Defending champion Jonathan Brownlee of Britain will be eyeing a fourth-successive Olympic berth as he tackles one of the toughest sprint-distance courses out there.

Spain’s Antonio Serrat Seoane, who is second in the overall rankings with 1923 points, will be looking to seal his first-ever Olympic campaign.  

The 27-year-old Seoane, who already has two World Cup podiums, will be on a mission to underline his credentials as one of the top triathletes.

Adrien Briffod of Switzerland, Hungary’s Mark Devay and under-23 world champion Csongor Lehmann are some of the other standout stars while Morocco’s Jawad Abdelmoula is returning to Italy after clinching gold in Tongyeong at the end of 2021, followed by continental cup victories in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Sweden’s Gabriel Sandor will be looking to bag his first World Cup podium since 2019 at Arzachena, where he recorded two tenth-placed finishes in the last two editions.

Birmingham-bound Dylan Mccullough, Hayden Wilde and Tayler Reid will be hoping to fly the New Zealand flag high as Australian Max Stapley will be joined by teammates Luke Willian and Luke Bate.

Among women, wearing the number one, home favourite Verena Steinhauser will try to better two third-place finishes. 

Swiss star Julie Derron, who had to settle for silver last year, is in good form and will hope to jump up the podium this time around.

Spain’s Miriam Casillas Garcia, whose last podium was at Weihai in 2019, is another athlete who is strong in all three segments.

Under-23 World Championships silver medallist Alberte Kjaer Pedersen of Denmark, who registered two top-10 finishes in Sardinia, will be the one to look out for. 

After an excellent Arena Games in Singapore, the 28-year-old Zsanett Bragmayer of Hungary could challenge for a podium spot.

Ainsley Thorpe of New Zealand and Charlotte McShane and Emma Jeffcoat from Australia are the triathletes hoping to create an impact from the Oceania region.