Following back-to-back golds in Chile over the past two weekends, Manoel Messias (BRA) heads to Florianopolis, in the south of Brazil, for Sunday’s final World Cup racing of 2025, eyeing a remarkable third straight win in as many weeks.
A trio of South American races has seen some big names and rising stars looking to close their season out in intense fashion out of the back of the Championship Finals Wollongong. David Cantero (ESP), Tom Richard (FRA) and Antonio Serrat (ESP) join Messias making it three successive starts on the continent, all looking to figure out how to stop the Brazilian bullet this time around.
It's another sprint-distance race, fast and flat, that will play to the strengths of those four, starting with a 750m swim off Jurerê Beach on the north of the island. From there it is a 20km bike across 4-laps with three dead turns between two long straights, then a 5km, two-lap run to the medals.
Watch it all unfold on Sunday from 10.30am local time on TriathlonLive.tv.
Home hero hat trick?
Manoel Messias may be the man to beat, but he won’t wear the number one on Sunday. That honour still goes to Spain’s David Cantero - silver medallist in the Championship Finals, bronze and silver in the Chile World Cups, in form and normally the man who everyone fears on the run.
But not even he has been able to hold a torch to Cantero in these past two outings. In Vina del Mar, the Brazilian was 24th and 40 seconds back out of the water before the bike packs closed late on and he delivered a 14m03s run to the tape.
In San Pedro de la Paz, he was 40th out of the water and 35 seconds back before joining a huge bike pack and then unleashing a 14m10s run. Throw in some home support and the man who won in Brasilia 12 months ago could be set for a historic hat trick of wins.
Spain on the charge
A strong Spanish contingent also includes the resurgent Sergio Baxter, who rolled the dice at the end of the bike in San Pedro to try and gap the 5k darts but was soon closed down. Izan Edo Aguilar is the young talent who scored silver in Rome and 6th last weekend, and Antonio Serrat, silver in Brasilia two years ago.
Just off the podium in Vina del Mar and 5th at his home WTCS in the French Riveira in August, all-rounder Tom Richard should never be written off, expect Miguel Tiago Silva (POR) and World Cup debutant Blake Bullard (USA) to try and stretch the swim and the ever-consistent Valentin Morlec is sure to feature in the closing stages.
