Irish athletes return to the World Triathlon stage this weekend in Abu Dhabi and India.

World Para Cup

With small fields across the board in Abu Dhabi and only 3 in her race this should be a straightforward win for MacCombe and her guide Aoibh Clarke. Both her opponents finished well behind MacCombe's sister Judith in the World Cup in Samarkand last year and even with another 8 months work and potentially stronger guides than last year it is hard to see them closing over 10 minutes since May last year. MacCombe had a really good year in 2024 and was in the mix among the top athletes just behind the level of Rodrigues and Tarantello. This is the year we will be looking to see if she can close that gap.

Any points won will not impact MacCombes ranking until May at least as her top scores are all from World Para Series races and over the450 for a win in Abu Dhabi.

World Triathlon Championship Series

Later in the day James Edgar goes to the start in the World Series race against 46 opponents. It is certainly disappointing from a spectator perspective to not see a World Series race fill its potential 55 start places but in a non Olympic Qualification period athletes and federations will be managing the finances somewhat. 

There are still some major names racing with Hayden Wilde at number 1 but with only 2 of the WorldsTop 10 and 5 from outside the Top 200 it is not what you expect from the top tier of racing. For Edgar, who is currently ranked 47 in the world, we will need to see that he has recovered from 2024 and can show some of the speed he had in the European Sprint Championships last year where he finished 4th in a race where he looked like he could medal if not win. At his best he should be out of the water ahead of some of many of the bigger names and with a very simple and flat bike course can be expected to start the run in a good position. He should be a Top 25 finisher with potential for a lot more. 

I will be looking to see how he finishes out the end of the race in any battles, particularly in the mid teens to late 20s in the field.

Asia Contintal Cup

On Sunday Morning Luke McCarron races in Chennai, India, in a Continental Cup race. McCarron is currently ranked 444 in the world but is a much better athlete than that number would indicate. Study and work have certainly impacted his progress and last year was very hit and miss but he has top 10 results in these types of races before and I expect him to do so here. 

World Triathlon Championship Series Mixed Relay

The afternoon brings us the Mixed Relay in Abu Dhabi. This year sees a return to the women leading off and the men finishing. Why World Triathlon has done this I’m sure will be explained at some point but it doesn't seem to have any logic. If increasing women's participation and encouraging girls into the sport then surely images like the finish of the Paris Olympic relay with Lindemann, Knibb and Potter sprinting for the line is helpful. The switch between Tokyo and Paris looked to have been a success and the races were certainly just as exciting. 

Ireland will go into the Top 20 in the world rankings by finishing the race and it will be interesting to see who is racing and in what order. At time of writing we do not have any team announcement but from photos on planes we know that James Edgar, Russell White, Ralf Bodamer and Hollie Elliot are in Abu Dhabi. Only Edgar has a start in the individual race and on last year's form and performances in general would be expected to be in the team but we will see Saturday evening when the team order is announced. With no France, Australia, New Zealand or Norway, to mention just a few missing, this could be quite an open race outside of the Top 3.

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