Sunday afternoon in the Czechia hills saw a hugely impressive race from one of the brightest stars to emerge on the Series in 2025, Germany’s Henry Graf holding off a marauding Miguel Hidalgo to take his first win in his first full season at triathlon’s top table.

A bold early bike breakaway with Mark Devay was later joined by Tjebbe Kaindl and stuck hard, this time not including world number one Matt Hauser or the Brazilian bullet Hidalgo. Carving out some 40 seconds advantage out of transition, the chasers were unable to make significant headway on the German until Hidalgo dug deep, only to run out of gas just as it looked like he had reeled his man in. 

Behind that duo, Csongor Lehmann was home in bronze for Hungary after holding off another bright young talent in Britain’s WTCS debutant Oliver Conway and Swiss Adrien Briffod in an engrossing battle for the final podium spot.

'This is absolutely crazy,' beamed Graf in disbelief. 'You see the level of the guys, you often doubt if you can ever be even on a podium on a race like this, and to do it is just unbelievable, it hasn't sunk in yet. At the end of the bike my legs were really tired and at the start of the run I didn’t feel really well. When I heard that the gap was not coming down... I started to believe in me.

When Miguel (Hidalgo) came closer I just gave everything that I had left and just hoped that he wasn't fast enough. He had a really strong push on the last lap, we all know how incredible a runner he is, so i'm just super happy I could hold off and win here. For me right now the only way to beat those guys is to break away, and it was so amazing that it worked out today!'

Devay leads the way

It was a typically frantic swim in the tight Karlovy Vary lake and only 10 seconds separated the top 20 at the halfway mark, Devay and Hauser the first to find themselves out and hammering along the pier before launching themselves back into the water for lap two. 

That was also the cue for Devay and Hamburg bronze medallist Alessio Crociani (ITA) to push the pace, gapping Hauser slightly by the time they were back around the island, Hauser out third with Diego Moya (CHI), Graf and Dorian Coninx (FRA) in hot pursuit, USA’s Seth Rider right in touch. 

Hayden Wilde would emerge almost two minutes back, a pre-race bike accident clearly having left him shaken though thankfully not any more physically broken. 

Morgan Pearson (USA) was on the gas with Panagiotis Bitados (GRE) and Harry Leleu (GBR) trying to close the gap, the young Greek talent coming off on a corner and taking his rivals with him, Leleu and Pearson able to continue although the American’s cracked bike would result in a DNF later.

Bike packs shuffle as course takes a toll

That left 14 men to come together, as Westermann and Hidalgo joined pace-setters Crociani and Graf, Hauser sitting in safely towards the middle, Coninx, Lehmann and Stapley well set. 

Mitch Kolkman, Oliver Conway and Adrien Briffod were chasing hard a minute back and once Graf and Devay rolled the dice on lap three - and then Tjebbe Kaindl joined them two laps later – the chasers were able to catch onto Hauser and co ahead. 

By the end of the bike, that trio had 40 seconds over the 24 chasers, and it was Graf quickest out of transition, Devay looking to hold on, then Kaindl drifting.

Devay stuck to Graf as long as he could over the opening lap, on the course where he scored his first world cup medal in 2023, but there was some serious firepower closing in behind.

Remarkable run from Germany’s young gun

At the end of lap one the chasers’ gap to Graf had held, however, as Kaindl and Devay were getting reeled in by a hungry pack of Briffod, Hauser, Lehmann, Hidalgo, Oliver Conway, Seth Rider, Diego Moya and Alessio Crociani. 

It was Crociani and Rider who were first to drop off, then Hidalgo really started to find his legs and begin to mount some pressure on the German after moving into second. 

By the end of lap three the gap remained 30 seconds, but that had halved just half a lap later. Hidalgo had used all his matches by then, though, and Graf was able to hit the blue carpet with enough of a safety net to really enjoy his moment, taking the tape, arms aloft in disbelief at his debut Series win. 

Hidalgo crossed 9 seconds later followed by Lehmann with a second Series bronze and Oliver Conway with an outstanding debut in fourth. Briffod took fifth, then Crociani and Moya, Hauser slowing after some cramps on the run safe in his place on top of the rankings, the breakaway boys Kaindl and Devay rounding out the top 10. 

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MIGUEL HIDALGO:
'First of all, congrats to Henry, he did an amazing race. he raced with courage, so kudos to him. I felt flat from the gun. On the swim I wasn't feeling like myself. Simon Westermann helped me to bridge the gap, because I was not feeling good, and then on the bike I tried to race smart, but on two or three laps to go, I just thought that today was not my day. I started the run I was trying to keep up with the group, and at 5km I started to drop, with stomach cramps. But then I thought that I gave myself one more chance, and I started to feel good at the second half of the run. Somehow I just found some energy and started closing the gap. At the end, I got a second place that is great for my Championship Series ranking, traded a third place result for a second place result, so I am happy.

CSONGOR LEHMANN:
'It feels amazing to be on the podium, it was a year since I was on a podium at the Series, so Im really happy to be back. And I am very proud that I could deliver a great performance on one of the hardest courses of the world, so I am super happy. I know this course very well, so I tried to not waste all my energy on the bike and save some energy for the run, and it worked very well for me.'

Full results available here. 
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