AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds: Elite Men’s preview

It could be back-to-back wins for Alex Yee in more ways than one this weekend when the defending champion lines-up in both a strong British and international field in the men’s elite race at AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series.

Yee not only comes into Saturday’s elite men’s race as the defending champion, after claiming his first World Triathlon Championship Series victory at this race last year, but he also heads to Leeds off the back of victory at World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama earlier this month.

Yee is not the only British triathlete to come into the British leg of the World Triathlon Championship Series after a recent race win with Jonny Brownlee winning at World Triathlon Cup Arzachena in Italy two weeks ago.

Brownlee has been ever-present on the Leeds start line since the inaugural event in 2016, the first of two second place finishes at his home race. The now three-time Olympic medallist, following mixed relay gold in Tokyo, couldn’t get much closer to a home race with Leeds the city where he was born, grew-up and is based.

Tom Bishop has also been on the Leeds start line in the five previous times the event has been held, including a fifth place in 2017 and sixth in 2018. Bishop will be back on the Waterloo Lake pontoon this Saturday, along with Grant Sheldon, who was announced this week in Scotland’s team for next month’s Commonwealth Games.

Whilst the home fans will be hoping to cheer the British triathletes to a home win in Roundhay Park, there will be a strong international challenge in Leeds.

Olympic bronze medallist Hayden Wilde (NZL) and France’s Leo Bergere both joined Yee on the Yokohama podium and will again be on the start line, along with the Tim Hellwig (GER) and Jelle Geens (BEL) who won the two 2022 ranking events held in 2021.

Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) and Richard Murray (NED) have both won in Leeds before, with double world champion Vincent Luis (FRA), last year’s bronze medallist Marten Van Riel (BEL) and two-time IRONMAN 70.3 world champion Gustav Iden (NOR) also ones-to-watch.

Unlike the three other World Triathlon Championship Series events to already be hosted in the 2022 Series, including Hamburg and Abu Dhabi in 2021, the Leeds event will be contested over the sprint distance.

The athletes will begin with a 750m swim in Waterloo Lake, before four laps on the 18.4km bike around the roads in and around the park, and then a 5km run past Mansion House and around Upper Lake over two laps to the finish line.

The elite men’s race starts at 14:00 on Saturday (11 June) with live coverage on BBC1 and triathlonlive.tv/.

Entry into Roundhay Park is free across the weekend so you can watch the best athletes from around the world in the elite races and cheer on those participating over the weekend of 11-12 June.

There will be live updates during the event weekend on British Triathlon’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. Use the hashtag #WTCSLEEDS to follow all the action and in your own posts.

Find out how you can attend the park and spectate by visiting https://leeds.triathlon.org/event_information/spectators/.