The World Triathlon Podcast

Veronica Yoko Plebani, a remarkable Italian paratriathlete and author, speaks about overcoming the challenges of bacterial meningitis that changed her life at 15. She shares her journey through injury recovery and rigorous training as she prepares for her second Paralympic Games in triathlon. Veronica also discusses the importance of community support for athletes with disabilities and her experience gracing the cover of Italian Vogue. Her novel reflects her transformative journey, aiming to inspire and challenge societal perceptions of disability.

Francesca Tarantello, the 2023 World Champion in Para Triathlon for the visually impaired, and Sam Harding, Australia's Continental Champion, share their inspiring journeys toward the Paris 2024 Paralympics. They discuss balancing their rigorous sports training with academic commitments and the invaluable lessons learned from setbacks. The duo also highlights the challenges of competing with visual impairment, emphasizing the critical role of guides and effective communication. With exciting tales from their first race in Swansea, they paint a hopeful picture of the future.

Georgia Bell, Great Britain's 1500-meter Olympic bronze medalist and former duathlon world champion, shares her incredible journey from duathlon to Olympic success. She discusses how her cycling and duathlon experience bolstered her endurance on the track. Georgia recounts the emotional rollercoaster of competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics and the intense rivalries she faced. She also reflects on the importance of mastering race tactics and the joy of re-igniting her passion for running after the Tokyo Olympics.

In this lively discussion, South African triathlete Jamie Riddle shares insights on racing the Paris Olympic course, touching on its unique challenges. Eloi Adjovan from Togo discusses his inspiring journey to qualify for his first Olympic Games, revealing the determination behind his dream. Jean Gael Laurent L'entete from Mauritius talks about his experiences and preparations as he aims for Olympic glory. The conversations highlight intense training, emotional journeys, and the camaraderie among athletes gearing up for one of the world’s biggest sporting events!

In this installment, Flora Duffy, the defending Olympic champion from Bermuda, and New Zealand's Hayden Wilde, a top contender for gold, share their Olympic preparations. Flora discusses her technical biking skills, while Hayden reflects on his intense rivalry with Alex Yee. They chat about the vibrant atmosphere expected at the iconic Poissy triathlon. Additionally, commentators Helen Jenkins and Trevor Harris provide insights into race strategies and the emotional dynamics of competing in a final Olympic setting, highlighting the unpredictability of the upcoming events.

With just hours to go to the Opening Ceremony, we look ahead to the Paris 2024 Olympic triathlon events with the expert analysis and insight from Norway's Casper Stornes, revealing the complexities of the Paris Olympic course from swim to bike to run, and why you should never write off Kristian Blummenfelt... or the French.

Australia's Matt Hauser joins us for a rewind across the comings and goings of an almighty WTCS Yokohama that finally got the 2024 Series underway in dramatic style, and a look ahead to WTCS Cagliari, the final race of the Paris 2024 Qualification Period. The 55 men and 55 women are soon to be finalised, and the races to become Olympic Champions in the French capital are heating up already!

Reunited full-time with his coach Joel Filiol, back on extended training camps with nothing more to think about than form and focus, the enormous carrot of a home Olympics now just five months away, the two-time World Champion Vincent Luis is ready to pounce on every opportunity 2024 sends his way.Dialling in at the end of four weeks in Lanzarote and ready for the season opener in Abu Dhabi, Luis is open about the likelihood of this being his last full season of short course racing. The blue carpet will undoubtedly miss one of the greats but, as the 34-year-old reflects on his career on the latest episode of the World Triathlon Podcast, the feeling will be mutual.Before any discussion of retirement can begin, there is a season for the ages ahead of him. Injury may have seen him a mere spectator as teammates Dorian Coninx, Leo Bergere and Pierre Le Corre hoovered up the prizes in 2023, but the experience has also left him hungry. Three spots available, four world-class athletes competing for them, one huge decision ahead for the selectors. All Luis wants to do is produce the results that mean, purely based on form, he can still be one of them.

Standing at #32 in the Olympic Rankings at the start of 2024, Kiwi Dylan McCullough looks set to join Hayden Wilde on the New Zealand team for Paris 2024 if he can continue the form he produced in 2023. He talks team tactics for the big races, becoming Youth Olympic Champion and going face to face with Justin Bieber.

We continue our look back at some of the names breaking out in 2023 and with ambitions set fully on Paris in the company of Hungary’s exciting talent Marta Kropko.Still only 20 years old, this season saw Marta cement her place in the Hungarian Mixed Relay squad after what was a tough debut in Leeds in 2022, this time helping the team to 5th place at the World Championships in Hamburg, 3rd at the European Games Krakow and now suddenly eyeing an Olympic qualification spot that would guarantee two men and two women on the Paris start lines.The U23 Aquathlon World Champion after winning in Ibiza, Marta scored a first World Cup top 10 in Weihai in August and is now hunting a first WTCS start in 2024, all fitting around an Economics degree in which she is in her third year at Budapest University.