Ben Kanute secured a podium finish at CHALLENGEMIAMI in the final stages of the race to get his 2021 campaign off to a scintillating start.

Up against a world-class field at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, the PTO World Ranked #27 showed his worth to the Team USA captains as stars across the globe continued to chase those coveted Collins Cup slots at Šamorín in August.

The American currently finds himself ninth in qualifying protocol for Team USA, but he defeated several of the athletes above him in his opening race of the season.

Fastest through the water in a time of 20:26, Ben emerged onto land knowing that a number of world’s best – including PTO World Ranked #1 Jan Frodeno, #6 Lionel Sanders, #36 Ben Hoffman, #10 Rudy Von Berg and #11 Matt Hanson – would be in hot pursuit.

The 28-year-old continued to excel on two wheels, but dropped back to fifth in the standings as Frodeno, Sanders, Magnus Ditlev and Andrew Starykowicz all passed him.

A 55:11 run split put him right back in contention for a podium though, and a dramatic late pass of Chris Leiferman was enough to clinch third place behind Frodeno and Sanders.

“Solid start to the season with 3rd behind two guys I really respect in the sport – Jan Frodeno and Lionel Sanders,” Kanute posted shortly after the race.

“I raced consistent throughout the day, raced my race, and finished strong. It is still early in the season, and I look forward to building on this race.”

Meanwhile, triathlon fans across the globe will be salivating at the prospect of the CHALLENGEMIAMI podium lining up on the start line as one of the 12 individual matchups at the Collins Cup.

Frodeno and Sanders currently lead the standings for Team Europe and Team Internationals respectively, while Kanute is putting forward a strong case for inclusion in Team USA.

Here are Ben’s ‘Weapons of Choice’:

Swim

Goggles: Magic5
Speedsuit: Deboer Tsunami 1.0
Trisuit: Santini Viper
Sports Watch: Polar Vantage V2

Bike

Bike frame: Trek Speed Concept
Frame size: M
Aero Bars: Bontrager
Front wheel: Bontrager Aeolus XXX 6.0
Rear Wheel: SRAM Zipp Disc
Component Groupset: SRAM Etap
Power meter: Quarq
Crank Length: 165mm
Gearing: 52 10/28
Helmet: Rudy Project Wing TT
Cycling Shoes: Bontrager XXX
Saddle: Bontrager Hilo TT

Run

Shoes: HOKA Rocket X
Eyewear: Rudy Project Spinshield
Headwear: Team Kanute USA hat
Nutrition: Infinit