Image courtesy World Triathlon
By Triathlon.kiwi
The dates – and iconic landmarks – for the Paris Olympic Games test event have been locked in as the road to the XXXIII Olympiad becomes clearer for New Zealand’s elite triathletes.
World Triathlon has confirmed the Seine river, Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Élysées will serve as eye-candy backdrops to the critical August 17-20 dress rehearsal.
The picturesque Pont Alexandre III, one of the most beautiful bridges over the Seine, is the centre point with the individual races scheduled for the Thursday and Friday and Mixed Team Relay on the Sunday following Paralympic racing the previous day.
There are just 55 spots per gender available for Paris 2024 and victory in either the men’s or women’s test events would rubber-stamp Kiwi selection. The test event is also included in World Triathlon’s qualification period for Paris so an eye-catching performance will go along way towards selection.
Racing will include 1500m of frenetic freestyle in the Seine before a 40km ride along some of the most iconic streets of Paris: from the Champs-Élysées to the Invalides and the Eiffel Tower. The final 10km run will again take athletes through the heart of the Romantic city to finish on Pont Alexandre III, the golden statues of the bridge being a witness of the preview of what the atmosphere will be like at the Olympics in 2024.
World Triathlon, meanwhile, has also approved more 2023 events including confirmation the previously announced Oceania Cup Super Sprint in Busselton on April 28 has been upgraded to World Cup status.
World Cups in Tiszaujvaros in Hungary (July8-9), Valencia in Spain (September 2-3) and Tongyeong, Korea (October 21) are also now locked in the calendar. More events are to be announced in the coming weeks, World Triathlon said.
