The World Triathlon Podcast will return in 2024 with the country's World Cup season starting in a month, and will feature one of New Zealand's brightest young talents from last year, Dylan McCullough.
Dylan, who was born and raised in Auckland, is expected to line up for his first match on February 24 after returning from solo training at Arrowland, about 1,200 kilometers south of the Napier World Cup venue.
Currently in 32nd place, McCullough's rise up the Olympic rankings began with a agonizing fourth-place finish in nearby New Plymouth and ended with his first World Cup podium in Miyazaki, with several blue carpet performances. It was a breakthrough performance. Meanwhile, a great performance in the Paris test event relay and a great result in his first championship final put the 22-year-old on track to line up alongside Hayden Wilde on the Paris 2024 start line on July 30th. All the signs were there.
“Twelve months ago, I was in a completely different scenario,” McCullough admitted on episode 87 of the podcast. “I wasn't in the Olympics at all. My ranking before the season started was 115th or so.”
How he feels about winning pole position to lead the New Zealand mixed relay team to success in Paris, and how he feels about team tactics that could help New Zealand win a fifth Olympic medal. To find out if he is there and hear about Justin Bieber's visit to his school, read below. Download podcasts on Apple, Spotify, and Google.
Youth Olympic champion emerges from the shadows
For Dylan McCullough, 2023 was an example of great progress rising from the fringes of the WTCS to the center of the world. that At Pontevedra he was part of the front bike pack for the championship final, and at Miyazaki he achieved his first World Cup podium and won a silver medal.
His signature aggressive racing is still there since winning the Youth Olympic title in 2018, and he still has the experience to compete in the final stages. He now hopes to start the season at the Oceania Cup in Wanaka, a week before Napier is back on the World Cup circuit. There you'll find athletes like Olympic medalists Hayden Wilde and Alex Yee, as well as familiar foes like: Ricardo Batista, Nicolo Strada and Alessio Crociani were on the start list for the opening race.
“They're strong swimmers and strong bikers, so it's good to have them here. So it would be nice to start a little breakaway or something. It's good to see where everyone is. Actually this It's very refreshing as I've never been to Napier before. We have a huge history in New Plymouth and back in the day Bevan Docherty and Chris Gemmell had an iconic sprint finish. I remember…but I’m sure Napier and the tri-community there will put on a good event.”
Mixed relay waiting game
It was far from smooth sailing when it came to breaking into the highly established New Zealand mixed relay team, and even a chance to get a start in the Paris Test event was thwarted by the format change to duathlon. The team is well-prepared for automatic qualification and are among the favorites to beat hosts France, defending champions Great Britain and reigning world champions Germany. .
“There were quite a few guys ahead of me, like Ryan (Sisons), Sam Ward, Taylor (Reid). But Ryan and Sam have already retired and Kyle (Smith) has gone to the long distance courses, so , it was a very sudden rise up the ranks. Playing at WTCS Montreal in 2021 was probably too much… but I think it was really good for my development. I was selected to compete in the Sunderland Mixed Relay. However, I felt unwell…so I couldn't start, and since the Paris Mixed Relay was a duathlon, I had several chances to join the team, but I couldn't make it.To run a “proper” mixed team relay I couldn't do it. ”
Team tactics may be the key
Next is the issue of individual races. McCullough isn't taking anything for granted, but he knows that form is on his side as he will start second unless Taylor-Reed advances to the top. He will secure the Kiwis' third men's spot in 30th place. Has Hayden Wilde's domestic role at Pontevedra or for Paris ever been discussed?
“No, I thought I was going to be in the (Pontevedra) race, but no, it wasn't discussed at all. So, I don't know, maybe it was a mistake, but… Yes, we could work as a team if we wanted to, but it's not up to me, it's up to TriNZ's high performance and Hayden and his team. Yeah, I didn't have any plans to go racing…French looking I think (Hayden) likes to race hard and likes to do almost everything himself. The Frenchman did what he did at Pontevedra and Abu Dhabi, but he did it at home on his home ground. I would love to do it again in front of a crowd. Yeah, that would be exciting.”
You can listen to the full interview below. Additionally, his World Triathlon Cup and Mixed Relay Napier weekend will be streamed in full on his TriathlonLive.tv.
Provided by Red Circle
