The road to Paris 2024 still passes through the Poetto. For the second time in its history, Italy is hosting a stage of the World Triathlon Championship Series on Saturday, the circuit in six stages, plus the final this year in Pontevedra (Spain) which assigns the world titles and points for Olympic qualification. Naturally, the venue chosen is Cagliari, where the World Cup arrived for the first time in 2016 and where Fitri knows it can count on a more than tested and appreciated organizational team, under the orders of the General manager of the event, Sandro Salerno.
The relaunch
At the presentation hosted in his offices, the regional councilor for Tourism, Gianni Chessa, recalled that the appointment is already financed for a third year but that in the autumn he will ask for the inclusion in the Budget of another two editions, until 2026. One news in front of which the mayor of Cagliari, Paolo Truzzu, nodded and the federal president Riccardo Giubilei widened an eloquent smile. The hope ("I don't want to "spoile" but we are already moving towards this and other initiatives such as hosting the Grand Finals") is that soon the appointment can be expanded to also include the Paratriathlon World Series, perhaps with the Sardinians Giovanni Achenza and Rita Cuccuru in the race.
The protagonists
Meanwhile, the greatest triathletes in the world are back on Saturday, as Eric Angstadt recalled for World Triathlon, from the reigning world champion (the French Leo Bergere) to the Olympic champion (Kristian Blummenfelt, who in Cagliari obtained his first victory in the World Cup), to the defending champion and silver from Tokyo Alex Yee, to mention only the male protagonists. But the level is the highest ever even among women, where the blue Bianca Seregni cannot be at the start. Speaking of Italians, Gianluca Pozzatti and Michele Sarzilla (8th and 9th in 2022) and Nicolò Street; among women, Verena Steinhauser and Bianca Zane. Just over fifty starters in each race.
Route and times
The races will be staged at Poetto, (more or less at the third stop, after the Lido) on a circuit of 3.8 km (2.5 for running) with the Olympic distances: 1500 meters of swimming, 38 km of cycling (10 laps) and 10 running (4 laps). Expected closures to traffic in the Poetto district on Friday morning (at 10.30 the rehearsals of the cycling route) and on Saturday for the whole day (until around 6pm). At 11 the women's start, at 15.15 the men's which will go live on RaiSport. Following the deferred test of the women. Last year the two races were seen by 450,000 and 350,000 live viewers respectively, not counting the good ratings of the reruns.
