The World Triathlon Podcast

Ahead of the World Triathlon Championship Series Montreal, we hear from three of the contenders for medals in the brand-new super-sprint format, ready to build on their very different Tokyo 2020 inspirations and tackle an intense weekend of racing with just two events left in the chase to become the 2021 World Champions.

It needed the complete race to deliver Flora Duffy's Olympic destiny, typhoon-affected and coming at the end of a long, difficult road to Tokyo 2020. Hear how she handled the pressures of going for Bermuda's first ever Olympic gold and ended up receiving congratulations from Hollywood superstars.

Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt lit up the Olympic Games on Monday with the kind of display that is the hallmark of a great champion. It was a goal he had been working towards for years having earmarked Tokyo 2020 as his shot at the big one, and he duly delivered, the closing stages of a 10km run to the tape of 29:34 one of those Blummy charges you just had to step back in awe and enjoy. He walks us through the build up, the race, and his 2021 plans for both World Triathlon and Kona.

A special Tokyo 2020 Olympics edition of the podcast sees experts from across the sport weigh in with their thoughts on who has a shot at the Olympic medals. Sydney 2000 Champion Simon Whitfield, London 2012 silver medalist Lisa Norden, double World Champion and Olympian Helen Jenkins, the 1997 Triathlon and two-time Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack, voice of TriathlonLive Trevor Harris and journalists Brad Culp and Tim Heming give us the benefits of their collective wisdom... see if you agree with their (Olym)picks.

The most successful Olympic triathlete of all time, Alistair Brownlee admits why he started WTCS Leeds with an ankle injury that suggested he probably should not: the magnetic pull of the Olympic Games. He explains why he owes so much to the sport, what it is that defines greatness and why the British Mixed Relay team is in good hands at Tokyo 2020 with brother Jonny and Alex Yee.

On Olympic Day, one month out from Tokyo 2020, Ireland's Carolyn Hayes looks ahead to her Olympic debut having finally had qualification confirmed after a long and drawn-out few years. Silver in the World Triathlon Cup Lisbon and a top-10 finish in WTCS Leeds showed the hard work and training in Wicklow, Ireland is paying off. Now it's all eyes on Japan as the final preparations get underway.

South Africa's Richard Murray was readying for a third Olympic Games appearance when his preparations were turned upside down by a condition causing irregular heartbeats. Normal life may be on pause, but he won't be giving up on hitting the Tokyo start line just yet, as he reveals how he has tried to keep upbeat despite missing out on WTCS Leeds, home of one of his greatest performances.

After taking a year away from triathlon in 2020, Jo Brown returned in Yokohama and, despite breaking her nose during the warm up, came away with plenty of positives as the Tokyo 2020 build up continues. The Canadian takes us through the event in Japan, looks ahead to the Olympic Qualification Mixed Relay event in Lisbon, and back over the past year, including life in a van in the wilderness with great friend Chelsea Burns.

The return to the World Triathlon Championship Series finally arrived with WTCS Yokohama more than living up to the hype as the world's best made their return to the blue carpet in Japan. Belgium's Jelle Geens dials in from his trip back to Girona to give us the lowdown on all the comings and goings from the weekend and of course his remarkable final 2km race for the gold with Kristian Blummenfelt.

Hailing from Rabat, Mehdi Essadiq and Badr Siwane are close friends and training partners, and both are on a mission to make history as Morocco's first ever Olympic triathlete. But with only one spot available on the Tokyo 2020 start list and just one ranking place between them, the race is on to see who will succeed.