This Friday, the WTCS season kicks off in Abu Dhabi. The best short-distance athletes are gearing up for a season full of spectacle. They are competing for titles, for honor, for prize money and, of course, for important qualification points in the Olympic qualification path toward Paris 2024.
Léo Bergere, Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde are the biggest favorites in the men’s race. At least; they start with the lowest bib number and according to many connoisseurs, this fact is often an indication of the chances of winning. Below them follow men as Jelle Geens, Vincent Luis, Matthew Hauser, Antonio Serrat Seoane, Vasco Vilaca, Joao Silva and Jawad Abdelmoula. Biggest absentees in Abu Dhabi are Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden.
In the women’s race, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Taylor Spivey and Cassandre Beaugrand are the athletes with the lowest bib numbers. Women such as Sophie Coldwell, Beth Potter, Miriam Casillas Garcia, Emma Lombardi, Kirsten Kasper, Anabel Knoll and Lena Meissner are racing with numbers 4-10 respectively. In the women’s race, Flora Duffy is the biggest absentee.
