike.
Stephen Delaney says Manthey’s focus is on improvement.
“He was 35th last week so if he breaks in to the top 30 this week, that will be good – he just wants to be moving forward. This is someone who’s gone top five in an U23 European Champs so he wants to get back to that level.”
Gallagher Races First
Before the men race, Maeve Gallagher will be tackling the course in the women’s race. Gallagher is ranked 49th in a field which doesn’t contain any of the top stars of the sport but is peppered with world top 30 athletes and former World Cup winners.
With just a handful of senior starts under her belt, Gallagher is still gaining experience according to Stephen Delaney:
“It’s good for Maeve to be in these big races, she wasn’t at the front of the swim last week (in Lisbon) but she was with girls starting the second swim lap who went top 20. If she hadn’t gotten a kick in the face she’d probably have held it better, her run was really good.”
The hilly bike course should suit Gallagher however and with every race she competes in, she will gain confidence, Delaney says.
“If she has a good swim, she can put herself in a better position at the start of the bike and we will see what she can do.”
Pollard Heads to Tunisia
Meanwhile in Tunisia tomorrow, Chloe Pollard races in the Yasmine Hammamet, African Cup.
With a smaller field, the race is a good opportunity for Pollard to target a high finish.
Chloe was the third quickest out of the water last week in Lisbon, Stephen Delaney says capitalising on her world class swim ability will be key.
“If she swims the way she’s been swimming and she gets away with one or two others she could be targeting the top 5 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her go better.”
Where to Watch
The women’s and men’s Arzachena World Cup races will be live on TriathlonLive.tv from tomorrow morning.
Stay tuned to Triathlon Ireland’s social media for updates on the Yasmine Hammamet, African Cup.
