Five Things We Learned From Supertri Chicago
Next generation talent, dominating wins and all change in the Teams League; Supertri League Chicago was an unpredictable affair. Here we take a look at five things we learned...
1. Podium on the Podium
What a remarkable result for Podium Racing. They came into Supertri League Chicago in third place in the Teams League and left top of the pile.
It wasn’t just the fact they had both the male and female race winners, but their team tactics and depth of squad really paid off.
Gina Sereno was a great pick for the race, securing not only decent individual points but also winning the run discipline.
That was even bettered by John Reed. He finished on the podium, and also won both the bike and run disciplines to make it a fantastic weekend.
Podium’s haul of 105 points was quite remarkable, bettering Crown, who they climbed above to top the table, by a staggering 25 points, while they scored more than double the points of Brownlee Racing and Stars & Stripes Racing.
2. Speedy Gonzalez
Will McCloy, the voice of Supertri, was quick to create the ‘Speedy Gonzalez’ moniker for Alberto Gonzalez Garcia, as he ran away with the men’s race.
It was a domination nobody truly expected. While Garcia marked himself out as a really improving threat in Toronto, the margin of his victory in Chicago is really unmatched in the history of men’s racing in Supertri League.
While there were a few big guns missing in Chicago, there was still some top talent on display, and the fact that Garcia kept heading further into the distance means he may take some catching in the overall standings for the League.
3. Szalai sizzles in the Chicago sun
Fanni Szalai is a true product of the Supertri’s philosophy of giving opportunities to young athletes to develop at a rapid pace by competing with the world’s best before they could get a chance anywhere else. Szalai typifies that. She made her name as a 15-year-old when she stunned the triathlon world with a podium finish in Supertri E.
Since then she has been a regular on the Supertri League circuit, consistently improving. Then at the weekend there was a piece of magic when she collected a first podium finish at that level. The tears in her eyes and the celebrations with her father said it all.
4. Jeanne v Georgia
It looked like it might be the big fight for the women’s title before Supertri League kicked off, and so it has proved. Jeanne Lehair for all her brilliance at the Supertri Format has always been the bridesmaid while GTB has been the bride, as her three League titles underlines. Neither of them had the best of starts at Toronto, but they came first and second in Chicago.
That leaves Lehair at the top of the League standings with Taylor-Brown just two points behind. Both athletes are racing all four League events, in a format in which an athlete’s two best results plus the Grand Final counts. With both having the chance therefore to drop their Toronto results, this looks like being a nailbiting fight to the very finish.
5. Stars & Stripes elevating the bigger picture
The stats would suggest it’s been a tough start to the League for Stars & Stripes, yet the talk from their camp is hugely positive. Parker Spencer’s team have accumulated the lowest points total in both Toronto and Chicago and look a little cut adrift at the bottom of the League.
However, with the team’s partnership with Project Podium the top priority, Spencer is upbeat. He brought an incredibly young team to Chicago and the experience they got was invaluable. They should have more experience for Jersey and Toulouse but the mission is still on track as far as they are concerned.
