The 2024 Chengdu World Cup marked the beginning of a new year for Team World Triathlon, which serves as a development squad for athletes from smaller national federations, helping them to reach their Olympic potential. Six athletes were chosen to represent the team at the event, receiving support for travel and on-site expenses like accommodation, as well as specialized technical and coaching guidance.
The six athletes who traveled to China under the direction of coaches Rolf Ebeling and Vincent Beltran included Erica Hawley and Tyler Smith from Bermuda, Zuzana Michalickova and Romana Gajdosova from Slovakia, Vitalii Vorontsov from Ukraine, and Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto from Colombia. Among these athletes, three had previously competed at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China.
Smith, Hawley, and Velasquez had participated in both individual and mixed relay events in Nanjing 2014, and returned to the country to pursue their Olympic dreams for Paris 2024. Michalickova achieved the best result among the women, finishing 13th, with Hawley following closely in 14th place, and Gajdosova in 23rd. Unfortunately, Velasquez had to drop out during the run due to stomach issues.
On the men’s side, Smith’s strong performance on the bike impacted his run but he still managed to finish in 24th place