Elite triathlete and 220 columnist, Tom Bishop, is set to commence a world-wide campaign to win his Olympic qualification slot to represent Great Britain at the Tokyo Games in July. To do this, he will be competing at five events, in five different countries, across three continents. All within the space of five weeks.
Tom was a reserve at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and in 2017, achieved his first World Championship Series podium in Abu Dhabi, he is currently ranked in the top 75 ITU triathletes in the world. The first event of Tom's world tour will be the Yokohama World Triathlon Championship Series race in Japan, on 15 May, where Tom will be toeing the start line with a top professional field, many of whom will be competing for the same qualifying slot. Tom says:“At this stage I’m taking it all in my stride and am looking forward to lining up against the world’s best to show everyone what shape I’m in.”
The focus will mainly be on Olympic-distance races, with one event being sprint distance. After racing in Yokohama, Tom will then travel to Portugal (22 May), Italy (29 May), back to the UK (6 June), with his final race and chance to qualify taking place in Mexico (13 June).
Tom adds, “The good news is that I’m in great shape and confident that that qualifying spot is well within my grasp. Ideally I’d be racing a little less, but with bad luck and crashes and an injury in my last season, I dropped ranking points, so the chase is on! It’s going to be an exciting few weeks!”
Tom Bishop plans to race at: Yokohama World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) on 15 May, Lisbon World Cup on 22 May, Arzachena World Cup on 29 May, Leeds WTCS on 6 June, and Huatulco World Cup on 13 June.
Follow Tom’s Olympic qualification journey on Facebook and Instagram through @tomwbish.
Image Credit: Sway Communications Ltd.
