Canadian Tyler Mislawchuk entered the America’s Triathlon Cup Long Beach as the man to beat after successfully defending his Huatulco title last month, and lived up to that billing with an impressive race that saw him run his way to the win.
Mislawchuk proved he’s in excellent shape heading into the Olympics, leading the men out of the water in 9:12, but the winner of the 2019 Tokyo Test Event had lots of company near the front including countrymen Alexis Lepage and Matt Sharpe, who will be heading to Tokyo to act as a domestique for Mislawchuk. Early on there 42 men within 10 seconds of each other as things didn’t really spread out too much – through 15 km the group was up to 45, all spread out by 15 seconds. Mislawchuk’s support crew of Lepage and Sharpe ensured he was at the front at the end of the bike as Lepage led the way into T2 with Mislawchuk right behind – starting the 5 km run there were 42 men within 14 seconds of the lead.
Halfway through the run Mislawchuk and his countryman Charles Paquet were at the front, but they had some speedy company in the form or Americans Matt McElroy and Austin Hindman, while Mexico’s Aram Michell Penaflor Moysen and Rodrigo Gonzalez were also in the mix. With just under a mile to go Penaflor Moysen was just ahead of the Canadian with Hindman nine seconds back. Mislawchuk would surge away, though, and take the win in 52:50 after a 14:48 5 km run, with Penaflor Moysen (52:54) four seconds back despite having run 10 seconds quicker. McElroy would round out the podium in 52:58.
