When Matt Hauser and Luke Willian step onto the Champs-Élysées, they’ll have their sights set on ending Australia’s Olympic triathlon medal drought.
Since the sport was introduced into the Olympics in 2000, no Australian man has ever stood on the podium.
But heading into the Games in form of their careers, as the top-two ranked athletes in the World Triathlon Championship Series, the pair are well positioned to break one of Australian sport’s most long-suffering records.
Both come into the Olympics in form.
Hauser put his Olympic rivals on notice by winning gold at the World Triathlon Championship Series Hamburg. His victory following a second-place finish in Yokohama which sees him head to Paris in the form of his career.
“Confidence is important but also knowing that you have the competence to do it day in and day out,” Hauser said.
“I’m looking forward to racing here after three plus years of training for these Olympics.
“The field is of course stacked and I’m sure there will be some run records broken here. It will take a sub 29 minute run leg to win. The cobblestones of the Champs-Élysées and 250,000 spectators it’s going to be pretty crazy and amazing.”
After missing out on selection for Tokyo in 2020, he took things into his own hands this time around, producing a powerhouse performance to claim bronze in the World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama and secure his spot for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
His eighth-place finish in Cagliari and 11th in Hamburg solidified his lead in the series rankings, with teammate Hauser trailing closely in second.
“Hamburg was a good hit out for me. I was in ‘the pointy end’ of the swim and just fading a little at the end of the race,” Willian said.
“I’ve had a good block of training since then and a good taper and I’m feeling good for the race here in Paris.”
Originally scheduled for Tuesday 30 July, the men’s race will take place at 6:45pm AEST Wednesday, immediately after the women’s event at 4pm AEST.
Australian Head Coach, Dan Atkins, is confident that the Australian triathletes have the resilience, experience and support to cope with the change.
“We’ve come through a pretty adaptable period in life at the moment with COVID and we’ve had a couple of events already this year postponed or cancelled with an hour’s notice, so our guys are really adaptable,” Atkins said.
“They are ranked number one and two in the world going into this event, it’s fair to say you don’t get to that place without being adaptable.
“We had an event cancelled a couple of years ago because there was a crocodile up at Port Douglas, so you know they’re Australians. The boys got to have an extra three hours sleep, so they were pretty happy about that.”
The floating pontoon below the iconic Pont Alexandre III Bridge, which spans the River Seine, will be the start of the 1500m swim.
The 40km bike ride and 10km run will include the cobblestones of the Champs-Élysées and historic Paris monuments, and the course is expected to be fast.
All three men’s medallists from Tokyo will be in Paris and are ranked in the world top 10. Reigning champion Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), silver medallist Alex Yee (GBR) and bronze medallist Hayden Wilde (NZL).
Yee won the test event last August, while the locals have a strong French team to cheer: current World Champion Dorian Coninx, former World Champion Leo Bergere, and Pierre Le Corre.
