London T100 can do for triathlon what Wimbledon does for tennis, say organisers
London T100 Triathlon organisers want the race to become a flagship event on its new World Tour and the sport’s equivalent of Wimbledon in tennis or the Masters in golf.
Forty of the world’s top male and female triathletes took to the city’s streets and the water of Victoria Dock on Saturday and Sunday for the inaugural staging of the elite race.
A further 4,500 amateurs also took part over various distances on the Sunday, while almost 20,000 turned out to watch the action in London’s Docklands.
“It’s been a fantastic first T100 to take place in London and a big endorsement of the strength of the sport over here,” T100 Tour CEO Sam Renouf told City PM
“It’s not just about Alistair and Johnny Brownlee – the fact that we had close to 5,000 athletes in the age group [races], and the performances today shows that the sport is in a great place.
“The top level of racing should be around having the best of the best and doing it in iconic places. And we think this can be one of the most iconic triathlons in the world and ultimately lift the sport to the level that Wimbledon does for tennis, or Augusta does for golf.”
Britain has a rich heritage in triathlon, from Tim Don and Chrissie Wellington to the Brownlee brothers, T100 Tour star Lucy Charles-Barclay and current Olympian Alex Yee.
And although the winner of the men’s race, Ironman champion Sam Laidlow, represents France, he was born in Bedfordshire and the majority of his family live in this country.
The T100 Triathlon World Tour partnered with London Marathon chiefs to deliver their first race in the capital and hope to attain a similar status in the swim-bike-run event.
“We’ve got the pros, we’ve got the fan base, we’ve got a great location, so I think London can be a flagship [race],” Renouf added.
“Obviously, the London Marathon is one of the most iconic events in the world. Our aspiration is to make the T100 Triathlon World Tour the equivalent of the World Marathon Majors, and be the bucket list events that everyone wants to do.”
London was the fourth leg of eight on the T100 Triathlon World Tour, which expanded to eight races and rebranded earlier this year. The tour will call at Ibiza, Las Vegas and Dubai before its Grand Final in November.
It is backed by billionaire British investor Sir Michael Moritz and part-owned by broadcast partner Warner Bros Discovery and its contracted athletes, via the Professional Triathletes’ Organisation.