Team USA was able to back up their world titles in Wollongong and Torremolinos with a third Para Mixed Relay win in a row on Sunday morning, the final day of the 2026 World Triathlon Championship Finals Pontevedra.
Kendall Gretsch set the team up well before handing over to Carson Clough, then Grace Norman pulled the USA into contention after France looked to have run away with it. The final leg saw PTVI Owen Cravens and guide Kevin McDowell exit transition right with Brazil and Australia, before pulling clear out of transition and into a last-gasp lead that he would not relinquish. Jack Howell held strong to ensure the silver for Australia, Brazil with the bronze.
LEG ONE
As per the format’s rules, it was the PTWC wheelchair athletes lining up for the first leg, with Lauren Parker for Australia, Josh Landmann for Great Britain, Kendall Gretsch for the USA, Leanne Taylor for Canada, Jessica Ferreira (BRA), Eva Moral (ESP), Louis Noel (FRA), Jumpei Kimura (JPN) and Giuseppe Romele (ITA) taking on the responsibilities for the first 125m swim of the day.
Landmann, Romele and Noel were first out of the water and into their 3.8km bike, Parker right there but losing some time in transition to Gretsch and exiting with Morales 55 seconds off the front of the race.
Noel was hammering the bike and had a gap over Romele, 30s over Landmann and 45s to Gretsch at transition two and heading into the racing wheelchairs. By the end of a rapid, technical 800m of red-lining, it was Noel handing a huge 56-second advantage to Zoe Reveillon for France, Italy’s PTVI star Francesca Tarantello hitting the water in second. Gretsch and Team USA picked up a dismount penalty.
LEG TWO
Third away was USA’s Carson Clough (PTS4), Lauren Steadman (PTS5) for Great Britain.
Steadman briefly passed Clough into T1 before the American followed Brazil’s Ruiter Silva (PTS5) out onto the bike, newcomer Matthew Engesser (PTS4) for Australia two minutes off the leaders but closing.
Off the bike, Tarantello had cut the gap to Reveillon to under 30 seconds, Ruiter and Brazil now in third and flying, USA 50 seconds back, Australia a minute and GB and Canada now 90 seconds back, Japan 100 seconds off the front.
LEG THREE
And it was Italy into the lead at the halfway mark as Tarantello soared away from Reveillon and tagged off Guinluca Valori (PTS2) 8 seconds ahead of French PTVI Thibaut Rigaudeau, Brazil’s Erica Da Rosa Rodrigues (PTS5) going out just 12 seconds back, Grace Norman and the USA 44 seconds and Australia’s PTVI Maggie Sandles in chase, Canada, GB and Japan nearly two minutes off the lead.
Rigaudeau had 35 seconds over Valori and Rodrigues out of the water, Norman chasing them out, Australia and Italy side-by side onto the bikes a minute back. As Rigaudeau powered to his final transition, only 40 seconds separated second and fifth positions, but it was over a minute deficit to Rigaudeau onto the run.
LEG FOUR
The final handover saw Camille Seneclauze (PTS4) out for France with a 70s lead over Australia and Jack Howell (PTS5), USA ‘s PTVI athlete Owen Cravens 90s back with Brazil’s Ruiter Silva back for his second leg as per the rules, GB and Italy drifting to two-and-a-half-minutes off the front, Spain 3 minutes, Canada now 4 minutes in arrears and Japan 6 minutes.
Seneclauze maintained that lead onto the bike but was being chased down hard by Howell and Cravens, setting up a massive 800m for the world title.
And it was in fact USA, Brazil and Australia all into transition together 24 seconds behind France, before Owen Cravens powered it to the line to send his teammates wild and a successful title defence was theirs, Australia with silver, Brazil the bronze, just three seconds ahead of France. Spain would cross in fifth with GBR sixth ahead of Canada, Italy and Japan.
