The x-bionic sphere plays host to the Challenge Championship once again. Sara Perez Sala is looking to retain her title from the 2022 season and is the only member of the 2022 podium racing. Richard Varga is the only podium member to return for the men.

The men’s SOF is 86.06 and with 21 athletes in the top 100 it scores a strength of start list rating of 47%. The men’s field includes five top 20 athletes.

The women’s SOF is 82.71 and with 17 athletes in the top 100 it scores a strength of start list rating of 43%. The women’s field includes three top 20 athletes.

Women’s Contenders

Fenella Langridge – she finished 4th at this race last season and as the top ranked athlete she should fancy her chances at making the podium. She had a disappointing result at the PTO European Open, finishing 15th. She came off the bike in touch of the podium but ran the 4th slowest time and fell down through the field. There are four athletes on the start list who finished ahead of her so she’ll be looking for revenge. She lost time in the swim to Wilms and Rebecca Clarke in Ibiza but will hope to reduce this gap in Samorin. She’ll close down any gap on the bike and will hope for better legs on the run.

Marjolaine Pierre – she was dominant at the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships, breaking away early on the bike and staying away for the rest of the day. I would’ve expected her to lose more time in the swim in Ibiza but she came out only 30 seconds down to the leader. If she has another good swim in Samorin then she’ll set up her day to challenge for the win. She showed her strength on the bike and her competitors will be worried about her run.

India Lee – she had to wait for her breakthrough performance after getting a penalty at the IM 70.3 World Championships. She was great in Ibiza, swimming and riding well to come off the bike in 5th. She couldn’t match the pace of the faster runners but put together a solid run to take 7th. She was with Langridge and Sala through the swim and bike so we could see this group working together again to close down any deficit out of the water. She is the highest finisher from the European Open racing in Samorin but she’ll likely need a lead over Pierre off the bike to take the win.

Lucy Byram – she’s impressed so far this season with two wins at Clash Miami and Challenge Puerto Varas. I was excited to see her against a strong field in Ibiza but she DNF’d after struggling with illness. She is a solid all round athlete so expect to see her swim and ride with Langridge, Lee and Sala. She finished 9th at this race last season, where she lost close to 6 minutes on the bike to eventual winner Sala. Byram has already got the better of Sala this season in Miami so expect to see a better performance this time round.

Sara Perez Sala – she had a similar day to Langridge in Ibiza, swimming and biking well but moved backwards on the run. She returns to the Challenge Championship as the defending champion. She was strong across all three disciplines last year but she’ll need to show a marked improvement on her Ibiza performance to retain the title. Expect her to swim and ride with Langridge and it will come down to the run legs to where she ends up finishing.

Other athletes to keep an eye on:

Lotte Wilms – she impressed with a top 10 finish at the European Open. She was the first out of the water after Lucy Charles-Barclay and was able to ride with the chase pack when they caught her group on the bike. She faded a bit on the run but held strong to take 9th. She’ll lead out the swim with Rebecca Clarke in Samorin and the pair will work together on the bike to hold off the chasers. She has shown she can ride with Langridge and Lee so expect to see the same, unless either of them puts in a big surge to breakaway.

Predictions
Lotte Wilms and Rebecca Clarke will lead out the swim and they could have up to a minute lead over Langridge, Sala, Lee and Byram. Pierre will likely lose time to this group and could come out a further 60-90 seconds back. The first chase pack out of the water will close down Wilms and Clarke on the bike and I can see this group riding mostly together to T2 unless someone tries to break away. Pierre’s display in Ibiza makes me think she will catch on the bike but the group will be motivated to hold her off to have an advantage coming off the bike. Lee impressed in Ibiza with a consistent all round performance but she’ll have her work cut out against Pierre. Pierre will be one of the fastest runners and I can see her moving through the field to take the win.
1. Marjolaine Pierre
2. India Lee
3. Lucy Byram
4. Fenella Langridge
5. Lotte Wilms

Men’s Contenders

Aaron Royle – kicked off his season with a podium at Challenge Gran Canaria and followed that up with a top 10 finish at the European Open. He lead out the swim in Ibiza but I expect him to sit in behind Richard Varga in Samorin. He rode with the front until a pack of four broke away and his run suffered after the hard bike. He’ll be at the front of the race from the gun and will look to form a small breakaway to hold off the stronger cyclists who are slower in the water. If he doesn’t over bike then he could have one of the fastest runs in the field.

Frederic Funk – a disappointing start to the season as he dealt with an issue with his disc wheel at the European Open. Luckily the officials in transition were able to begin swapping it out while he was still in the water but he lost some time waiting in transition and then had the aero penalty of no disc wheel. He’ll be looking to bounce back in Samorin. He came 3rd at this race in 2021 and 3rd at the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships at this venue last year. He’ll have a deficit out of the water but will be one of the fastest on the bike. We didn’t see any run improvement in Ibiza but this was after a tough day. He’ll need a strong run to challenge for the win.

Clement Mignon – coming off an impressive performance at the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships in Ibiza, where he recovered from a crash at the entrance to T2 to take the win in the closing stages of the run. He is a solid all round athletes that will challenge for the win. His race in Ibiza was 50% longer than the others who were racing that weekend and he will be carrying more fatigue into this race. I expect him to swim and ride with Funk which will put him in a position to challenge for the top spot on the run.

Tom Bishop – moved up the rankings earlier this year with 2nd at Clash Miami and his first win at Challenge Puerto Varas. He had a similar to performance to Royle in Ibiza, swimming and riding well but fading on the run to finish 12th. It will interesting to see this pair battle it out again in Samorin. Bishop will try to swim on Royle’s feet and could look to get a gap on the bike to over come Royle’s faster running. Before the European Open he’d ridden off the front in his last three races. It’s a tactic that has worked for him before so we could see it again.

Mathis Margirier – he made an impressive start to the season with 2nd place at IM 70.3 Lanzarote and Challenge Gran Canaria. He missed the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships after a fall at Challenge Gran Canaria. He should be fresher than some of the other athletes on the start line. He lost time to Royle in the swim in Gran Canaria but got the better of him on the run. He’ll try and get on the back of the front swim pack and ride with Bishop and Royle. If he’s not fully recovered then his run could suffer but we’ll have to see.

Other athletes to keep an eye on:

Matt Hanson – he chose to race IM 70.3 St George instead of travelling to Ibiza for the European Open. This gamble didn’t pay off as he had to settle for 6th. He needs a good result here to keep his PTO ranking in the top 20, his result from IM 70.3 Chattanooga will drop out after this race. He will lose significant time in the swim to the likes of Royle and Varga. He will need a stellar bike-run combination to be in with a chance of challenging for the win.

Richard Varga – he is one of the best swimmers in triathlon and will likely lead out the swim with Royle closely behind. He didn’t race often last season but he did take 2nd place to Gustav Iden at this race so has proven himself over this course. He was solid across each discipline that day and will be looking to repeat that performance this weekend. He’s coming off a DNF at the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships so will be looking to redeem himself in Samorin.

David McNamee – he impressed on the run at the PTO European Open, running the 6th fastest split and moving up to 11th from 17th out of T2. He has struggled with niggles over the last few seasons and has only made two podiums since 2020. He kicked off his year with 5th at Clash Miami and will be up against some of the same opposition in Samorin. He’ll be a threat to move through the field on the run if his form carries over from Ibiza.

Predictions
The pace in the swim is going to be rapid with Varga leading out Royle. This pair will be closely followed by Bishop and potentially Margirier if he has a good swim. Funk and Mignon could lose in the region of 45-60 seconds, with Hanson another 90+ seconds behind. Royle showed he can ride with the best at the front of the European Open. Bishop has ridden off the front of two races so far this season and he may try and do the same here to build a lead over the faster runners. Funk is likely the strongest cyclist in the field and he’ll be able to work with Mignon to close down the leaders and attempt to build an advantage coming in T2. Royle and Margirier are the strongest runners so I expect them to move up the leaderboard on the run. It will come down to how hard they have had to work on the bike but I think Royle will be in the driving seat from the gun and has the run to take the win.
1. Aaron Royle
2. Frederic Funk
3. Mathis Margirier
4. Tom Bishop
5. Clement Mignon