What a way to sign off. Short of an alien invasion, it is hard to see how the WTCS Final could have been topped as it delivered a pair of utterly compelling races. The only aspect that arguably went to script was Matthew Hauser (AUS) converting his Series lead into a maiden world title in front of a volcanic Australian crowd. Everything else, however, had about as much order and predictability as a Jackson Pollock painting. Join us, then, for the final time this WTCS season as we take away five major talking points from Wollongong.

Never predict anything

Lisa Tertsch (GER) had the first word of the season courtesy of her win in Abu Dhabi and, in hindsight, it was somehow fitting that she had the final say in Wollongong. On the one hand it is tempting to call her success unprecedented, but then we have seen how the victories (whether at the Final or overall) were decided in 2024 and 2023. And in 2022. And in 2021 for that matter. As brilliant as Tertsch was, the takeaway here is not solely about her. Instead it is the suggestion that maybe it is not a good idea to predict what is going to happen at a WTCS Final.

Think Knibb’s solo breakaway in Edmonton. Bergere’s brilliance in Abu Dhabi. The Coninx comeback in Pontevedra. Wilde’s revenge on Yee in Torremolinos. There’s always something, and this year’s women’s Final was among the craziest yet.

There were wholesale changes in the women’s Series as all of the world title contenders shifted at least two places in the rankings. Tertsch was naturally the main talking point having gone from 4^th to 1^st, but Leonie Periault (FRA) jumped from 5^th to 2^nd as Beth Potter (GBR) slid from 1^st to 3^rd, while the 3^rd to 6^th fall of Jeanne Lehair (LUX) and the 1^st to 7^th drop of Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) were counterbalanced by the rise from 10^th to 5^th of Bianca Seregni (ITA). The only woman in the top-30 not to change position was Diana Isakova (AIN) in 8^th. As a result, we have learned our lesson (for now). Predictions at the WTCS Final are a sure-fire way to look silly.

David vs Goliath

Simply put, Hauser was too good this year. With wins to spare, he joins a select club of world champions to have won the WTCS on the back of a perfect points total. In his case, that stood at 4250 points from four events. One of the best swimmers in the field, capable of exploiting breakaways on the bike and a sensational runner, Hauser has all the tools to dominate this Olympic cycle. However triathlon might have a new David to combat this budding Goliath.

David Cantero del Campo (ESP) soared to a maiden medal in 2^nd place and fired a warning shot that cannot be ignored. His run split of 28:54 was comfortably the best of the field and a full 22 seconds faster than Hauser. Nor was this the first time this season Cantero has out-run the world champion. Of course, Cantero will have to find a way to either make the front pack or at least limit Hauser’s advantage in the swim by holding him to a smaller gap on the bike. Nevertheless, the 2024 World U23 champion made a big step forward in Wollongong and is rising fast. Chances are, the next time Hauser looks over his shoulder at the crunch end of a WTCS race, Cantero will be there.

Special sevens

One characteristic seen in both the men’s and women’s races was the decisive breakaway pack of seven. Although the women’s bike would end with six at the front, these groups shaped the respective races and laid the foundations for plenty of success stories.

In addition to setting up Tertsch’s world title tilt, the women’s breakaway lifted Seregni to a second medal of the season, matching her best result, and handed Jess Fullagar (GBR) a personal best finish of 5^th place. In the men’s race, Hauser added another win by escaping his closest rivals in the breakaway, while Alessio Crociani (ITA) earned a second podium of the year and Miguel Tiago Silva (POR) recorded a best ever result in 7^th.

Breakaways resulting in high finishes is not new. What was novel in Wollongong is how similar the men’s and women’s races were, suggesting a convergence of sorts in terms of skillsets and strategy among a significant cluster of leading athletes. While we can expect breakaways to continue to be in vogue next year, perhaps we can also look out for the men’s and women’s races laying templates for one another at future events.

Double Dutch

One increasing trend we have seen has been taking on multiple races at the WTCS Finals and several athletes got through tough schedules in Wollongong, often pairing the World U23 Championships with the Final. Hayden Wilde (NZL) was another to attempt a double through the T100 and WTCS Final. Two Dutch athletes, however, went a step further.

Mitch Kolkman and Barbara De Koning were not content with two races and so set themselves the challenge of three. They started with the World U23 Championships, then teamed up in the World Mixed U23-Junior Relay Championships before ending a hectic week with the WTCS Final. On the punishing Wollongong course, this made for a particularly draining assignment.

Kolkman fared surprisingly well for such a full plate. He narrowly missed the podium in the U23 race, placing 5^th. He then anchored the Dutch team to 2^nd in the relay, missing gold by a single second. Ending his run was a 21^st place in the WTCS Final. For her part, De Koning achieved finishes of 13^th, 2^nd and 32^nd from her triple. Now the bar has been raised, we look forward to seeing which hardy athletes will attempt this ambitious triple next season.

Fantastic first steps

If a WTCS debut is hard enough, making one at the WTCS Final, with the attendant circus and intensity of the world title fight, is on another level. Yet Tilly Anema (GBR) navigated the challenge of the WTCS for the first time in Wollongong, passing the test with flying colours.

Anema was the first woman out of the water, putting her in the breakaway group. She ultimately could not hold pace with the leaders and dropped back in the chase pack during the second lap. From there, however, she rallied with a strong run to take 11^th place. This stands as the second best female debut of the year (behind compatriot Sophie Alden). And if we account for the context, this was mightily impressive.

Significantly, Anema was seconds from matching the run split of fellow breakaway athlete Fullagar in 5^th place, indicating that she has the ability to finish at least as high. With her speed in the water, we will realistically see Anema at the front of WTCS races again. Moreover, once she has a bit more experience and the chance to come to terms with the different feel of the WTCS, Anema could be Britain’s next medal threat in 2026.