Shoes or No Shoes? Super League's Great Shoe Debate

Super League’s athletes are finding themselves caught up in ‘the great shoe debate’ ahead of racing in Malta.

The first events of the 2019/20 Championship Series at RBC Super League Triathlon Jersey 2019 had some unforeseen twists.

Not only did the bike leg get cancelled due to the high winds but the Professionals found some novel ways to avoid elimination.

With the last athlete at the end of each transition from swim to run getting axed, several opted to run without trainers to ensure they overtook those who chose to put them on in transition.

It all started off with Brazilian star Luisa Baptista sprinting straight through T1 after the first swim of the women’s Final to leave Emilie Morier, who was well ahead of her out of the water but chose to stop and put on her trainers in transition, eliminated.

The tactic was later copied by Vittoria Lopes, and in the men’s Final by Kristian Blummenfelt as Jonny Brownlee paid the price for not being alert to the situation and suffered a quick elimination, while Olivia Mathias and a host of others adapted it by carrying their trainers through transition and putting them on the other side of the line.

It certainly paid dividends for Baptista, who collected five Championship Series points instead of one and $1,200 instead of $500 in prize money.

Baptista said:

I came to Super League for the challenge and I think that the weather changed a little bit my plans and it was a big challenge. I thought about what was the best solution and I didn’t have a good swim so I thought I had to be as fast as I can to try to go with the strongest girls in the second swim and see what I can do. I felt a little bit the pace but I am happy about the decision as I could go to the end, though it was a little bit painful.