Tyler Mislawchuk wins Triathlon World Cup in Huatulco
Defending his World Triathlon Cup title from two years ago, Tyler Mislawchuk won the final men’s race of the Olympic qualification period on Sunday morning in Huatulco, Mexico.
The 26-year-old triathlete notched the third World Cup victory of his career with a time of 53:09 in the challenging sprint distance test on a steamy morning in Mexico.
“This feels so bloody good. Me and Sharpie (Matthew Sharpe) rolling out there together today was awesome. It was a statement day for sure and just feels great,” said Mislawchuk. “To be honest, whether I won or not today didn’t matter. I know I’m confident with where I’m at right now, but this just validates all of the hard work that we have put in.”
Tyler Mislawchuk of Canada wins the World Triathlon Cup in Huatulco, Mexico on Sunday June 13, 2021. Photo by: World Triathlon Media. 
Tyler Mislawchuk of Canada wins the World Triathlon Cup in Huatulco, Mexico on Sunday June 13, 2021. Photo by: World Triathlon Media. 
Tyler Mislawchuk of Canada wins the World Triathlon Cup in Huatulco, Mexico on Sunday June 13, 2021. Photo by: World Triathlon Media.
Mislawchuk finished the 750m swim with the front group, just four seconds off the leading pace. Only 10 seconds separated the top 20 athletes. After a very clean transition, he settled into a large group for the 20 km ride. He climbed into the front of the group heading into the second transition and finished his ride with a time of 28 minutes and 36 seconds. Setting himself up for a strong run, he had another clean transition and pulled farther away in the final lap. He finished in top spot with a run time of 14:49.
Mislawchuk was joined on the podium by two athletes from Brazil, Manoell Messias (53:21) and Miguel Hidalgo (53:22). Other Canadians men in action included Jérémy Briand, Charles Paquet, John Rasmussen and Matthew Sharpe.
In 2019 Mislawchuk had a breakthrough season, making history as the first Canadian male to reach the podium on the World Triathlon Series tour. He captured a World Series bronze medal in Montreal, before becoming the first Canadian triathlete ever to win the Olympic Test event in Tokyo.
READ: Tyler Mislawchuk wins Tokyo 2020 test event
On the women’s side, Amélie Kretz finished in fifth position in the women’s World Cup race. Looking to rack up points for Olympic qualification, the 28-year-old showcased a strong effort and finished with a time of 1:00:57.
“This is the end of a big race block with four races in five weeks. Today was a tough race but a good end to this block. I am hopeful it is enough, but will just keep my fingers crossed,” said the Rio 2016 Olympian, who posted two, top-six finishes in her gruelling stretch.
Also in action in the women’s competition was Dominika Jamnicky and Emy Legault.