In the penultimate race of his first full season of WTCS action, Henry Graf will wear the coveted number one cap in Weihai on Friday morning, underlining the rapid ascension of Germany’s shining new talent. 

Standing fourth in the rankings and with none of the top three of Hauser, Vilaça or Hidalgo present in China, the honour goes to the man who until a few weeks ago wasn’t even sure if he would race the 2025 Grand Final or take his final shot at the U23 world title in Wollongong next month. A storming victory just over a week ago in Karlovy Vary – his third top 5 finish this year – has clearly helped convince him he belongs at the top table for the season's big finale.

It's a new-look course that awaits in Weihai. Gone is the mighty hill, in comes a purpose-built venue and an Olympic-distance course (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run) set in and around Weihai Harbour. With only two past WTCS gold medallists racing – newly minted Graf and USA’s Morgan Pearson – opportunity awaits for those lying in wait. Watch how the men’s race unfolds from 9am local time on TriathlonLive.tv 

Graf makes a break for it

The manner of Henry Graf’s Karlovy Vary breakaway, on the toughest course on the circuit, and the way he held off Miguel Hidalgo on the run showed that the 23-year-old is a force to be reckoned with. The signs were there with his 4th place in the season opener in Abu Dhabi and fifth in Hamburg, but the power he put down and sustained for close to two hours was a monumental effort.

A front-pack swimmer and fearless biker, he also dropped a 30m44s time for the Czech 10km in only his third ever Olympic distance race. The opportunities for breakaways may be fewer now the Weihai hill has gone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t try…

The key allies in that bike effort were Mark Devay (HUN), probably the strongest swimmer in the men’s Series this year, and Tjebbe Kaindl, the Austrian who bridged up to the leaders with just a couple of laps to go and still put in some strong shifts to help maintain their advantage. Both finished inside the top 10 and will surely be ready to show more front-end firepower this time around.

U23 World Champion Cantero a threat

Much of that thinking will be with one eye on Spain’s David Cantero, one of the fastest men on two feet this year who will need to be gapped or left legless by the bike if he is to be kept at bay. The reigning U23 World Champion, Cantero has yet to score a WTCS medal but will feel that Weihai could be the perfect hunting ground on which to change that.

Portugal’s Ricardo Batista returns to the front line, this tie with younger brother João for company in place of Vilaça. Mr Consistency since his brilliant 6th place Paris 2024, both he and his brother are former Junior World Champions but Weihai represents a momentous first time on a WTCS start line together. 

Luke Willian returns fresh and hungry, racing for the first time since helping Australia win the Mixed Relay world title in Hamburg and Max Stapley (GBR) will be looking for better fortune and a better result after illness and bad luck either side of an excellent WTCS Hamburg.

Further medal contenders line up in the form of a USA trio of Seth Rider, looking strong in Karlovy Vary either side of a bike crash, John Reed and Morgan Pearson, two men very capable of clocking the fastest runs in Weihai. European Champion Max Studer (SUI) hits his first WTCS of 2025 and, along with Tayler Reid (NZL), has three top 10 finishes to his name but never a medal at this level. No time like the present.

WTCS WEIHAI 
9AM, FRIDAY 26 SEPTEMBER (local)
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