Vina del Mar served up another chapter of high-octane sprint racing on the Pacific coast, as a 65-man starting field turned the iconic Playa del Sol into a battleground of speed, strategy, and nerve. In a race remembered for brutal waves and bold moves, Manoel Messias (BRA) clinched his second Vina del Mar World Cup victory, edging a stacked pack and delivering a masterclass in the art of the late surge. Portugal Joao Nuno Batista claimed silver, while Spain's David Cantero finished in third place.
Vina del Mar’s men’s World Cup sprint unfolded on a day when the sea demanded respect and the track rewarded patience as well as pace. Water stayed a brisk 13 degrees, but the air carried warmth enough to lift spirits—yet the ocean sent a wave season’s worth of challenge at the swimmers. The biggest spectacle came right from the gun: a spectacular, wind-whipped start off Playa del Sol, with 65 athletes attempting to thread through a choppy Pacific entry.
In the opening moments, local favorite Diego Moya of Chile and Portugal’s Joao Nuno Batista rode a perfect early wave out of the water, establishing a small delta over the rest of the field. They hit the sand roughly 10 seconds ahead of a chasing pack that included high-caliber swimmers like Valentin Morlec (France), Nicola Azzano (Italy), Tom Richard (France), Andree Buc (Chile), and Spain’s David Cantero. That initial separation underscored the day’s logic: establishing a lead on the swim would provide a runway for the bike, but maintaining it would demand discipline as the group began layering in tactical moves.
By the end of the first bike lap, Moya and Batista realized that maintaining a duet was unsustainable, and the duo was swallowed by a 12-man chase group determined to reel in the leaders. The chase group coalesced into a coherent force, including strong runners such as Manoel Messias (Brazil), Callum McClusky (Australia), and others who could anchor the effort in the run. The lead group, however, didn’t quite manage to keep the spark lit across the laps, with notable accelerations from Ben Fah (Switzerland) and Sergio Baxter (Spain) testing the cohesion of the break.
Into the final lap, Baxter stood out, punching out a lead that stretched the gap to about 10 seconds as he hit transition. Behind him, a 13-man pack formed a tight group with just a 12-second margin over the chasers. The stage was set for a dramatic run battle, and the field surged onto the running course with the kind of intensity you only get on a World Cup podium day.
As the run began, Cantero looked to repeat a Wollongong-style statement as he moved into first position, but the day’s real fireworks came from Messias. The Brazilian veteran—whose experience in Vina del Mar is a well-worn script—rove his way to the lead, muscling through the first half of the run with purpose. Batista, who had rolled through the opening kilometers in contact, stayed close, while Cantero attempted to stay in the hunt. The trio formed the core of the decisive group, but it was Messias who dictated the tempo and kept his rivals honest on every fiber of the track.
A pivotal twist emerged when Andree Buc, who had been in the mix, had to serve a 10-second penalty for fastening his helmet while the bike was still in motion. The penalty reshaped the podium picture, removing a potential podium contender from contention and concentrating the battle among the remaining runners. With Buc out of the running, the race narrowed to Messias, Batista, and Cantero, with Tom Richard and Reese Vannerson (USA) pressing from behind to keep the pressure steady.
In the final sprint to the blue carpet, Messias rode the line between efficiency and explosive pace. He hit the line first, taking victory in a display that underscored why Vina del Mar has become such a proving ground for seasoned campaigners. Batista crossed the line in second place, delivering his first ever World Cup podium, and Cantero clinched third in a day that highlighted the depth of talent in the field.
Behind the podium trio, Tom Richard finished fourth, with Reese Vannerson rounding out the top five. The remainder of the top ten featured a mix of veteran performers and rising talents, with Valentin Morlec, Diego Moya, Izan Edo (Spain), Nicola Azzano, and Martin Sobey (Canada) rounding the top 10.
