Explore some of the biggest stories we took away from the 2026 WTCS Final
Like all good things, the 2026 WTCS has come to an end. But not without a final flourish in Pontevedra that will have us eagerly anticipating the return of the Series. Read on to find out some of top stories we took away from the conclusions of the two campaigns below.
We Are The Champions
For only the second time this decade, both pre-Final Series leaders emerged from the last race of the campaign as world champions. Two years ago, Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) completed a perfect season with a crowning win in Torremolinos and on her return to Spain she repeated the feat in Pontevedra. At this point, what is there left to say about the Olympic champion? She is the undisputed queen of the sport right now and records, from most world titles to the most WTCS wins, look there for the taking.
Meanwhile, Vasco Vilaca (POR) became a model of consistency of his own in 2026. After winning the opening two rounds of the Series, he left Pontevedra with a fourth straight silver medal and across that quartet of silvers the Portuguese athlete has been denied by a cumulative 7 seconds. No matter the race, he is now always in the mix and one can match his six Series medals in 2026. Now his challenge is simple (or at least simple on paper): to become the first man to defend a Series crown in the 2020s.
We are so back
Momentum is a funny thing. A few weeks ago, Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), despite her immense talent and record in triathlon, was not really at the forefront of the sport. Two years had passed since her last Series medal, almost three and a half had gone by without a Series win, and she had never been in the running for this year’s Series. And yet everything has clicked.
A win in Karlovy Vary preceded a silver medal in Pontevedra and together those two results vaulted her up the rankings, all the way onto the overall podium for the first time since 2022. With every race it seems we are seeing the return to the peak of Taylor-Brown’s powers, and with every race she serves reminders of how much it must (respectfully) suck to have to race her. She simply has no weaknesses. If she maintains this momentum into 2027, Beaugrand’s hunt for records may very quickly transform into a fight to stay at the top.
Delivering on promise
Not to be lost in Vilaca’s coronation was that he was not the only Portuguese athlete on the overall podium this year. Joining him was one of 2026’s breakout stars, Ricardo Batista (POR). A former World Junior champion, Batista had a fantastic race at the 2024 Olympic Games, placing 6th to Vilaca’s 5th. Bringing his WTCS form up to the promise he showed in Paris, though, has taken a little longer.
His time, however, has now come. After winning his first ever WTCS medals earlier in the season, Batista signed off with a 4th place finish in Pontevedra, missing the podium behind Olympic champion Yee by only a second. A top-5 athlete in both the swim and run at the Final (Batista out-ran Hauser and Hayden Wilde (NZL), for example), he is now firmly at the top table. If there is one thing we have learned, then, it is that Ricardo Batista is shaping up to be a major LA 2028 medal contender.
Back and better
It was like he had never been away. After a two-year injury-induced absence from the Series, Dylan McCullough (NZL) stepped up to his first WTCS start line since making his comeback and came away with a personal best finish. Throughout the summer, McCullough has terrorized the World Cup circuit with his aggressive swim-bike combination. At this level, it was less race-breaking and instead saw him slot comfortably into the lead pack that gained 40 seconds over the Yee-led chase.
A rock-solid run in which he traded blows with 2023 world champion Dorian Coninx (FRA) then saw McCullough finish in 7th, exactly one place better than his previous best, the 8th he set in Weihai on his last Series appearance in 2024. With a World Cup win under his belt from August, the New Zealander is on the rise post-injury and has all the skills to thrive in this new era of WTCS racing. The way things are looking, he might even be better than ever.
Home from home
Some athletes have favourite courses. Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN) in Huatulco. Laura Lindemann (GER) in Hamburg. Taylor Knibb (USA) in Edmonton. Into this group of athletes that have had immense success at a particular venue we can now add Kate Waugh (GBR), with one small but critical detail. Waugh loves Pontevedra, especially when it is hosting the WTCS Final.
Three years ago, Waugh claimed her first – and until last week only – WTCS podium. On her return to the Spanish city, the T100 world champion powered to the bronze medal, even beating out Beth Potter (GBR) who won the gold ahead of her in 2023. If Pontevedra could therefore host the Final every year, there would be no athlete happier than Waugh.
A final word must go to the unlucky Márta Kropkó (HUN). After racing with Waugh throughout the run, Kropkó crossed the line in 4th place, taking what would have been the only personal best finish in the women’s top-10. However, a disqualification for riding in T1 meant that would not come to be. Kropkó nevertheless rallied from the immense disappointment to help Hungary to the silver medal in the U23-Junior Mixed Team Relay World Championships the next morning. It was not the Final Kropkó would have hoped for, but as with several others noted here, she could be in line to have a big 2027 season.
