After the resounding success of the triathlon events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the sport returns to the country this month for the first ever instalment of WTCS French Riviera. The sprint distance event is the second new location of the year following the dazzling debut of WTCS Alghero earlier in the summer. The biggest story line, however, is not the stunning location. Rather, it is the long-awaited return of Olympic champion Alex Yee. In addition, for the first time the WTCS and T100 will be coupled at the same venue, promising a feast of triathlon action. Read on to find out which men are currently slated to take to the start line.
Who’s there?
The four words triathlon fans have been anticipating and fellow male triathletes have been dreading can now be uttered. Alex Yee is back. Heading up a four-man British team, Yee will be making a first international start since claiming the world title at the end of last year. Hugo Milner, Ben Dijkstra and Connor Bentley will be racing alongside him for Great Britain.
An even more surprising name can be found further down the men’s start list. As things stand, Hayden Wilde, the winner of WTCS Abu Dhabi at the start of the season, is pencilled in as the only male starter for New Zealand. A horrible bike crash in Tokyo seemed to have put paid to his ambitions for 2025, yet Wilde is back and primed to duel against his great rival Yee.
One man whose presence has to be taken with a grain of salt but also could raise the ante even further is Matthew Hauser. In the aftermath of his victory at WTCS Hamburg, Hauser intimated that he would return home to focus on preparing for the Series Final in Wollongong instead of taking on any further Series events. With Brandon Copeland, Callum McClusky and Brayden Mercer also racing, there are others that are capable of flying the Australian flag in his absence. For the next few weeks, then, we will await Hauser’s decision. The 2025 Series leader has to take on Yee at some point. The question is whether he does so now or in an epic winner-takes-all clash in Wollongong.
From the home team, WTCS gold medallists Dorian Coninx and Pierre Le Corre will likely be among the challengers for the podium. Yanis Seguin and Tom Richard will also be among the home contingent. They will collectively have their work cut out to make the podium as WTCS Alghero winner Miguel Hidalgo starts for Brazil (with Manoel Messias) and triple 2025 Series medallist Vasco Vilaca goes again for Portugal (with Ricardo Batista).
Headlining a Spanish quartet will be David Cantero del Campo who has established himself as one of the fastest runners in the sport this year. WTCS medallist Roberto Sanchez Mantecon is also on the start list with him, as are Alberto Gonzalez Garcia and Sergio Baxter Cabrera.
WTCS winner and T100 wildcard Morgan Pearson leads an American quintet that also contains John Reed, Chase McQueen, Seth Rider and Darr Smith. The similarly experienced Márk Dévay will also head up a Hungarian team of Márton Kropkó, Gyula Kovács and Zalán Hóbor after medalling at the Tiszaujvaros World Cup.
Elsewhere on the start list, Tyler Mislawchuk, Charles Paquet and Mathis Beaulieu make up a strong Canadian trio. Henry Graf, one of the breakout stars of 2025, starts alongside Valentin Wernz in German colours. World U23 Championship medallist Mitch Kolkman is also on the start list with Dutch teammate Gjalt Panjer.
Who’s not there?
Olympic medallist Leo Bergere will not start in the WTCS race; he instead will tackle the T100 event the day prior. Csongor Lehmann is ranked 4th overall in the Series right now but will be absent in the French Riviera. Luke Willian, Max Stapley and Adrien Briffod are also missing from the Series top-20.
Four talking points
Mission possible?
When it comes to the world title, Alex Yee has cut it fine. With three shots remaining before the WTCS Final, he makes his entrance at the last possible moment and will have to be near-perfect if he is to arrive in Wollongong in a position to meaningfully challenge Hauser. Although we have little information to go by, the signs are promising.
Yee won on his comeback at the supertri event in Toronto. Having taken scalps of Vilaca and more, his win was no simple matter. Any fears for his speed after a lengthy marathon training block have therefore been settled; in all likelihood, he will be ready for the looming sprint distance WTCS race. From there, who knows what might follow. His pursuit of Hauser, though, is only just beginning.
Home court advantage
On the one hand, WTCS French Riviera, as a new course, will present a novel challenge to all the athletes taking part. On the other, not all starters are equal in this regard. The members of the French team have raced at the French Grand Prix in Fréjus over the years, giving them crucial insights into how the race and course may play out.
The course maps for WTCS French Riviera have not yet been released but advance knowledge of the sea swim and the possible bike and run courses will be invaluable. Throw in the home support, a factor which proved a real boon in Paris last year, and the French team could put on a show.
Yet this may prove a double-edged sword, for who was the man that won in Fréjus last year? That was none other than Monsieur Yee.
French connection
Beyond those racing under the French flag, this will be a first home WTCS race of sorts for another group of athletes. Felix Duchampt (ROU) and Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR) are two such athletes that have either raced for France or have deep personal connections with the country. Abdelmoula, for instance, is an active firefighter in France, working full-time since the Paris Olympics.
Jeanne Lehair (LUX) and Margot Garabedian (CAM) find themselves in similar positions in the women’s race and this group will potentially gain as much from the locale as those on the French squad.
A debut to watch
A little over six months on from his sister’s Series debut, Márton Kropkó will be making his first start in the WTCS. Already this season, Kropkó has earned a first World Cup medal (in Samarkand) and was close to adding another at his home race in Tiszaujvaros.
He has proven himself to be a superb swimmer and has made his bones as a breakaway merchant this year. Debuts in the WTCS are often bumpy rides at the best of times, but if a pack does manage to escape along the coast of the French Riviera, chances are Kropkó will be among their number.
Be sure to tune in to WTCS French Riviera live on TriathlonLive on 31st August and check out the full men’s start lists here.
