History repeated itself at the Tiszaujvaros World Cup, albeit in different ways in the men’s and women’s finals. In the former, the parallels were easy to draw. After all, it was Csongor Lehmann’s fourth straight World Cup win in his home town and a sixth consecutive Tiszaujvaros win for the Hungarian. Yet the road to win number six was not one Lehmann thought was open to him.
“I always hope it's going to get easier, but at the end of the race I always think that this was the hardest (one yet). I think I also told you that last year and before that as well. But maybe now this was the hardest because the heat was insane.”
“This time I really thought that maybe this is the end of something, because the late race yesterday was so hard, and just coming down from altitude, from 20 degrees, and here it is almost 40 degrees. I really thought that maybe this is the end, I can only be in the top-5 or something. I knew I really needed to dig deep, and I had to. I really had to race clever because clearly this was not my best shape. We will be in the best shape for (WTCS) Hamburg and (WTCS) London. So this was maybe the toughest race, but I'm so happy I made it.”
In the women’s final, history rhymed as far as Taylor Knibb (USA) was concerned. Ten years earlier, the T100 world champion made her World Cup debut in Montreal as a World Junior Championship silver medallist where she broke away with soon-to-be world champion Flora Duffy (BER). Knibb ended up with the bronze behind Duffy’s gold that day.
In Tiszaujvaros, it was Knibb’s turn to play the Duffy role, now for Fanni Szalai (HUN). While the comparison is not perfect as Tiszaujvaros was not Szalai’s World Cup debut – that came back in March in Lanzarote – she is a two-time World Junior Championship silver medallist. And as was the case a decade ago in Montreal, the pair were part of a small breakaway that saw both end up on the podium.
“Ten years ago, I did my first World Cup in Montreal and it was very similar,” recalled Knibb. “I got to break away with Flora Duffy and I looked up to her, and she's done so much for this sport. I think we have to thank her so much for changing women's triathlon. Hopefully, if she's watching this, she can smile a little that some people were very inspired by her, and she's changed the sport very positively.”
Quite some time had passed since we had last seen Knibb at a World Cup; seven years to be precise. Moreover, she only recently made a return to the WTCS following an absence that stretched back to Paris 2024 having expressed disillusionment with short course racing. Nevertheless, it seems her return to the World Cup circuit might have brought back a sense of fun in short course at just the right time.
“It was very spontaneous (deciding to race), which sounds kind of scary because I like to plan things. But that's, I think, part of the fun of it. We have a few months gap before I begin my Kona build where I can have some fun and try things and spontaneously come to Hungary and experience just the fun of triathlon again. And doing things that scare me; I mean, I came here in 2018 and I swore never again. That first buoy could give anyone nightmares. But then sometimes doing the thing undoes the fear.”
We can only hope that Tiszaujvaros proves a turning point and tempts her back more fully into the short course scene. For as her display in the final showed, best described by bronze medallist Tara Sosinski (AUS) as “tearing our legs off”, the action is made all the more fun to watch by Knibb’s presence.
At the same time, Tiszaujvaros was not only about the past. Through Szalai, Sosinski and a host of other breakthrough performances, it was also about the future. On the men’s side, Tom Lerno (FRA) and Pelayo Gonzalez Turrez (ESP) made their first ever World Cup podiums behind Lehmann, while Zalán Hóbor (HUN) worked alongside his illustrious countryman in the breakaway to also earn a first ever top-6 finish at this level.
“I’m very pleased with my result,” said Hóbor. “It was great to achieve such a strong finish in front of the home crowd. I’ve always enjoyed this track, and I had good results here as a junior as well. I also don’t mind racing in extreme heat, although it certainly wasn’t an easy race. Overall, I’m very satisfied with my performance.”
Margareta Vrablova (SVK) likewise enjoyed a best ever World Cup result as she also placed 6th. “I am super happy! This was just my second World Cup and in Europe the field is always stacked, which makes it all the more rewarding.”
At the end of last year, Vrablova claimed 7th place at her World Cup debut Florianopolis. For an athlete with a decorated junior record, her talent has always been clear. Yet Florianopolis was also her first international start after an 18-month absence.
“It wasn’t something I chose,” she explained. “Those 18 months of no international racing (including my last junior season) were a very difficult period for me with back-to-back injuries and other misfortunes. I am very grateful to the people closest to me and to the University of Arizona and coach Wes Johnson who supported me during this time.”
Finally, there was a boost in Tiszaujvaros for Knibb’s teammate, Danielle Orie (USA), as the World Cup medallist tucked away a 5th place finish in her best result in a year. “It felt like a step in the right direction. After a few races where the results were hard to make sense of, it was reassuring to have something tangible to build from. At the same time, the race also held up a mirror to the areas that still need work.”
“In the swim, I need to become more comfortable when the water gets chaotic and there are bodies everywhere. On the bike, I can't keep giving away position by coming out too far back in a big pack. Those are skills that come with confidence, experience and repetition. So while I'm happy with the result, I'm probably even more encouraged that I came away with a clearer picture of what the next version of me needs to look like.”
Since winning her first World Cup medal in Saidia last June, Orie has made the step up to the WTCS and has been finding her feet in the Series. Pertinently, her Tiszaujvaros result leaves her in 22nd place in the (extremely early) Olympic qualification rankings. At this point in time, is her headspace tuned more towards qualifying for LA 2028 or on gaining experience?
“I'd be lying if I said Olympic qualification wasn't somewhere in the background, but I don't think it's something you can chase directly. Right now, my focus is on becoming the kind of athlete who's capable of qualifying: mastering the chaos of an open-water swim, finding confidence and position on the bike, learning to close races on the run with mental grit, and making every transition count. If I can keep stacking those pieces, I trust the results and the points will eventually follow. It's less about looking at the destination/results every day and more about becoming the person who belongs there.”
Considering Orie has made fewer international starts than all of Szalai, Sosinski, Vrablova, Lerno, Gonzalez and Hóbor, when contemplating the future hers is a name that should not be overlooked. Chances are the athlete with a law degree and currently pursuing her MBA will be able to learn the triathlon lessons posed to her in no time at all, which could soon result in experienced hands like Knibb looking over their shoulders in the race to LA.