Triathlon News & Notes: New CEO Announced at USAT, 2023 National Championships Announced, and More
Your roundup of news from the multisport world this week.
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Victoria Brumfield becomes first woman CEO at USA Triathlon
Victoria Brumfeld has been tapped as the CEO of USA Triathlon, becoming the first woman to hold the role in the organization’s 40-plus-year history. Blumfied, who has served as USA Triathlon’s interim CEO since early September upon the resignation of Rocky Harris, was previously the Chief of Staff and Chief Business Development Officer at USAT, focusing on initiatives supporting diversity and inclusion, and helping the organization navigate through the pandemic, among other duties. Her body of work in the endurance sports industry encompasses nearly two decades, including leadership roles at Virgin Sport, the New York City Triathlon, and more.
USAT National Championships schedule announced
Also this week, USAT unveiled dates and locations for its 2023 National Championships for age-groupers and youth triathletes. Headlining the schedule is the USAT Nationals in Milwaukee, Wisc. from August 4-6 as well as the USAT Multisport National Championships Festival from April 19-23 in Irving, Texas which will feature a large slate of National Championship races, including draft-legal triathlon and duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, super sprint duathlon, triathlon mixed relay, and duathlon mixed relay. There are also championship races for gravel and off-road triathlon, long-distance, and ultra-distance races spread across the country at various dates.
British athletes awarded MBE distinction and medals
Georgia Taylor-Brown and Jess Learmonth are the latest British professional triathletes to be officially welcomed as Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at a formal ceremony in Windsor Castle earlier this week. The pair join Jonny Brownlee, who received his medal last month, on the list of those who displayed “achievement or service in and to the community which is outstanding in its field and has delivered sustained and real impact which stands out as an example to others.” Taylor-Brown, 28, and Learmonth, 34, teamed up with Brownlee and countryman Alex Yee to win gold in the Mixed Relay event at the Tokyo Games, while Taylor-Brow also took home a silver medal in the women’s race in Tokyo.
Chile to host first World Cup triathlon this weekend
Viña del Mar, a coastal resort town some 90 minutes outside of Santiago, will be the site of Chile’s very first World Cup triathlon this weekend. The venue, which will also serve as the site of the 2023 Pan American Games triathlon next fall, features a swim in the Pacific Ocean and a bike and run along the area’s scenic shore-hugging roads. The sprint distance race features some of the best draft-legal competitors in the sport, who will be chasing Paris 2024 qualification points. Gina Sereno and Darr Smith are the top-billed Americans for the women and men, ranked 16th and 9th in their respective fields. Tokyo medalist Morgan Pearson, returning from a lengthy break due to injury, is also set to race.
Whoop and TYR collab for smart swimwear
This week, Whoop and TYR announced their collab to develop “super smart” swimwear that will track workouts in the water. The suits, which have a built-in inner pocket that securely holds any Whoop sensor, will allow more accurate data collection than, say, a watch, because a wrist-worn device is impacted by drag, according to the companies. Data recorded by a Whoop includes heart-rate variability, skin temperature, and blood oxygen levels, among other metrics. The suits, which do not include the Whoop device (they must be purchased separately) range in price from $79 for jammers to $109 for women’s one pieces.
Podcast Notes
- ProTriNews recaps all of last weekend’s action, including 70.3 Los Cabos, 70.3 Mossel Bay, WTCS Bermuda, and more.
- Jackson Laundry talks about his race at the 70.3 World Championships on The Real Triathlon podcast, including his role in the controversial penalty dealt to Sam Long.
- That Triathlon Show brings on Øyvind Sandbakk, PhD, a professor at the Norwegian University for Science and Technology and director for its Centre for Elite Sports Research, who offers insight into training topics, like periodization, volume, altitude, and tapering.
- Triathlonish, the new podcast from former Triathlete editor-in-chief Kelly O’Mara and co-host Laura Siddal, reflects on the New York City Marathon, and the WTCS action in Bermuda.
- Ironwomen chats with American pro Sonja Catano, who recaps her 17th-place performance at the 70.3 World Championships, including just how cold it was out there, and shares more about her journey in the sport.
- Kiwi Kyle Smith is featured on MX Endurance podcast; the 25-year-old shares more about the triathlon culture in New Zealand and his career, which has included a third-place finish at Ironman New Zealand last March and second at Ironman Lanzarote 70.3 this year.