Team France continued to dominate the top of the podium at the 2026 World Triathlon Championship Series Pontevedra, Nils Serre taking home the win after being set up perfectly by teammates Ilona Hadoum, Pablo Isotton and Lea Houart.
After just over an hour and four legs of lactic-swirling speed, the title boiled down to a race between Serre and Hungary's Zalan Hobor after the two teams eventually earned themselves some daylight over the field, but Serre's sprint was unmatched. The battle for bronze also raged, Spain's Izan Edo with a late kick to send the crowds wild and edge the sprint over GB's Michael Gar.
LEG ONE
Spain’s Anna Carballo took a slight lead out of the first 250m swim, a rapid transition from the wetsuitless Aspen Anderson ripped her into second for the 5km ride ahead but soon the full field bunched together for the remainder.
Naomi Ruff came down as the transition congested with bodies, Fanni Szalai and Hungary quickly to the front with Maria Lopez and Switzerland’s Anouk Danna.
Only 20 seconds separated the majority of the field after leg one, Hadhoum, Szalai, Beth Cook (GBR), Lopez and Carballo able to get daylight by the end of their 1.5km run and GB’s Solomon Okrafo-Smart was the first man into the water for leg two.
LEG TWO
The chasers at this point were Brazil, USA, Germany and Poland plus Pablo Isotton for France choosing to go without a wetsuit and finding himself first out onto the bike as the race started to split up.
Spain’s Pelayo Gonzalez and Isotton were reeled in as the five leaders came back together, Gyula Kovacs for Hungary, Nicolas Probert for Mexico all taking turns. Germany, Australia and the USA were all together as Blake Bullard’s swim hauled the Americans back into the race and trying to bridge up.
Okrafo-Smart and Kovacs went too wide on the final turn before transition and lost ten seconds on the leaders as Gonzalez flew out onto the run, Australia’s Oscar Wooton having worked his way up
LEG THREE
Spain’s Maria Guerrero was out first with 8 seconds over Lea Houart, Australia’s Hannah Pollock 15 seconds off the front, Hungary, Germany and Mexico 20s back, USA and GB 30 seconds off the leader and chased by Denmark, Brazil, Belgium and Switzerland.
Houart and Guerrero powered the swim, Marta Kropko chasing hard, before the French talent drove the bike solo and opened a big gap to a chase pack now formed of Hungary, Spain and GB after a huge swim from Eve Whittaker and Hannah Pollock.
Kropko was fuelled by the previous day’s brilliant race but unfortunate DSQ in the elite individual, Houart swallowed up so five women came across the bridge and hit transition, Whittaker pushing to the front late. But it was Kropko and Houart searing out onto the run and handing over for the last time.
LEG FOUR
Nils Serre took over for France, Hobor without a wetsuit with him, Izan Edo for Spain then Toby Powers for Australia and Michael Gar for Britain 23 seconds back.
Gar managed to put Great Britain into within 11 seconds of Hobor and Serre into transition, Hobor without a wetsuit was straight into his ride but Edo and the Brit transitioned swiftly too and the chase was well and truly on.
Australia were now at risk of drifting out of contention 30 seconds back, Germany and the USA a minute off the front chased by Switzerland and Belgium.
The gap from Edo and Gar to the leaders was 14 seconds halfway on the bike and the decision had to be made about saving legs for a bronze battle or pressing for a bigger prize.
So onto the final 1.5km run it was Serre and Hobor shoulder to shoulder with 20 seconds to Gar and Edo, then it was an absolute eruption of pace by Serre that took him clear, France’s new U23 World Champion adding more silverware, Hobor and Hungary with silver.
The hunt for bronze was always going to be just as fierce, and Gar had the slight edge as the pair came into the stadium, but it was Edo who still had something in reserve, blasting through at the turn to pull clear for third.
Australia took fifth behind Britain, Germany, USA, Belgium, Switzerland and Poland rounding out the top 10.
