Big names return to Super League next weekend, ready to disrupt the status quo

After French domination in Jersey last month, the world-class field of Super League Triathlon (SLT) triathletes return for the season’s second instalment of unpredictable racing in Malta on 19-20 October.

Two of last season’s podium-regulars, Richard Murray and Henri Schoeman, are back to fitness and ready to shake things up for Super League Malta 2019. The South African duo was forced to sit out of the 2019/20 Championship Series opener at RBC Super League Jersey, which gave Vincent Luis the upper hand to defend his title, thanks to securing the weekend win.

Last month saw Simon Henseleit win his Junior race and therefore was given the opportunity to compete in the Pro Semi-Final in St Helier later that day. To much surprise, the young German athlete qualified for the Day 2 Final but did not race. Wanting another shot on the world-stage, Henseleit returns to Malta as part of the Pro field, looking for another shot in the Final.

The women’s race looks to be just as tense as the men’s, with Katie Zaferes and Cassandre Beaugrand ready to resume their first-place battle next weekend. Beaugrand produced a stunning display to inflict a rare defeat on Zaferes in Jersey, taking full advantage of the weather-affected course with high winds, leading to the cancellation of the bike leg in the Final. The likes of Rachel Klamer, Summer Rappaport and Taylor Spivey are looking to disrupt the status quo in Malta.

Here are the line-ups for Super League Malta 2019:

PRO WOMEN:Alice Betto – (ITA) – #44

Angelica Olmo – (ITA) – #41

Cassandre Beaugrand – (FRA) – #03

Claudie Simard – (CAN) – #18

Elena Danilova – (RUS) – #16

Felicity Sheedy-Ryan – (AUS) – #13

Ilaria Zane- (ITA) – #58

Katie Zaferes – (USA) – #01

Kerry Morris – (AUS) – #12

Léonie Périault – (FRA) – #10

Lisa Perterer – (AUT) – #49

Megan Foley – (USA) – #19

Olivia Mathias – (GBR) – #14

Rachel Klamer – (NED) – #02

Sophie Coldwell – (GBR) – #32

Summer Rappaport – (USA) – #06

Taylor Spivey – (USA) – #04

Yuko Takahashi – (JPN) – #0

PRO MEN:

Aaron Royle – (AUS) – #55

Aiden Longcroft-Harris – (CAN) – #18

Anthony Pujades – (FRA) – #13

Aurélien Raphaël – (FRA) – #12

Ben Kanute – (USA) – #07

Christopher Perham – (GBR) – #15

Constantine Doherty – (IRL) – #50

Csongor Lehmann – (HUN) – #49

Dmitry Polyanskiy – (RUS) – #16

Dorian Coninx – (FRA) – #54

Gustav Iden – (NOR) – #33

Hayden Wilde – (NZL) – #08

Henri Schoeman – (RSA) – #02

Igor Polyanskiy – (RUS) – #14

Jonas Schomburg – (GER) – #09

Kristian Blummenfelt – (NOR) – #32

Léo Bergere – (FRA) – #06

Marten Van Riel – (BEL) – #30

Matthew Hauser – (AUS) – #31

Michael Arishita – (USA) – #19

Oliver Turner – (JEY) – #51

Pierre Le Corre – (FRA) – #11

Richard Murray – (RSA) – #05

Roberto Sanchez Mantecon – (ESP) – #53

Simon Henseleit – (GER) – #64

Tyler Mislawchuk – (CAN) – #04

Vasco Vilaca – (POR) – #46

Vincent Luis – (FRA) – #01

THE WEEKEND FORMATS

Day 1 of the weekend’s racing once again sees the athletes split into two groups for the Semi-Finals, racing the non-stop swim-bike-run-swim-bike-run. The top 5 athletes from each group, plus the next 5 fastest from across both groups – 15 in total – continue into Day 2’s Final. 

The Day 2 chosen format in Malta is the Equalizer. The athletes start with Stage 1 – a bike Individual Time Trial (ITT), before a pursuit start of swim-bike-run x2 sprint in Stage 2 to the finish. The pursuit start is determined by the results of the ITT.

CURRENT SLT SERIES LEADERBOARD

MEN’S:

1. Vincent Luis – 15pts
2. Pierre Le Corre – 14pts
3. Hayden Wilde – 13pts

WOMEN’S:

1. Cassandre Beaugrand – 15pts
2. Katie Zaferes – 14pts
3. Rachel Klamer – 13pts

Click here to see the full leaderboard.

CURRENT COLOURED JERSEY HOLDERS

• Pink (Series Leader): Vincent Luis / Cassandre Beaugrand
• Blue (Fastest Swim): Sophie Coldwell / Aiden Longcroft-Harris 
• Green (Fastest Bike): Rachel Klamer / Hayden Wilde 
• Red (Fastest Run): Katie Zaferes / Aaron Royle 
• Grey (Fastest Transition): Yuko Takahashi / Kristian Blummenfelt
• White (Youngest In Field): Olivia Mathias / Simon Henseleit

HOW TO WATCH:

Visit superleaguetriathlon.com or the SLT Facebook page to watch the event build-up, racing action and highlights across the weekend. Check out local broadcast providers for the Day 2 racing and highlight coverage.

To find out more about Super League Triathlon, visit superleaguetriathlon.com.