Can The Best Of British Deliver Title Joy For RTP Sharks?

Britain has had a storied recent history in triathlon – and the RTP Sharks are aiming to keep it that way.

Michelle Dillon, a two-time British Olympian, has promised a British-led team for her Sharks this year, and there is clearly the arsenal of athletes to deliver something competitive.

It is certainly an interesting choice of team identity she and RTP, who have significant offices in London, the home of the opening race of the Championship Series, have gone for.

But is there enough depth to really challenge for the title? Can she avoid cliques in the team with so many athletes jostling for position individually ahead of the Paris Olympics?

In the week before the athlete rosters are revealed for each Team, we take a deeper look at the 2023 RTP Sharks. 

Meet The Manager

Michelle Dillon

Michelle is a former World and European champion and two-time Olympian. She ran the 10,000m in the Commonwealth Games before switching to triathlon where she secured numerous titles. She now coaches a range of athletes from Age Groupers through to elites and recently won the Age Group World Championship title. Michelle is assisted by her husband, Stuart Hayes, who represented Great Britain at triathlon in the 2012 London Olympics.

Manager Insights

“British triathletes have dominated the world stage over the past decade and we need to prove there is no end to that on the horizon. I am proud to be building a British-led team pulling together both for a home race in London and the rest of the Championship Series. Heading towards the Paris Olympics it is important that we remind the world how good we are.”

The Owners: In Their Own Words

RTP Global was founded on taking bold bets – and it’s a philosophy we still live by today.

In the late 90s, our founder – entrepreneur and passionate triathlete Leonid Boguslavsky – used the proceeds of the sale of his tech company to co-found a new firm that would invest in other entrepreneurs doing amazingly innovative things with technology. It was a bold bet, one that saw him invest most of his personal wealth.

And it paid off.

Since 2000, RTP Global has backed over 110 founders of some of the biggest emerging tech and internet start-ups, right from their very early stages. These companies – like Datadog, DeliveryHero and Cred – went on to become global, multi-billion dollar businesses.

We are also a truly global team with full-time investing presence in New York, Bangalore, Dubai, London and Paris.

Leonid Boguslavsky is also a Co-Founder of Super League Triathlon, and owning a Team means passion and business continue to meet.

Who Might Race For Them?

Michelle Dillon has dropped a pretty big hint at her plans by stating she is aiming for a British-led team. Does that mean all-British? Does that mean a couple of star acts? We will find out next week.

Surely she would have been without Georgia Taylor-Brown even before her injury, as the defending champion and defending Teams champion for Bahrain Victorious Scorpions. That means either Beth Potter or Sophie Coldwell could headline for the women, and with Dillon having worked well with Beth for two years in the Sharks that will be a strong link.

There is the potential that both will be Sharks, meaning the two athletes who look most likely to battle for the remaining female mixed relay spot for the Paris Olympics will be rivals and teammates at the same time.

A similar ‘headliner’ question exists in the men’s ranks with Jonny Brownlee and Alex Yee. They are mixed relay teammates, but even going into the Olympics, Brownlee is triathlon royalty and surely not going to want to play second fiddle or domestique to anyone, no matter how much he respects Yee.

And even if Dillon does bring in a core of other Brits such as Dan Dixon, Kate Waugh, Olivia Mathias etc, surely she can’t find a full 10. So who else fits the bill can she prevent them from feeling like an outsider?