There might have been some sore bodies on the start line before the racing even began at WTCS Weihai as many athletes faced up to a third Series race in less than four weeks. Yet there would be no respite as they blasted through the crushing heat and humidity. Come the end of the day, the dust settled on a race that has wrenched the world title hunt wide open with Beth Potter’s second consecutive win drawing her level on points at the top of the rankings with Cassandre Beaugrand. Looking further afield, WTCS Weihai might also prove one of the most important early milestones on Team USA’s road to LA 2028. Find out why, alongside four other major talking points, below.

Studer hits the big time

Of the men not to have already won a WTCS medal, Max Studer was one of two athletes on the start list (after the late withdrawals of Ricardo Batista and Tayler Reid) to have achieved three or more top-10 WTCS race finishes in their careers. Factor in the European title he won less than a month prior, and he seemed to be among the next cabs off the rank. Few, however, anticipated him soaring to gold on his first Series start of the year.

It was on the final lap of the bike that Studer made his move, pouncing clear with Tjebbe Kaindl (yes, him again after his Karlovy Vary antics). On the run, the Swiss athlete reached a new level altogether. From approximately the 200m mark of the 10km run, it seemed a sure thing that Studer was going to win, giving everyone time to just about process his brilliant performance. Having spent lengthy training blocks based in China, this was also a “home” win of sorts. Should he replicate this form at any other event, he will likely find himself in the scrap for further victories.

Number 5 for Germany

In the women’s race, there was a first medal for Tanja Neubert, who upgraded her 4^th place in Weihai last year to bronze this time round. That made her the fourth German woman to hit the podium this season (after Lisa Tertsch, Nina Eim and Laura Lindemann). Meanwhile, Henry Graf backed up his win in Karlovy Vary with a silver medal, confirming his status as one of the hottest talents in the sport.

As a result, Germany now stands as the only country this year with five medallists in the WTCS. Moreover, they have a clear lead atop the medal table when it comes to total medals. Tertsch (4), Graf (2), Eim (1), Lindemann (1) and Neubert (1) combine to give Germany 9 WTCS medals; the next closest country is France with six medals from three athletes. Britain (five medals from two athletes) and Australia (five medals through one  athlete: Hauser) follow. It should be noted that France and Australia have three wins each to Germany and Britain’s two apiece. With one race to go, though, it seems that Germany is perfectly set to end 2025 as the preeminent country of the WTCS.

Perseverance pays off

When taking a first look at the start lists for WTCS Weihai, we noted that Sophie Alden had endured a fourteen month absence from the international scene as injury threatened to derail her career. After bouncing back from knee surgery, her appearances this year have been limited in number, but a WTCS debut looked to be the moment she would put the misery of 2024 to rest. It’s fair to say she did that and then some.

Alden made a wonderful debut, finishing 6^th after spending much of the run amongst the fight for the medals. She joins Emma Lombardi (4^th at WTCS Yokohama 2022) and Oliver Conway (4^th at WTCS Karlovy Vary 2025) as the only athletes to have claimed a top-6 finish on debut since the start of 2022. Indeed, in that period Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto (10^th at WTCS Montreal 2023) and Ben Dijkstra (8^th at WTCS Abu Dhabi 2025) are the only other athletes to have achieved a top-10 on debut. We should therefore become accustomed to seeing World Cup medallist Alden in the Series on a regular basis in the near future.

Young flyers

Whereas Potter was the fastest runner in the women’s race (33:26), the top splits in the men’s field came further down the field, with David Cantero del Campo (30:01) and João Nuno Batista (30:03) clocking the best times. This was a similar story to WTCS Karlovy Vary, at which Hayden Wilde also ripped the day’s fastest run from the chase pack. Perhaps this is a sign that the men’s race has undergone a broader shift away from the run specialists. Equally, the splits from Cantero and Batista could be a different harbinger of things to come.

Cantero is the U23 world champion and maintained his perfect 2025 record of making the top-10 in every WTCS appearance by finishing 6^th. On multiple occasions he has been the fastest runner and, once his swim and bike click into place, he will come for his first WTCS podium sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, former world junior champion Batista is in his first year out of the junior ranks and took 8^th place in his second Series race. With time, he too seems primed to enter the podium conversation.

Not to be forgotten is Márton Kropkó, who split the pair in 7^th  place. Kropkó is also a 2005 athlete, in his first year out of the junior ranks and was taking on his second ever WTCS race. We may have only just entered the new Hauser-Hidalgo-Vilaca era, but the next generation are already showing their claws.

Looking to LA

And finally, we come back to Team USA and LA 2028. One of the best ways any sport can become an Olympic success is through the host country medalling at a Games. With an eye on the next Games, WTCS Weihai was thus a significant breakthrough as John Reed stepped up to claim a maiden WTCS medal. Already a World Cup winner, Reed’s continued progression through the sport will have the American organisers buzzing at what he might be able to do in three years.

In addition, the positive news for the American team did not stop there. Reed was one of three American men in the top-10; Morgan Pearson finished 5^th and Darr Smith notched a personal best 10^th place. Over in the women’s race, Taylor Spivey secured 4^th place, building upon her fine performance in Karlovy Vary. Shortly after, Gina Sereno improved her best ever WTCS finish from 8^th (which coincidentally was set last year in Weihai) to 7^th. Across the board, then, Team USA had a great day out in Weihai and this might have been the moment their push for LA started in earnest.