Final Showdown: Sharks v Scorpions Set For Epic Finale

Is the sting of the Scorpion more deadly than the bite of the Shark? NEOM will reveal the answers as hosts of the 2022 Super League Triathlon Championship Series Grand Finale.

Two-time Olympian Michelle Dillon’s SLT Sharks are the pacesetters (304pts) heading into the final round, with four-time triathlon world champion Chris McCormack’s Bahrain Victorious Scorpions (287pts) 17 points behind.

The Cheetahs (265), last year’s table-topping Eagles (256) and the Rhinos (237) look too far adrift to make a challenge for the $120,000 cheque, the biggest haul from the $320,000 teams prize pool that guarantees every athlete will earn money from this year’s Series.

With team points on offer for the overall positions of the top three athletes from each team, plus the top three fastest swims and laps of the bike and run, here’s what to watch for in the Scorpions v Sharks showdown – plus how it might play out.

The Sharks

Led by talisman Hayden Wilde, the Kiwi not only tops the individual standings (58pts) by 17pts, he’s also the leading points scorer (28pts) for the run and is joint top on the bike (16pts). That’s one hell of a tally, just from one athlete.

But the key to Dillon’s Sharks is having quality across the board and Wilde is ably backed up on the men’s side by Tayler Reid (38pts) in third and Chase McQueen (31pts) in joint seventh.

The formidable Sharks’ trio have all made the top 10 in every race this series, and Reid (18pts) adds some extra firepower in the swim where he’s only bettered by the Eagles’ Jamie Riddle.

As for the Sharks’ women, Beth Potter (36pts) leads their charge in fourth overall, with Kate Waugh (23pts) in ninth and Nicole van der Kaay (21pts) in  10th. 

It means they are the only team to have three triathletes in the top 10 of BOTH the men’s and women’s standings. For good measure, Potter also makes it onto the run leaderboard gaining an extra 20pts.

The Scorpions

In contrast to the Sharks, Bahrain Victorious Scorpions rely heavily on their women.

Georgia Taylor-Brown (56pts) is the series leader, tops the bike points (24pts) and also features on the run leaderboard (14pts) in third.

Cassandre Beaugrand (27pts) might only be in eighth in the overall standings, but has been the ultimate team player in delivering the most bonus points on both the swim (20pts) and run (24pts).

It’s a similar tale for Emma Jeffcoat, who while only twice placing inside the top 15 has managed to rack up 12pts on the swim and a further 20pts on the bike.

The Scorpions’ men haven’t  had the series they were looking for, except for Kenji Nener. 

None of them feature on the individual discipline leaderboards, but Nener is riding high in the individual standings in fourth place after finishing third in Toulouse in what he termed one of the best performances of his career.

What to expect in Neom

MEN

The ante is upped for the Grand Finale with more points available for the finishing positions, including 20pts – up from 15pts – for taking the tape.

From a Scorpions’ perspective, the men have to step up – and it can’t all be left to Nener. Tyler Mislawchuk was one of the big names following the draft, but the Canadian has only once featured in the top 10 and that was in London at the start of the series.

Whether they have enough firepower elsewhere to pick up individual discipline points (8, 6 & 4pts) looks doubtful. 

The plan will be more of the same for the Sharks’ trio of Wilde, Reid and McQueen. All three in the top 10 again would be the ideal scenario, with Wilde’s bike and run, and Reid and McQueen’s swimming ability meaning bonus points are also likely.

WOMEN

A dream day for the Scorpions’ women would see Taylor-Brown and Beaugrand finish one-two, Switzerland’s Cathia Schar pushing her way into the top 10 as she did in London and Malibu – and the Sharks’ women falling off the pace. 

Much relies on Potter for Dillon’s team, who’ll be targeting a top five – as in London or Toulouse – or better, while trying to pick up some bonus points on the run. 

Potter will also be out to prove she can excel at the Enduro format after it was last used in Munich where she came 11th – her poorest return of the series.

Van der Kaay has also had three top 10s, and Kate Waugh showed her potential in finishing sixth in London.

How might it play out?

There are slightly more points on offer for the final round, but here’s how it might play out in best-case scenarios for each team…

Sharks

Wilde wins and picks up the fastest bike and run to bring in 36pts.

Reid finishes fifth and is fastest in the water for another 20pts, while McQueen matches his series-best sixth from Malibu and scoops 11pts.

On the women’s side, a fifth for Potter, sixth for Waugh and ninth for Van der Kaay bring in a further 31 points, with Potter bagging another 8pts for the fastest run lap.  

Sharks men: 67pts

Sharks women: 39pts

Total: 106pts

Scorpions

If Nener can sneak another podium position it’ll be a 16pt haul, while Mislawchuk could have a resurgence to match his London result of fourth for 14pts. 

Any points a third Scorpion male can gain will be seen as a bonus, but Ryan Fisher could make top 15 for an extra 2pts. Bonus points might be hard to come by.

The women have to dominate. If Taylor-Brown can win with the best bike leg it’ll add 28pts. If Beaugrand can finish second with the fastest run and swim it’ll be another 34pts. 

Another ninth place by Schar would add a further 8pts, leaving Jeffcoat free to concentrate on trying to get the fastest swim or bike lap which could bring another 12pts in total.

It would be enough to win the round, but NOT the overall series, leaving the Sharks with the glory.

Scorpions men: 32pts

Scorpions women: 82pts

Total: 114pts 

Final totals:

Sharks: 410pts

Scorpions: 401pts