The races are coming thick and fast as the 2025 WTCS enters its crunch phase. Two weeks after WTCS French Riviera, the Series will turn to the Czech Republic to test the world’s best on the iconic Karlovy Vary course for the first time. With 1000 points on the line, this could be the race that swings the Series ahead of the finale in Wollongong. Find out which women will be starting and some of the stories to watch below.
Who’s there?
Current Series leader and 2023 world champion Beth Potter is the headline act of the field. Potter has already claimed medals in Yokohama and Hamburg this year however she was shut out on a similarly hilly Alghero course. As such, while she is possibly the favourite, she is only so by a slender margin. Also racing under British colours are Olivia Mathias, Kate Waugh, Sian Rainsley and Jessica Fullagar.
Two direct rivals to Potter come from the French team with Leonie Periault and Emma Lombardi set to start. Periault memorably struck gold in Hamburg last month with a sumptuous performance and her form makes her hard to overlook. Might this be the first time she wins multiple WTCS medals in the same season?
On the German team, WTCS medallists Lisa Tertsch, Annika Koch and Nina Eim will be racing alongside Franka Rust, Selina Klamt and Julia Bröcker, making up the largest squad on the start list. Tertsch, the winner in Abu Dhabi, will have another race winner for company as Jeanne Lehair, the star of WTCS Yokohama, is entered for Luxembourg alongside Eva Daniels.
A four-woman contingent will also be in attendance for Italy with recent WTCS medallist Bianca Seregni leading the way. Ilaria Zane, Alice Betto and Verena Steinhauser comprise the rest of the Italian quartet.
Several countries have three women slated to start. Netherlands are one such team with last year’s Karlovy Vary World Cup winner Maya Kingma pencilled in alongside Babette Rosman and Barbara De Koning. Team USA will have an experienced trio through Taylor Spivey, Summer Rappaport and Gina Sereno; notably the latter two have medalled in Karlovy Vary before.
Spain will send Miriam Casillas Garcia, Anna Godoy Contreras and Sara Guerrero Manso to the Czech Republic; Switzerland will be represented by Alissa Konig, Leanna Bissig and Nora Gmür.
Sophie Linn and Emma Jeffcoat are entered for Australia, while Slovakia (Romana Gajdošová and Diana Dunajska), Poland (Magdalena Sudak and Zuzanna Sudak) and Finland (Helena Knaapi and Iida Reini) have two women apiece on the start list.
Jolien Vermeylen (BEL), Djenyfer Arnold (BRA) and Tilda Månsson (SWE) head up the group of athletes that are the lone entrants for their respective countries. Finally, the home team will be roared on by large expected crowds. Tereza Zimovjanova, Alzbeta Hruskova, Michaela Sterbova and Heidi Juránková are the names that will look to make the most of the home support.
Who’s not there?
Cassandre Beaugrand has decided against starting in Karlovy Vary. She already has a gold and a silver from her two appearances this season and it appears she will be counting on another big performance at WTCS French Riviera to hit her three-race quota ahead of the Series finale. WTCS Abu Dhabi bronze medallist Laura Lindemann is not racing while her teammate, Tanja Neubert, has also chosen to skip the race. With Neubert currently ranked 10th in the Series, she risks losing her spot as the second highest ranked German woman.
Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal, ranked 8th in the Series, will not be starting. Diana Isakova and Gwen Jorgensen are the only other athletes missing from the WTCS top-20.
Four talking points
Send it again
Last year, Maya Kingma delivered an absolute clinic at the Karlovy Vary World Cup. She was at the front of the race in the water before breaking clear on the bike with Márta Kropkó (HUN). After putting minutes into the field over 40km, Kingma promptly ran clear to a dominant win.
In the first look at the WTCS French Riviera start lists, we discussed Kingma’s recent ventures into cycling and there is little need to rehash how strong she is on two wheels or how this course is virtually tailor-made for her. The key point to note here is that this will be the first time Kingma and Kropkó will race together since Karlovy Vary last year. With their tried-and-trusted formula, look for them to explode out of T1 once again in an attempt to decimate the field.
Tight at the top
The women’s WTCS leaderboard currently sits on a knife’s edge. Halfway through the campaign, no athlete has managed to win multiple races and this instability is reflected in the tight points difference between 1st and 2nd. Potter leads on 2360.08 points but Periault is right behind with 2325.68 points.
As fewer than 35 points separate the pair, whoever finishes ahead in Karlovy Vary will likely carry the Series lead into the final regular season race in Weihai (assuming they can hold off Beaugrand in the French Riviera). Intriguingly, Periault has won in Karlovy Vary before in 2022, however the WTCS and World Cup levels are radically different.
The likes of Potter, Periault and more will therefore have to decide whether to guard against one another in a tactical race and risk being left behind by more aggressive racers, or to launch an all-out offensive and face the danger of wilting on Karlovy Vary’s brutal climbs.
Arnold’s power
One athlete that has largely passed under the radar in the Series this year is Djenyfer Arnold. Finishes of 15th in Yokohama and 21st in Hamburg have not made a big dent on the standings, but that could all change in Karlovy Vary.
In a similar manner to Kingma, the course is perfect for Arnold. She is a fantastic swimmer but it is her power on the bike that could make the difference. Back in April she broke the South American Ironman 70.3 record, logging the 5th fastest time ever. For someone so strong, Karlovy Vary will not be a daunting course. Rather, it will be an opportunity for her to bury her opponents. After the runners’ paradise of Hamburg last month, this time Arnold could deal out some revenge.
A long time coming
Karlovy Vary has been synonymous with triathlon ever since it first held an international race back in 1999. The European Championships were brought to the city in 2001 and from 2008 it has become a fixture of the international calendar. Indeed, in 2020 it was one of the few races to take place.
A World Cup venue since 2017, Karlovy Vary now has the chance to showcase itself on the highest stage, a reward for the sustained excellence in both racing and organisation. It will be a special moment for the city, and, having seen the loaded women’s start list, a fitting race seems set to follow.
The start lists can be found here and you can catch the racing live on TriathlonLive on 14th September. Until then, be sure to stay up to date with the latest across all World Triathlon channels.
