23-year-old Luke Willian emerged victorious in the elite men’s event at the World Triathlon Cup 2024 in Wollongong, Australia, clinching the gold medal with an impressive overall time of 52 minutes and 51 seconds. Coming in second was South Africa’s Jamie Riddle, clocking 53 minutes and 14 seconds, while Diego Moya of Chile claimed third place just fractions of a second behind Riddle.
Among the Australian competitors, Callum McClusky and Jacob Birtwhistle secured the fifth and sixth positions, respectively. Bradley Course finished eighth, and Brandon Copeland came in tenth. This win marks Willian’s first World Triathlon Cup victory in five years, enhancing his chances for the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, selection is not guaranteed as there are other talented athletes vying for a spot on the team.
In the women’s elite event, Australian Ellie Hoitnik finished in seventh place with a time of 1 hour and 52 seconds. The event was won by Sweden’s Tilda Mansson in 1 hour and 39 seconds. Australia is set to field two men and two women in the individual and mixed relay triathlons at the Paris Olympics, with hopes high for a strong showing from the Australian triathlon team.