By Kent Gray/Triathlon.kiwi in London
In a flash, Super League Triathlon (SLT) season V is upon us with London again hosting the opening round on Sunday – or early Monday NZT for diehard Kiwi fans.
Get set for all the rapid-fire racing full of colour, spills, short chutes thrills and Kiwi heroics (hopefully!) for the Scorpions with our guide to the world’s fastest – and undoubtedly most entertaining – short course triathlon:
The Races
August 27 – London (Enduro)
September 3 – Toulouse (Triple Mix)
September 30 – Malibu (Eliminator)
October 21 – Neom (Enduro)
London Premiere – Kiwi lens
Defending Super League men’s champion Hayden Wilde has sadly withdrawn from London, where he won last year, after his WD from last week’s Paris Olympic test event following a low-speed bike crash en route to the race venue in the France’s capital city.
Fret not as New Zealand will still be represented by Wilde’s new Bahrain Victorious Scorpion team-mates Nicole van der Kaay and Tayler Reid. That’s right Kiwi-centric Super League fans, we’re no longer shouting for the Sharks, but rather rooting for the Chris McCormack sting in the tail brigade. Go Scorpions!
Women: 2pm London time/ 1am NZT Monday, August 28
Men 3:15pm London time/2:15am NZT Monday, August 28
How can I watch?
The London opener will be steamed LIVE on Super League Triathlon’s YouTube channel here
The Teams
RTP Sharks
Manager: Michelle Dillion
Key talent: Alex Yee, Jonathan Brownlee, Beth Potter, Sophie Coldwell
Santara Tech Eagles
Manager: Tim Don
Key talent: Kristian Blummenfelt, Matt Hauser, Leo Berege, Emma Lombardi, Jeanne Lehair
Bahrain Victorious Scorpions
Manager: Chris McCormack
Key talent: Hayden Wilde, Vincent Luis, Tayler Reid, Nicole van der Kaay, Cassandre Beaugrand
RTS Warriors
Manager: Nick Chase
Key talent: Tayler Spivey, Summer Rappaport, Katie Zaferes
Individual Leaderboards
New for 2023, the Individual Leaderboards will reflect an athlete’s two highest scoring performances from the regular Series racing (London, Toulouse and Malibu), plus their score from the Grand Final in NEOM.
How many points do you get for a race?
The top 15 athletes score points in the regular Championship Series races. It is 15 for the winner down to 1 point for 15th place as follows:
1. 15 pts
2. 14 pts
3. 13 pts
4. 12 pts
5. 11 pts
6. 10 pts
7. 9 pts
8. 8 pts
9. 7 pts
10. 6 pts
11. 5 pts
12. 4 pts
13. 3 pts
14. 2 pts
15. 1 pts
For the Grand Finale, which in 2023 takes place in NEOM, there are extra points up for grabs. Here the winner is awarded 20 points and the roll down is as follows:
1. 20 pts
2. 18 pts
3. 16 pts
4. 14 pts
5. 12 pts
6. 11 pts
7. 10 pts
8. 9 pts
9. 8 pts
10. 7 pts
11. 6 pts
12. 5 pts
13. 4 pts
14. 3 pts
15. 2 pts
Discipline title fights
The swim, bike and run Discipline Leaderboards have their own point scoring system. The points are awarded for the quickest swim split of the day, the quickest single bike lap of the day and the quickest single run lap of the day, all in either Stages 1or 2.
Points are awarded as follows:
1. 8 pts
2. 6 pts
3. 4 pts
At the end of the Championship Series, the Discipline Leaderboard winners each receive a $15k cash bonus.
How do the points contribute to SLT Teams scores?|
New for 2023, every athlete’s score from the Individual Leaderboard of each race contributes to their Team’s total. All swim, bike and run Discipline Leaderboard points also count.
What if there are ties at the end of the Series?
In the event of ties, the athletes or Teams who scored highest at the Grand Final in NEOM finishes ahead.
2023 Prize Money
Athletes will share US$1.24m in 2023 with prize money on offer for each individual Round, the Overall Leaderboard at the end of the Series, the Disciplines Leaderboard and, crucially, for the Teams. By securing prize money for Teams, Super League supports a new generation of athletes who may not earn prize money through Individual winnings yet. On top of all that, every Super League athlete is guaranteed to be treated like a true professional. That means Super League pays for travel, accommodation, food and provides all-around support, bike mechanics, physiotherapy, social media and marketing support and much more.
Formats
ENDURO (London + Neom)
The Enduro is considered the most brutal format of all. Requiring endurance and
tactics, the Enduro is a non-stop burst of nine back-to-back triathlon disciplines without any breaks. The easiest way to think about it is swim-bike-run repeated continuously three times in a row.
90 second rule
A focus on speed is a key demand of the Enduro because any athletes are eliminated from the race if they fall more than 90 seconds behind the leader after any lap.
Short Chutes
There are three Short Chutes up for grabs – for the first athlete across the Mount Line after the swim on Stage 1, for the first athlete across the Mount Line after the bike on Stage 1 and for the first athlete across the Finish Line at the end of Stage 1.Short Chutes are won for a Team and awarded to an athlete during the race by their Team Manager. Short Chutes are to be taken on the first lap of the run in Stage 3. No team can win more than one Short Chute.
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TRIPLE MIX (Toulouse)
Throwing the traditional swim-bike-run sequence out the window, the Triple Mix shuffles the disciplines over 3 stages. It tests the versatility of the athletes and whether they can keep track of what comes next in the heat of battle. Mistakes in this format are costly, and every second counts on Stage 1 and 2 as they define Stage 3’s pursuit start. At the end of each stage, athletes have a few minutes to reset themselves and their equipment. Stage 1 and Stage 2 are mass starts with the order of swim-bike run and run-bike-swim. The accumulated times across Stages 1 and 2 set the timings for a pursuit start in Stage 3, which is bike-swim-run.
Short Chutes
There are three Short Chutes up for grabs – for the first athlete across the Mount Line after the swim on Stage 1, for the first athlete across the Mount Line after the bike on Stage 1 and for the first athlete across the Finish Line at the end of Stage 1. Short Chutes are won for a Team and awarded to an athlete during the race by their Team Manager. Short Chutes are to be taken on the first lap of the run in Stage 3. No team can win more than one Short Chute.
90 second rule
Tactics for survival are fierce as the 90 second rule is in play. Athletes are eliminated from the race if they fall more than 90 seconds behind the leader after any lap.
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ELIMINATOR (Malibu)
The Eliminator was the first-ever format raced in Super League, and has been given a fresh new twist. It tests the resilience, stamina and velocity of the athletes in a pressure-cooker environment where field position proves key over timing. There are three rounds of swim-bike-run with a short break in between each for the athletes to reset their equipment. However, there is also a cunning twist – a predefined number of athletes are eliminated after each discipline of every stage making positioning crucial. The last three athletes across the Finish Line are eliminated after both Stages 1 and 2.
Short Chutes
There are three Short Chutes up for grabs – for the first athlete across the Mount Line after the swim on Stage 1, for the first athlete across the Mount Line after the bike on Stage 1 and for the first athlete across the Finish Line at the end of Stage 1. Short Chutes are won for a Team and awarded to an athlete during the race by their Team Manager. Short Chutes are to be taken on the first lap of the run in Stage 3. No team can win more than one Short Chute.
90 Second Rule
There are no predefined eliminations during Stage 3, though the 90 second rule is in play. Athletes are eliminated from the race if they fall more than 90 seconds behind the leader after any lap.
SLT History
Previous Series Overall Leaderboards
2018 (Mallorca, Malta, Jersey, Singapore)
Women: 1) Katie Zaferes, 2) Rachel Klamer, 3) Cassandre Beaugrand
Men: 1) Vincent Luis, 2) Henri Schoeman, 3) Jonathan Brownlee
2019 (Jersey, Malta)
Women: 1) Katie Zaferes, 2) Rachel Klamer, 3) Taylor Spivey
Men: 1) Vincent Luis, 2) Hayden Wilde, 3) Pierre Le Corre
2021 (London, Munich, Jersey, Malibu)
Women: 1) Georgia Taylor-Brown, 2) Jess Learmonth, 3) Katie Zaferes
Men: 1) Alex Yee, 2) Hayden Wilde, 3) Jonathan Brownlee
2022 (London, Munich, Malibu, Toulouse, NEOM)
Women: 1) Georgia Taylor-Brown, 2) Taylor Spivey, 3) Sophie Coldwell
Men: 1) Hayden Wilde, 2) Matt Hauser, 3) Jonathan Brownlee
Extra for Experts
Only five athletes are set to make an appearance this year and complete a full set of appearances in each of the five Series. They are Cassandre Beaugrand, Taylor Spivey, Jonny Brownlee, Hayden Wilde and Matt Hauser.
2023 Championship Series – youngest and oldest
Youngest female athlete: Fanni Szalai (15)
Oldest female athlete: Alice Betto (35)
Youngest male athlete: Carter Stulmacher (18 – just five days younger than Reese Vannerson)
Oldest male athletes: Vincent Luis (34)
Stay tuned to Triathlon.kiwi for series long coverage of Super League season V.
