2024 XTERRA World Championship Preview: A Battle of the Ages

MOLVENO, TRENTINO, ITALY, September 25, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The 28th XTERRA World Championship returns on September 28, uniting the world's best off-road triathletes for the pinnacle event of the 2024 season.

The village of Molveno with just over 1,000 inhabitants located beneath the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Brenta Dolomites in the northern Italian Alps welcomes over 1,000 athletes from more than 50 countries to compete for their shot at becoming XTERRA World Champions in their respective age group categories.

The four-day festival features the fast-paced Short Track Triathlon in the race village filled with spectators on Thursday, the World Championship Full Distance Race on Saturday and the first-ever XTERRA Youth World Championship on Sunday. All three events will air live and will also be available on replay. Fans are encouraged to visit XTERRA’s YouTube channel to set their notifications in order to view all three races.

Off-Road's Biggest Stage

The XTERRA World Championship takes place in Italy in its third consecutive year continuing the sport's expansion beyond its origins in Maui, Hawaii dating back to 1996. The race village positioned alongside Lake Molveno, surrounded by the iconic peaks of the Dolomites offers an entryway into world renowned trails along with its own uniquely crafted MTB park filled with twists, jumps, and berms. The trail running terrain features flowy gravel along the lakeside, technical ascents and descents over roots and rocks with a final dash to the finish line surrounded by scores of fans, family and friends who encompass the global XTERRA Community.

Saturday’s World Championship awards Elite triathletes with a total prize purse of €100,000 with an additional €100,000 to be given out as part of the second annual XTERRA World Cup.

XTERRA has developed from an off-road sport combining swimming, mountain biking, and trail running into a global phenomenon with participants from 52 countries represented in this year’s World Championship. Notable champions over its 28 year history include Conrad Stoltz (RSA), Lesley Paterson (GBR), Ned Overend (USA), Flora Duffy (BMU), and Jamie Whitmore (USA).

A Global Start Line

With the sport of cross-triathlon continuing to grow from strength to strength, the 2024 World Championship will see one of the most diverse start lists in recent history. Countries with an established XTERRA history are boasting larger contingents than ever before while multiple other countries will see their colors represented for the first time.

Out of the 52 nations represented at the 2024 XTERRA World Championship, France, the country with more reigning champions than any other, will once again have the biggest presence in the race while also sporting a 28% increase in competitors from 2023. The host nation follows as the second most represented country, with the Italian contingent growing by 60% in their third year as host. Other notable representations include Brazil, who has seen their participation increase by 1,000+%, Belgium at 139%, along with the Czech Republic and Germany who have both seen a 35% increase since last year. The effect of the 2024 debut races is also evident, with Colombia boasting a strong showing of 14 athletes this year. Countries who weren’t present in the 2023 World Championship but will now see their flags represented in 2024 including Latvia, Tunisia, Kuwait, Norway, Guatemala, China, and Malaysia.

Of the 16 reigning World Champions from the men’s race, 6 are back to defend their titles, while 5 women return to defend theirs. Three of these World Champions—Petr Cmunt (CZE), Janet Soule (USA) and Lorenn Walker (USA)—will be in contention to complete the Italian three-peat, having held the title in their age division since the event first debuted in Italy in 2022.

With new countries entering the fray and qualifying slots becoming increasingly hard to earn, this year's XTERRA World Championship promises to be another unforgettable chapter in the sport’s ongoing rise.

Youth World Champs Debut

Taking place the day after the World Championship race, the inaugural XTERRA Youth World Championship marks another milestone in the evolution of the sport, and comes as the newest and most significant addition. The debut races, set to crown the World Champions in the Youth A and Youth B & Junior divisions, will wrap up the first full season of the recently established XTERRA Youth Tour. Modeled off the well established XTERRA World Tour, the 2024 Youth Tour consisted of 40 qualifying global events for youth athletes to earn their place in the inaugural Youth World Championship this year.

Over 200 athletes aged 14-19 from 21 countries are set to compete with France once again being the most represented country, along with Czech, Germany, and Belgium following as the next three nations with the most qualified youth athletes. While Europe may be the most represented of the regions, participants will be arriving from all corners of the world, from as far as Namibia, Colombia, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.

World Championship Top Contenders

With the World Championship doubling as the final race of the XTERRA World Cup, there are two concurrent storylines that will determine who will be crowned the second-ever XTERRA World Cup Champion once the series points are added up, and who will cross the line first in the Full Distance Race to win the 2024 XTERRA World Championship.

The question remains if there will be a French sweep in the World Cup and World Championship in 2024. In the men’s race, it will be up to Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen (DNK) as the key factor to disrupt the French dominance.

Serrières and Billouin are focused on another major accomplishment if they win outright at the end of Saturday’s World Championship. Both superstars can etch their names among the all-time greats in the sport by winning three consecutive times starting in 2022, repeating last year and if they are each successful, the three-peat is very much a legendary feat that will cement their legacy in XTERRA history.

Elite Men’s Quotes
‍‍(Name, Country, World Ranking)

Arthur Serrières, FRA, 1

"I really want to have my third title because I know, with a third title, I will be someone else—I will really put my name on the sport."

Felix Forissier, FRA, 2

"For me, the biggest challenge is the running segment; in Molveno, it's an extremely demanding part of the race that leaves no room for any weak moments."

Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen, DNK, 4

“Even if I have a bad swim, I think I can catch them on the bike, and I don’t think they can outrun me anymore.”

Sullivan Middaugh, USA, 7

"I think I will put in a big effort on the climbs, but I'm also very confident in my run right now, so I'll make sure to leave enough in the tank for the hard run course."

Maxim Chané, FRA, 9

"Right now, I'm faster and stronger than I’ve been at any point this season, and that’s exactly the direction I want to be heading."

Michele Bonacina, ITA, 10

"The most challenging part for me was breaking my radius early in the season; it took four months to get back in shape and feel good again in races."

Elite Women’s Quotes
‍‍(Name, Country, World Ranking)

Solenne Billouin, FRA, 1

"I've had a good season so far, being on the podium in almost every race, and that feels good. I’ll focus a lot on myself and only on what I can control."

Loanne Duvoisin, CHE, 2

"I had some really quality training weeks. It's awesome to win the [XTERRA European Championship] title again."

Alizée Paties, FRA, 3

"I learned a lot about myself; I had some downs, but thanks to those, I now feel a real connection between my mind and body. I'm just focused on the World Championship now and very excited to race."

Sandra Mairhofer, ITA, 4

"Before the race starts, I try to be very focused on what I have to do—I try to be present, attentive, and concentrated."

Aneta Grabmüller, CZE, 5

"I had to balance my work, motherhood, training, and all my other commitments, and it has not been easy, but now I can finally focus more on my triathlon career."

Marta Menditto, ITA, 6

“Molveno is a really specific race with almost 40 minutes of uphill twice without stopping; I like this kind of bike course, and the run has everything—flat parts, muddy parts, uphills, technical sections—which I enjoy.”

Anna Zehnder, CHE, 11

"Before the race starts, there is always a bit of nerves, of course—I go over my race plan, my transition setup, and so on, but I also think of my family, especially my mum, who I know is always watching from above."

Full Preview, Expanded Quotes, Start List and Photos.

An Eco-Conscious Festival

The 2024 XTERRA World Championship is organized with a high standard of environmental preservation, maintaining the natural allure of Molveno while hosting a large-scale international sports event. The four-day festival, features an opening ceremony, awards dinner and afterparty with various swim, bike, run clinics, yoga sessions, live music, DJ sets, and full-fledged racing action with athletes qualified from various global XTERRA events converging to earn or defend their age group titles, battling for the crown of XTERRA World Champion.

How To Watch The 2024 XTERRA World Championship

Viewing options for fans worldwide are expansive, with livestreams available for free on XTERRA's YouTube channel. Visiting the link will allow those interested to be notified once the races are set to begin. The coverage will also allow for the action to be viewed on replay at any point.

The Short Track Triathlon airs on September 26 at 2pm (GMT +2)

The World Championship Race on September 28 starting at 9:45am (GMT+2).

The inaugural XTERRA Youth World Championship on September 29 at 9:30am (GMT +2) for Youth A and 11:20am (GMT +2) for Youth B & Junior divisions.

High-resolution images are free for publication and social media use here. (Photo credit: XTERRA, @xterraplanet)

XTERRA Content Team
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