Challenge Family’s flagship event, The Championship, a world-class 70-strong professional field has been confirmed, including the sport’s newest World Triathlon Long Distance World Champions, Clément Mignon and Marjolaine Pierré.
Taking place at the x-bionic® sphere Olympic training venue in Šamorín, Slovakia, over 1,200 of Challenge Family’s top professional and age group athletes will line up on 21 May in a bid to claim the ultimate Championship titles over 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run.
Joining Mignon on the men’s start line is a strong international field that includes seven of the top 30 ranked athletes Frederic Funk (GER), Aaron Royle (AUS), Matt Hanson (USA), Pieter Heemeryck (BEL), Tom Bishop (GBR) and Pablo Dapena González (ESP) as well as local Slovakian hero and 2022 runner up, Richard Varga.
In the women’s race, Pierré will also be up against a competitive international field that includes defending champion, Sara Pérez Sala (ESP) and Fenella Langridge (GBR), both of whom are returning to Šamorín for a third time. Also in the mix are Rebecca Clarke (NZL), India Lee (GBR), Grace Thek (AUS), Lottie Wilms (NED) and Svenja Thoes (GER), all of whom are closely matched, making for an exciting race ahead.
The professional athletes are joined by over 1,000 age group athletes who have qualified for the right to compete at The Championship by placing in the top six at one or more of Challenge Family’s 35 middle and long distance races around the world.
The Championship weekend will start on Saturday 20 May with the Slovak National Championships over the Olympic distance, plus the Special Olympics European Triathlon Competition, Slovak Cup Sprint Distance and a Tryathlon for those inspired to give the sport a go and not forgetting the kids with the Junior Run.
The start gun for the flagship The Championship race, featuring the 20m non-drafting rule, will go off at 8:30am CEST on Sunday 21 May. Full coverage of the professional race, The Championship Live powered by ROUVY, plus a finish line cam until the last finisher crosses the line, will be provided at www.challenge-family.live and on Challenge Family Facebook Live. For further information, visit www.thechampionship.de
MALE PRO:
1 Richard Varga SLO
2 Frederic Funk GER
3 Aaron Royle AUS
4 Matthew Hanson USA
5 Pieter Heemeryck BEL
6 Clément Mignon FRA
7 Thomas Bishop USA
8 Pablo Dapena González ESP
9 David McNamee GBR
10 Youri Keulen NLD
11 Antony Costes FRA
12 Simon Viain FRA
13 Nicolas Mann GER
14 Ondrej Kubo SLO
15 Nicholas Free AUS
16 Lukáš Kocar CZR
17 Kieran Linders GBR
18 Thomas Davis GBR
19 Ruben Zepuntke GER
20 Pamphiel Pareyn BEL
21 Jesper Svensson SWE
22 Ognjen Stojanovic SER
23 Tristan Olij NLD
24 Kacper Stepniak POL
25 Leonard Arnold GER
26 Sergiy Kurochkin UKR
27 Marc Eggeling GER
28 Joshua Lewis GBR
29 Harry Palmer GBR
30 Michele Marchelli ITA
31 Markus Thomschke GER
32 Strahinja Trakic SRB
33 Sven Thalmann SUI
34 Marcel Bolbat GER
35 Tomasz Szala POL
36 Tomáš Renc CZE
37 Kristian Rød NOR
38 Gabriel Sandör NOR
39 Piotr Lawicki POL
40 Vincent Terrier FRA
41 Jonathan Wayaffe BEL
42 Mathis Margirier FRA
43 Alessandro Fabian ITA
FEMALE PRO:
101 Sara Pérez Sala ESP
102 Fenella Langridge GBR
103 Rebecca Clarke NZL
104 India Lee GBR
105 Marjoliane Pierré FRA
106 Grace Thek AUS
107 Lotte Wilms NLD
108 Svenja Thoes GER
109 Imogen Simmonds SUI
110 Diede Diederiks NLD
111 Lucy Byram GBR
112 Amelia Watkinson NZL
113 Magda Nieuwoudt ZAF
114 Elisabetta Curridori ITA
115 Justine Guerard FRA
116 Caroline Pohle GER
117 Margie Santimaria ITA
118 Jenny Jendryschik GER
119 Simone Kumhofer AUT
120 Jenny Nae SWE
121 Rosie Weston GBR
122 Rachele Botti SUI
123 Julia Skala GER
124 Shiva Leisner DNK
125 Jenny Nilsson SWE
126 Valentina d'Angeli ITA
127 Sara Svensk SWE
128 Maria Czesnik POL
129 Claire Weller GBR