A little over two weeks have passed since the conclusion of the women’s WTCS, a Series with a denouement that nobody saw coming. Naturally, the headlines went to Lisa Tertsch snatching the world title from seemingly nowhere. Meanwhile, the constituents of the top-7 in the Series all gained or lost at least two places on the final day. At the same time, no one fell out of the top-10 overall (or climbed into it) at the Final, suggesting the top-10 athletes in the Series were already clearly marked out from the rest.
In this article, we try to make sense of the women’s WTCS in 2025 by examining the average performance statistics of the leading athletes in the Series. What were the strengths that lifted Tertsch to her crown? What were the key points of difference that determined the athletes’ placings in the top-10? And what split the top-10 from those behind? Read on to find out everything the numbers have to tell us.
The champion
After ending her campaign like that, we can only start with Tertsch. And across the board, the German was clearly one of the best athletes in the Series. To start with the swim, Tertsch had an average position of 3.7 out of the water (this means she left the swim on average in 3.7th place). We focus on average position here as racing is fundamentally relational. Raw times are always interesting but at the end of the day where you finish relative to your opponent is what matters.
Only two women in the top-10 had a better average swim exit position. Given Tertsch raced at every WTCS stop (and was the only woman in the top-10 to do so), this represented remarkable consistency in the first discipline.
Tertsch was then strong in both T1 and T2, averaging positions of 4.5 and 4.2. Only one other athlete had a better combination of T1 and T2 averages. In between, on the bike, Tertsch had an average position of 16.8. Finally, on the run she averaged a placing of 5.4.
Across the board, then, we see that Tertsch was one of the best athletes across all facets of the sport this year. Her comparatively lowly bike ranking (her only average position to fall outside the top-10) is more a sign of tactical riding than anything; while in the front pack, there was no need for her to also push for field-leading splits.
Comparing to 2024
To rewind one year, Tertsch ended 2024 on the back of what was a career-best campaign when she took 4th overall in the WTCS. If we look at the differences in her average stats across 2024 and 2025, we see how she managed to rise up the rankings. Take her swim. Whereas this year, Tertsch was highly consistent and one of the best swimmers in the overall top-10, last year she averaged a position of 16.5. Moreover, last year, she averaged a bike position of 22.2 in 2024.
These swim and bike averages speak to how she missed crucial front packs on multiple occasions, such as in Yokohama and Torremolinos. This is something she clearly rectified and it is telling that her Wollongong win came from the kind of breakaway group she missed in Torremolinos.
Tertsch also improved in transition this year; in 2024 she averaged a position of 5.8 in both T1 and T2. Her run was slightly better last year (her average position was 2.5), although her lower average this year is likely down to a combination of a longer, more gruelling race schedule and her brief drop in form in the summer.
In addition, we can compare Tertsch’s 2025 record against last year’s champion, Cassandre Beaugrand. In 2024, the Olympic champion had an average swim position of 9.5, several places behind Tertsch. Beaugrand was also the best in transition among the women in 2024, averaging positions of 1 in both T1 and T2. Here, she had a slight advantage over Tertsch’s 2025 performance.
On the bike, the two women were similar, with Beaugrand averaging a position of 14.8, while the French athlete had the better run with her 2024 average position of 1.2. Both women had remarkable campaigns in their respective world title-winning seasons and it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top next year.
The overall podium
When we look at the athletes that joined Tertsch on the overall podium, we can see how fine the margins were between the German winning the world title and not. Leonie Periault (2nd) was the second best runner this season with an average position of 3.6. She was superb in transition, with rankings of 4.7 and 4.8 in T1 and T2, and on the bike she had an average position of 12.9. Her one slightly weaker area was the swim, in which she averaged a position of 12.
However, the swim actually represents a point of drastic improvement. Periault finished 7th overall in 2024 and a big part of that was her average swim position of 28.8. Moreover, she had an average run of 6.8 last year and her progress there should not be overlooked either.
Last year’s 2nd place finisher overall, Beth Potter, placed 3rd this time round. Like Periault, she was better in the water than last year, averaging a position of 7.9 to 9.2 in 2024. In transition, Potter had rankings of 4.3 and 4.5, almost beating Tertsch as the second best woman in the Series in this aspect. Her bike and run were also broadly comparable to last year. An average position of 12.7 on the bike was an upgrade on last year’s 13.2. Conversely, her average run of 4.2 was a little behind last year’s standard of 2.8.
In general, Periault and Potter had remarkably similar profiles. Interestingly, they also out-ran Tertsch across the Series. Tertsch’s advantage in the swim, however, appears to have been an important facet in her beating out her two rivals. Ultimately, the minor differences between the top-3 speak to why the world title was decided in such late fashion.
The top-10
Elsewhere in the top-10, we see two types of athlete. This first is the supremely well-balanced athlete across all disciplines. The benchmark here is Taylor Spivey (4th), who was mightily consistent in terms of the difference between her best and worst disciplines. Her swim (6.8) and run (6.9) were almost identically ranked, while in between she held average positions of 7.4 for T1, 13.9 for the bike and 7.5 for T2. With only 7.1 places between best and worst event and all bar one of her disciplines inside the top-10, she was fantastic across the board.
Similarly, Jeanne Lehair (6th) was incredible, averaging positions of 6.7 in the swim, 5.5 in T1, 17.3 on the bike, 5.6 in T2 and 5.3 on the run. Lehair really was close to possessing the average statistics of a podium-level athlete, but was undone by fine margins. One surprising point to note is that Lehair actually finished 5th overall last year but had far better averages this season.
For instance, none of her average positions in 2024 were under 10 and only her bike was better than her 2025 levels. She is evidently rising on virtually all fronts and could be even more dangerous in 2026. Nevertheless, the fact she dropped one place overall this year is a testament to the increased competitiveness of the 2025 Series.
Diana Isakova (8th) also belongs in this group of consistency masters in the top-10. Her swim (10.7) and bike (10.9) were almost the same; her T1 and T2 actually were (8.2). To round things off, she had an average run of 6.7.
The other cohort of athletes in the top-10 are those that managed to mitigate a point of relative weakness with an area of outstanding strength. The best example here is Bianca Seregni (5th). Seregni was the top swimmer this year with an average position of 1.7. From there, her average bike of 16.2 kept her in any breakaways that formed, two of which resulted with her on the podium. However, her average run position of 11.3 made her the only woman in the top-10 with an average above 10.
On the one hand, this highlights the value of a fast run in making the women’s top-10. On the other hand, Seregni’s relative vulnerability in this respect was covered by her swim speed.
Jolien Vermeylen (9th) and Tanja Neubert (10th) likewise each had one relative weakness this year. Vermeylen’s was the bike, where she averaged a position of 20. This is not a dramatic “weakness” but she was the only woman in the top-10 to have an average bike position that low. When balanced against her average swim (6.8) and run (8.1), it also looks a little more prominent.
Neubert’s weakness came in the swim where she averaged a position of 21.7. Along with Vermeylen's bike, this made her the only woman in the top-10 with an average over 20. However, Neubert’s average position on the bike of 3.2 was the best in the top-25 of the Series, granting her a clear point of difference. Her run average of 8.1 also matched Vermeylen.
Overall, then, to make the top-10 an athlete must be incredibly consistent or be able to carry one weaker discipline with a clear point of strength. This pattern is enhanced when we look beyond the top-10.
The bigger picture
Emma Lombardi (11th) had numbers of a higher-ranked athlete but did not have enough finishes to lift her ranking. Her average swim position stood at 12.8 (a little weaker than the norm in the top-10) but she averaged 7 and 7.6 on the bike and run.
However, other than Lombardi, no one in the top-20 had a single split with an average under 8.0. A handful of strong swimmers, like Olivia Mathias (average of 8.8) and Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal (8.7), were close but not quite consistent enough. Furthermore, the run proved a big separator with Anna Godoy Contreras (12th) holding the next best average position with 12. As such, to make the top-10 overall, one needed serious consistency across the board or at least one difference-making discipline; and a fast run did not hurt.
Finally, there is one woman we have not spoken about yet with respect to 2025. Cassandre Beaugrand (7th). Her ranking is a little misleading as she did not finish in Wollongong, costing her a shot at the world title and a final score for her total. Yet her stats tell a different story.
Beaugrand had the second best swim with an average of 2.9, the best transitions with averages of 2.8 and 2.2, and the best run with an average of 2.6. Her bike was solid too, with an average position of 15.3. Beaugrand had a slightly better run in 2024, a noticeably better average swim in 2025, and a more or less similar bike across the two seasons. She therefore had the numbers of a prospective world champion and will no doubt be back with a vengeance next year.
