Triathlon News & Notes: Javier Gomez Retires (Sort of), Training Camp Crashes, Fast Single-Sporting, and More
This week's multisport news roundup.
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Javier Gomez officially retires…from draft-legal racing
After transitioning to the 70.3 and Ironman distance in recent years, Spain’s Javier Gomez has officially retired from World Triathlon racing. Gomez, a five-time World Triathlon champion and a silver medalist at the 2012 London games, returned to the draft-legal racing scene last year in an attempt to secure a 2021 Olympic berth, all while continuing to train for longer events. “I raced ITU/World Triathlon for 20 years and it made me the athlete I am today,” Gomez said. “I raced the most talented triathletes in the world, of different generations, met amazing people and I’m honored to be the athlete with more world titles and more wins in the sport. It was an incredible journey and I would like to thank everyone who was part of it.” While Gomez’s WTS days are behind him, he’s certainly not showing any sign of slowing down: Just last week, the 38-year-old won Ironman 70.3 Pucon, running an impressive 1:10:03 13.1 to take the W over Argentina’s Luciano Taccone.
Canadian pro Jackson Landry injured in training camp crash
Canadian pro and 2021 70.3 Ecuador champ Jackson Landry reported that he has a broken thumb and probable broken ribs after crashing during his final ride of training camp. Landry, who finished the 2021 season with a #12 world ranking by the Professional Triathletes Organization, was posted up in St. George with his Real Triathlon Squad teammates when the crash occurred. While he’ll have to undergo surgery for his thumb, he should be able to continue training with no impact on his race schedule.
Emma Pallant-Browne to run open half-marathon on Sunday
Emma Pallant-Browne is (briefly) going back to her pure-running roots this weekend, sharing that she will be racing in the Dis-Chem Half Marathon near Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday. A track star who narrowly missed 2008 and 2012 Olympic berths for Team Great Britain in the 1500m and 5,000m before stepping into triathlon, Pallant-Brown, now ranked #6 in the world by the PTO, remains one of the strongest runners in the sport. In 2021, her fastest marathon split was 1:16:54, posted at 70.3 Des Moine in June; her fastest open 13.1 is 1:13:43, set in 2017.
More pro partnership reveals
More pros have announced new sponsors this week: 2021 Olympic silver medalist Taylor Knibb has partnered with Trek and will be racing on the new Speed Concept; she also also chatted in length with Trek about her recent success in the sport and the rationale behind her decision to go with the company, saying, “I wanted to create partnerships and relationships now that I could see lasting for the entirety of my career.”
Also this week, Matt Hanson shared that he signed with Zoot to provide custom apparel and training gear.
Three new 70.3 locations announced for 2022
Poznan, Poland is the latest location to be added to the Ironman 70.3 calendar. Poznan is the third spot in Poland to host a 70.3, set for September 4, 2022, along with Gdynia (Aug. 7) and Warsaw (June 12). Earlier in the week, Ironman revealed two other new destinations for ‘22: Sandnes, Norway (July 3) and Vouliagmeni, Greece (Oct. 23). All three races will offer qualifying spots for the 70.3 World Championships in Lahti, Finland in 2023.
Ironman star Lisa Bentley set to give keynote at Endurance Exchange
Lisa Bentley, an 11-time IRONMAN champion and speaker who tells the story of her 20-year professional triathlon career competing with Cystic Fibrosis, will be a keynote speaker at the third annual Endurance Exchange, the virtual endurance sports industry conference hosted by USA Triathlon from March 3 to 5. Bentley, a Triathlon Canada Hall of Fame inductee now living in Clermont, Fla., won 11 Ironman and 16 70.3 races and posted several top-five finishes at the IRONMAN World Championships during her 20-year career. Now an author and motivational speaker, Bentley will share her story of overcoming adversity and elevating her talent to Endurance Exchange attendees on March 3, from 5-6 p.m. ET. The three-day conference will include keynotes, general sessions, workouts, and more; schedule and speaker information as well as registration can be found here.
Podcast Notes
On The Cooldown, Stef and Phil check in with Ironman world champ Chris McCormack about his career post-triathlon, as well as Super League triathlon and the forthcoming Sub7/Sub8 project.
Training buddies Beth Potter and Ruth Astle join the Inside Tri Showto chat about working out together in Leeds, England (alongside the Brownlee brothers), as well as to share about what’s next for them.
Pro cyclist Jeremy Powers checks in with the Zwift Powerup Tri podcast to discuss his cyclocross career, his involvement with Whoop, and how he gives back to the cycling community.
On the World Triathlon Podcast, Javier Gomez looks back through the defining moments in his World Triathlon career and shares more about his next chapter, which includes unfinished business in Kona.
Get to know the pros who make up the Real Triathlon Squad (including new additions Tamara Jewett and Lisa Becharas) on their latest podcast.
The TriDot podcast continues its three-part series covering injury prevention; this time with a look at the upper body and how to prevent and treat pain in the shoulder, arms, hands, neck, and back.
The IronWomen podcast features the inspiring Quinn Brett, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a climbing accident and is now a record-setting handcyclist.