World Champion in 2025, Olympic Relay Champion in 2024, current number one in the Olympic rankings and just off the overall Series podium this season, Germany’s Lisa Tertsch wears the number one on Friday afternoon as the re-arranged WTCS Abu Dhabi rounds out top-tier racing for the year.
What was originally scheduled to be the curtain-raiser of the last World Triathlon Championship Series before the Triathlon World Tour unveiling in 2027, Abu Dhabi will now have Olympic Ranking points on the line as well as the medals, and a chance to enter the off-season on a high before a massive 18 months into LA28.
It’s a sprint distance course that awaits the athletes on tropical Hudayriyat Island, the 750m beach-start swim transitioning to a 5-lap 20km bike and 2-lap 5km run to the tape. Watch it all unfold on TriathlonLive.io.
Victory in the opening race of the 2025 season set Lisa Tertsch on course for a championship-winning season. Spearheading a first ever women’s podium sweep for Germany, Tertsch dropped a 16:06 for the 5km to take the tape from Nina Eim and Laura Lindemann. It was the last time she won a regular-season WTCS race, and after a tough Championship Finals in Pontevedra, a second win here would be a massive statement for the year ahead.
Silver was also as good as it got for an injury-hit Nina Eim, who has been absent from the Series all year but building back with a trio of World Cup top 10s since missing out on the Championship Finals. Conversely, Lindemann looked back near her best on route to 5th in Pontevedra, helping her finish one place above impressively consistent compatriot Franka Rust.
Jeanne Lehair arrives off the back of an intense sprint finish at the Hong Kong World Cup, where finishing second to Diana Isakova will have gone some way to expelling the frustration of a Championship Finals that didn’t go to plan after a hugely consistent season. The pair renew their rivalry here along with Valentina Riasova who was also right there with them at the pointy end last weekend before finishing fourth.
The top-ranked American woman on Friday is Gwen Jorgensen. Finishing the Series in 15th behind only Taylor Spivey from the US will have been a massive boost for her LA28 dreams, while going toe-to-toe with revelation of 2026 Tilda Mansson for the 10km in Pontevedra underlined her enduring power and potential for what could be a remarkable home Games appearance in LA 12 years after her Rio 2016 Olympic gold.
Sophie Evans lines up for Great Britain after recovering from her desperately unlucky Grand Final crash, Cathia Schar goes out for Switzerland following her Challenge Mallorca win last month, and expect Bianca Seregni to start hungry and fast after a training ride crash before Hong Kong saw her frustrated and unable to start the race.
