CHENGDU, Chn— Tyler Mislawchuk continues to prove age is just a number.
The 32-year-old veteran of the Canadian Triathlon Team opened his competitive season with the bronze medal at a World Triathlon Cup in Chengdu, China. It was the seventh career World Cup medal for the three-time Olympian in his storybook career. He also won the Tokyo Olympic Test event in 2019 and has one bronze medal on the World Triathlon Championship Series.
“You just never know when the next podium will be so I’m going to soak this one in,” said Mislawchuk, who finished ninth at both the 2024 Olympic and 2025 World Championships. “With six months of off season, I’m pretty happy with the first hit of the year.”
Mislawchuk, along with his Canadian teammates Liam Donnelly (Campbellville, Ont.) and Martin Sobey (Charlottetown) were amongst 65 of the world’s best who toed the line at one of the top triathlon venues on the planet, located in south-west China nestled in Jintang County.
The cagey Canuck from Oak Bluff, Man., came out of the 750-metre swim in 12th spot – just 17 seconds behind the leaders. He wasted no time tucking his way into the large lead pack of 48 riders for the 20-kilometre test on the highly technical bike that saw athletes take four laps.
With 64 athletes coming off the bike within seconds of each other, Mislawchuk and Sobey jumped into T2 together in the middle of the large group and readied themselves for a flat, five-kilometre foot race. After his first rip around the 2.5-kilometre loop, Mislawchuk found himself in a battle for the medals, running in a group of 10 at the front.
The pack stuck together for the second lap until a sprint finish decided the podium with Mislawchuk crossed the line third at 50:16.
“I ran 14:04 for five kilometres – not a bad way to open the season,” beamed Mislawchuk. “I thought I found a new level running in the off season, so I was happy to showcase some of that today.”
Australia’s Luke William finished three seconds ahead, breaking the tape with a golden time of 50:14. Nils Serre Gehri was a stride behind in the silver medal position at 50:14.
Coming off a season-opening victory in the Asian Triathlon Cup one week ago at Subic Bay, Liam Donnelly continued to demonstrate his running fitness. A week shy of his 27th birthday, Donnelly rocketed up 50 spots on the run to finish eight at 50:26. Sobey also cracked the top 15, placing 13th at 50:36.
Two women on the National Development Team – Montreal’s Isla Britton and Sophia Howell (Airdrie, Alta.) – hit the start pontoon for their sprint race in Chengdu.
After coming out of the water with the top 25, Sophia Howell tucked into a large group of 54 riders that came together over the four laps on the bike. The pack also included the 22-year-old Britton who bounced back after a challenging 750-metre swim.
Just under 20 athletes ran within 10 seconds of each other through the first of the two-lap run where the two Canadians began to lose time on the elite field.
Britton continued to dig deep, however, crossing the finish line in 24th spot at 56:21. Sophia Howell placed 37th at 56:54.
Germany’s Laura Lindemann won the women’s race with a time of 55:27. Valentina Riasova (neutral athlete) finished second in the photo finish at the line at 55:27. Kate Waugh, of Great Britain, settled for the bronze medal at 55:28.
Mislawchuk, Sobey, Britton and Howell will join forces on Sunday for the first ever World Cup mixed relay in Chengdu.
