We catch up with Beijing World Cup winner Max Studer as he plans his assault on the season's end
The more an athlete wins races, the more they develop a certain style that follows them. Matt Hauser is all business. Resolute in his determination to remain cool in all senses and completely economical in his movement, he barely cracks a smile when crossing the line and when he does it is often drowned by a triumphant bellow.
Our new world champion Vasco Vilaca, by contrast, bounces through races with an infectious enthusiasm and positivity that bears all the hallmarks of a man singing his own theme song in his head, straight out of the Dani Rojas textbook. Meanwhile, Morgan Pearson charges around the course like a bull in a china shop, all pumping limbs, twisted expressions and a look that screams “WHAT THE HELL IS A KILOMETRE?!”
And then we have Max Studer. The winner of this year’s Beijing World Cup seems like he takes to the course with an almost preternatural level of focus, as if nothing around him exists, not even the rivals on his shoulder. This ability to drown out the noise entirely should come as little surprise, though, when it comes to an athlete that has been able to ignore doubts and throw himself wholeheartedly down the path less trodden.
Almost four years have passed since Studer took the decision to follow his coach, Brett Sutton, to China after Sutton started working with the national team. Alongside his partner, long distance triathlete Alanis Siffert, and others, Studer dove head-first into a move that raised questions on paper. After all, China had limited pedigree in international triathlon at the time making the move a risk.
“For me, the priority has always been to spend as much time as possible training with my coach and alongside a strong training group,” explained Studer. “That’s why, over the past few years, I’ve been spending a lot of time in China, especially at the beginning and end of the season, when there are also plenty of racing opportunities across Asia. During the European summer, I usually return home to Switzerland, where I train and compete in most of my European races.”
“It’s been incredibly beneficial for my development as an athlete. Swimming has always been one of my weaker disciplines, and the Chinese athletes are very strong swimmers. Training alongside them every day has pushed me to improve a lot in the water.”
“At the same time, I believe it’s a great exchange in both directions. Having worked with Brett for many years, I can also share my experience and show the younger Chinese athletes how his training approach has helped me develop and achieve success internationally. Overall, it’s a training environment where we can all learn from each other, push each other and keep improving.”
If there was one lesson from last weekend’s Beijing World Cup, it was that Studer’s move has paid rich dividends, both for him and for his hosts.
“The recent World Cup in Beijing was a particularly special moment,” said Studer. “Winning the race myself was great, but seeing Xirui Zhang finish 2nd (earning China’s first ever World Cup medal) was just as rewarding. Having trained alongside him, I have seen his progress every day and knew he was capable of such a result. After some really hard running sessions the week before the race, I told him that not many short-course triathletes in the world could keep up with him. It was great to see him believe in himself and deliver. Seeing Xinyu Lin win the women's race and Anqi Huang finish 4th was also fantastic. It is exciting to see the progress of the whole team and to be part of that journey.”
Many will recall Studer’s brilliant victory at WTCS Weihai earlier this season where he defended the gold he claimed in 2025. In doing so, he beat a world class field, one that included 2025 world champion Hauser. Yet that event, his win in Beijing and a previous appearance at the Haikou World Cup in March represent the sum total of his international appearances thus far in 2026 (although that is set to change). What has been the story behind his season so far and the rationale behind only racing in China to date?
“This year has been a bit of a special one for me,” he said. “After struggling with some knee issues towards the end of 2025, I had to take a longer break in December. I started building my fitness back up in January and February, perhaps pushing a little too hard because I was so eager to get back to racing.”
“My first race was the World Cup in Haikou, where I finished 19th. I already felt that something wasn’t quite right during the race, and shortly afterwards I became seriously ill with a viral infection. I spent almost a week in bed with a fever and had to take a significant break from training.”
“I decided to return to Switzerland to recover properly and slowly rebuild my fitness. I spent some time training in Leysin with a small group, gradually getting back into shape. Once I felt ready, I tested myself with a 5km track race at the Swiss Championships, followed by the challenging Alpe d’Huez Long Distance Triathlon. Both gave me confidence that my body was responding well again.”
“From there, my priority was to return to China, work closely with Brett and get back into a consistent training routine. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure I would be ready to race WTCS Weihai, as my preparation had been quite short. But after three weeks back in China, Brett and I decided to give it a go. We knew things were moving in the right direction, but we didn’t expect me to be at my very best yet. So to come back and win that race was absolutely incredible, especially after everything I’d been through earlier in the year.”
Prior to Weihai, Studer and Sutton had taken the decision not to travel to Europe for the Series Final in Pontevedra. “After the difficult start to the season, protecting my health and getting another solid block of training in was more important than chasing every possible race. We wanted to focus on consistency and prepare properly for the World Cups towards the end of the year.”
“Now the plan is to continue the Asian racing block, starting with the World Cup in Tongyeong this weekend, followed by Hong Kong two weeks later and then the rescheduled WTCS Abu Dhabi a week after that.”
Having won the Miyazaki World Cup at a similar point last season, and coming off such an impressive victory in Beijing, further golds may lie in wait. Equally, Studer is not taking the simple act of racing for granted.
“Looking back, it hasn’t been the season I originally planned, but sometimes you have to adapt, be patient and trust the process. I’m just really happy to be healthy again, enjoying training and back racing at the front.”
For all his equanimity about racing again, his sights are inevitably also on the biggest race of them all. As a member of the elite club of men with multiple WTCS wins to their names, Studer is now a major contender for the upcoming LA Olympic Games. LA 2028 would represent his third Games and by his own admission he has “unfinished business with the Olympics”.
At his first appearance, he placed 9th in Tokyo – “a great experience” – but then only managed 40th in Paris three years later – “a big disappointment” was his description. “I would love to get another opportunity in LA and fight for a top result. Continuing to prepare with Brett and our training group in China will hopefully help me take the next step towards that goal.”
Should Studer and his Chinese training partners continue on the trajectory they are on, that goal seems well within reach. And if it all comes together, Studer may become the first of many to steer their triathlon journeys through China.
