If there is one thing the Huatulco World Cup is known for, it is breathless finishes over a lightning quick 5km run. Last year partly broke with that tradition as Shachar Sagiv (ISR) claimed the gold on the back of a bold solo breakaway, but behind him the rest of the podium was settled in a finale for the ages.
A 750m sea swim will kick off this weekend’s sprint distance return to Huatulco, with a four-lap 20km bike to follow. It is the rapid two-lap 5km run that will likely decide matters, though, for in Huatulco it essentially always comes down to the death.
Other than Sagiv, only one man has won in Huatulco by more than 10 seconds in the 2020s, and he just so happens to be wearing number 1 on the start list. Find out all the key names to follow below before catching the men’s action live on TriathlonLive this Sunday (14th June) from 08:30 local time.
A home from home
The top-ranked man coming into the race is Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN) as he returns to a venue seemingly tailored to him. Having won the event in 2019 and 2021, with silver medals at the race in 2022 and 2023 to boot, there are few athletes with such an affinity for a course as the Canadian on the Mexican seaside.
The Canadian also arrives in form. Last month he powered to the bronze medal at the Chengdu World Cup and repeated the 16th place he earned at WTCS Alghero last season. His Chengdu medal also continued an impressive run; Mislawchuk has made a World Cup podium every year this decade except for 2024 (discounting 2020, for obvious reasons), when he instead placed in the top-10 at both the Paris Olympics and WTCS Final. As he looks for yet another medal, where better could there be than his home from home?
Proven operators
Of course, Mislawchuk will not have things all his own way. World Cup winner Reese Vannerson (USA) and World Cup medallist Mathis Beaulieu (CAN) are two young tyros more than capable of outgunning their triathlon elder on the run. With Vannerson’s raw athletics times, it will be hard to look past him in particular should he arrive in T2 with the leaders.
Alejandro Rodriguez Diez (CUB) will likewise be a contender after a fairytale World Cup debut at last year’s race where he came away with the silver medal. Another fleet-footed runner, he will have made returning to the podium a key target for this season. And then there is home star Aram Michell Peñaflor Moysen (MEX). A multiple World Cup medallist, the decibel level will tell us if Peñaflor is in the hunt on the blue carpet and the local support could be the key to unlocking the top gear needed to best the rest.
Form men
Looking further afield, Braxton Legg (USA) and Aoba Yasumatsu (JPN) head to Huatulco with recent personal best WTCS finishes of 10th and 11th, respectively, in Yokohama tucked away. Meanwhile, Liam Donnelly (CAN) started his 2026 campaign as he finished 2025: with a Continental Cup win. A top-8 finish followed in Chengdu, his most recent outing, where he was mere seconds away from the podium. A speedy runner, Donnelly could be the one to turn the tables on his compatriot Mislawchuk.
Lastly, one athlete flying under the radar is Chile’s Daniel Ubilla Sabada, but he should not be underestimated by any means. The 2025 Americas Junior champion is in his first year in the U23 ranks and already nabbed the South American U23 title earlier this season. Huatulco will be his first World Cup event of 2026, and its fast course could suit him very well indeed.