This year a triathlon esports world champion will be named for the first time ever. And the race for that crown started this weekend in Munch.
With Super League Triathlon partnering with World Triathlon, the championship will be an official world title and include points towards an athlete’s world ranking. It will be contested over three races over the next month in Munich, London, and Singapore—with the title going to the most cumulative points.
Leading the chase for that after yesterday’s event: Britain’s new star Beth Potter and France’s veteran Aurelien Raphael.
In the women’s race, Potter led from start to finish. The final included three stages, with the time accumulating over the first two (each stage including a 200m swim, 4km bike, and 1km run) and the final stage being conducted pursuit-style. Potter had built up such a lead by that last stage, she started with a 24 second head start. She extended that all the way to 90 seconds over Germany’s Lena Meissner and Annabel Knoll—including a 3:09 final kilometer run.
The men’s race was much closer, with the 33-year-old Frenchman Aurelien Raphael pulling ahead in the first stage of early favorites Alex Yee and Marten van Riel. Yee fell slightly off the Zwift bike pack in the first stage, while van Riel was 20 seconds back on the second bike stage. By the final pursuit stage, Raphael had just a 4 second head start, was caught during the bike and regained the lead by halfway through the final 1km run—holding off Australian Max Stapley by one second and Germany’s Justus Nieschlag by a bit over 5 seconds.
Check out the replay of the race on Outside Watch. All 2022 Super League events will be aired live (and available on replay) on Outside Watch.
The women’s heats kicked off the day at the Munich stadium.
Athletes dove in for their 200m swim legs.
Beth Potter dominated the final from start to finish.
The women’s final hit the trainers to race on Zwift.
With a solid head start going into the third stage, Potter hit the water first.
Italy’s Ilaria Zane and the many faces of Super League.
Potter was halfway through the final 1km run by the time the next athletes got to the treadmill.
Great Britain’s Beth Potter dominated by over 90 seconds over Germany’s Lena Meissner and Annabel Knoll.
The men prepare to dive in for the first stage of the final.
Alex Yee (in yellow) fell off the group in the 4km bike leg.
The Olympic silver medalist sprinted to make up the difference.
Stage 2 finished with a swim—seeing athletes rush to get on their swim caps and goggles.
France’s Aurelien Raphael started the final stage with a slight lead.
The men battled it out on the treadmill.
The 33-year-old Raphael pulled to the lead halfway through the final 1km run leg.
The look of a hard-won finish.
Congrats to all.