Long a hub of triathlon, the new Lanzarote World Cup has been hotly anticipated since its announcement. Now, with the start lists revealing the talent set to race, the island’s first appearance on the circuit is set to be an unmissable event.
As is to be expected, the home Spanish team are set to turn out in force, with WTCS and World Cup medallists alike among their ranks. Any hopes of home domination, however, will be tested by a loaded pair of start lists containing Olympic medallists, WTCS race winners and some of the top young talent in the sport right now. Read on to find out all the names planning to light up the World Cup season opener.
Women’s start lists
We’ll start with the home team. Buoyed by a win at the San Pedro de la Paz World Cup in November, Miriam Casillas Garcia (ESP) will look to get her new campaign off to a flying start. With fellow World Cup medallist Marta Pintanel Raymundo (ESP) also part of an eleven-strong Spanish team, competition to be the top home athlete will be fierce.
Another large contingent comes from the French squad. World Cup medallists from last year Sandra Dodet (FRA) and Lea Coninx (FRA) will be ones to watch, as will 2023 World Junior champion Ilona Hadhoum (FRA). As it happens, Spain and France won the most World Cup medals in 2025, making their clash potentially the decisive battle in Lanzarote.
At the same time, one of the biggest threats for gold will be Olympic medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR). After an experimental 2025 that ended with a starring turn at the T100 Final, the 2020 world champion returns to the World Cup circuit for a second time since 2020. At her last World Cup appearance, in Lievin in 2024, Taylor-Brown came away with silver. Gold will be on her radar this time.
Laura Lindemann (GER), provider of the heroic anchor leg to Germany’s Olympic gold medal-winning Mixed Team Relay, will also be back on the international scene. Lindemann scored a WTCS medal in Abu Dhabi at the start of last year before stepping away from high level racing. Now back, she is a proven star over the sprint distance and will be a challenger for the win. She will certainly have to be at her best with WTCS medallist Nina Eim (GER) and World Cup medallist Franka Rust (GER) representing other German speedsters that could bolt ahead of Lindemann.
The experienced Ilaria Zane (ITA) has enjoyed a brilliant hit-rate of World Cup medals in recent years and can be expected to contend for honours in Lanzarote. Yet she may have to keep an eye on two women at the opposite end of their careers.
Double World Junior Championship silver medallist Fanni Szalai (HUN) makes her World Cup debut, an outing that will have plenty of punters keen to see how she fares. Similarly, Diana Dunajska (SVK), the 2025 World Junior Championships bronze medallist, will race in Lanzarote. Unlike Szalai, Dunajska already has World Cup experience. After hitting a 6th place finish in Rome, the Slovakian athlete has proven she can handle the speeds of this level.
Men’s start lists
The star power wattage does not drop in the slightest on the men’s side. David Cantero del Campo (ESP), winner of the silver medal at the 2025 WTCS Final, will open his 2026 campaign in Lanzarote. Already a World Cup winner, including on home soil in Valencia, Cantero will be the provisional favourite for gold.
As with Casillas in the women’s field, though, Cantero will have his share of rivals among his compatriots. Izan Edo Aguilar (ESP) made a big step forward with a maiden World Cup medal in Rome last autumn. Meanwhile, the likes of Sergio Baxter Cabrera (ESP), Antonio Serrat Seoane (ESP) and Genis Grau (ESP) are no strangers to World Cup podiums.
One name that cannot be overlooked is 2023 world champion Dorian Coninx (FRA). A broken elbow undermined his tilt at Paris 2024, and he was not quite at his sparkling best in 2025. Nevertheless, on his day Coninx brings the ability to dominate a race from the front of the swim and the speed to rule any sprint finish. He has shown the ability to win over any distance and any course. No matter what Lanzarote throws at him, then, he will be among the top contenders.
At the same time, Coninx is not the only WTCS race winner in the men’s field. Tim Hellwig (GER) will also be on the start line as the multiple World Cup winner seeks to put an injury-hit 2025 behind him. Coninx and Hellwig’s names will be inextricably tied to the 2023 WTCS Final in Pontevedra after their frantic sprint finish. Perhaps another last-ditch showdown will be in store.
World Cup medallists Nathan Grayel (FRA) and Valentin Morlec (FRA) - in addition to Thomas Hansmaennel (FRA), the 2022 World Junior champion - bolster a daunting French team. Rome World Cup winner Arnaud Mengal (BEL), African champion Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR), and World U23 Championship medallists Gergely Kiss (HUN) and Euan De Nigro (ITA) likewise bring further depth to a packed start list.
Finally, one sub-plot to watch is the fortune of Ben Dijkstra (TRI). Already a World Cup medallist, this will be Dijkstra’s first World Cup since beginning his transition to represent the Netherlands. Among the Dutch cohort racing, World Cup medallist and World U23 Championships Mitch Kolkman (NED) will lead the way in Lanzarote. Their task will be to ensure Dijkstra’s quest to become the country’s alpha dog is not smooth sailing.
Altogether, then, both the men’s and women’s start lists for Lanzarote look phenomenal and this will not be a race to miss. Catch all the action live on TriathlonLive on Saturday 14th March.