After going through April without any World Cup racing, the circuit was back with a bang at the weekend with a pair of feverishly close races. In case you missed them live, be sure to watch them back on TriathlonLive, and try to guess in particular who would go on to win from the start of the final kilometre (hint: there’s a fair chance you’ll get it wrong).
On the note of the World Cup circuit, we can also reveal today one of the newest stops has broken new ground by attaining a Bronze certification with the World Triathlon Sustainability Programme. And in other news, one country dominated the latest Europe Cup, with a recent World Junior champion dazzling. Find out everything you need to know in this week’s Monday Morning Mix.
Caorle Europe Cup
If you were a French athlete, chances are you had a good day in Caorle. In an utterly dominant collective effort, the team swept the men’s podium, and indeed the top-4, while also taking gold in the women’s race.
The early fight in the men’s race was taken to the French team by Zalán Hóbor (HUN), the day’s top non-French finisher. Hóbor led the 750m swim in 10:53, a time that gives some indication that the course was not the most straightforward. He was followed out by Lehel Hóbor (HUN) and a trio of Frenchmen led by Pablo Isotton.
The field more or less broke in two in the first half of the race with one large front pack setting the tone. Ominously, this lead pack contained World U23 Championships medallist Baptiste Passemard (FRA) and World Cup medallist Valentin Morlec (FRA). The pack behind contained WTCS medallist Paul Georgenthum (FRA) and Martin Hubner (FRA) who remained close enough to strike.
Come the run, Morlec and Isotton dictated the early terms, although Georgenthum and Hubner were closing in. Morlec’s field-leading 15:05 5km split ultimately sealed the win by 7 seconds, while Isotton had enough of a gap to withstand the faster-finishing bronze medallist Hubner.
Over in the women’s race, 2024 World Junior champion Ambre Grasset (FRA) followed up her recent win in Torremolinos with a commanding performance in which she relegated two World Cup medallists to the minor medals. Having knocked over World Cup winner Carina Reicht (AUT) two weeks ago, this weekend she took the scalps of Cathia Schär (SUI) and Roksana Slupek (POL).
The first part of the race, however, was actually all about the current World Junior champion, Léa Houart (FRA). Houart clocked 9:23 for the swim to put her 9 seconds ahead of 2nd place and 25 seconds ahead of 3rd.
Slupek led the initial chase of Houart while Schär and Grasset required the top bike splits of the day to recover the substantial ground they lost in the water. The subsequent 5km run was characterised by a tactical watchfulness among the three medallists; being clearly faster than the rest of the field, they faced little danger of missing the podium. But for the more experienced pair of Slupek and Schär, the danger was Grasset.
Although both had the faster 5km splits (17:13 for Schär – the best of the day – and 17:15 for Slupek to Grasset’s 17:16) the French athlete’s superior finishing kick saw her home to a 3 second victory. Schär took silver while Slupek, in her first international start back after a horror crash at WTCS Hamburg last summer, took an extremely heartening bronze. View the full results here.
Caorle Europe Junior Cup
After multiple super-sprint rounds, it was Leni Remer-Mancini (FRA) that came out on top in the men’s Junior Cup in Caorle. Remer-Mancini was the third man out of the water in the final, perfectly setting up his tilt at glory. After the field came back together on the bike, the Frenchman used a rapid T2 to earn an early lead ahead of the day’s top cyclist Dániel Németh (HUN) and Jules Chabanel (FRA).
Although the margins were tight, Remer-Mancini’s field-leading 5:33 run split (the best by 1 second) secured the win by 5 seconds. Chabanel crossed in 2nd place while Németh finished in 3rd a further 4 seconds back.
Meanwhile, Anouk Rigaud (FRA) ensured France came away with every available gold medal in Caorle. A four-athlete breakaway group on the bike led by Rigaud shaped proceedings; Léa Reviglio (FRA), Jázmin Kropkó (HUN) and Carlotta Verde (ITA) made up the rest of the quartet.
Once into T2, though, it was all about Rigaud. Like Remer-Mancini, she tore through transition to carve out an early lead. By the end of the run, her lead stood at 30 seconds and a truly comprehensive win was in the bag. Reviglio held for silver while Amit Ben Adiva (ISR) ran through from the chase pack to nab the bronze. View the full results here.
Chengdu World Cup
In both the men’s and women’s races, two huge packs arrived into T2 together, laying the foundations for a 5km shoot-out on the run. A late surge from Luke Willian (AUS) took him away from a bunch of contenders, with only Nils Serre Gehri (FRA) able to react. The 2024 World Junior champion, however, could not summon a kick to bring him back on level terms with the WTCS medallist. The silver medal, his first on the circuit, was more than enough consolation, though. The experienced Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN) then powered clear of the remaining chasers to lock up the bronze medal.
Things were even tighter in the women’s race. An attack by Valentina Riasova (RUS) had taken her clear at the front and it appeared almost certain that she would defend her gold medal from last year. Laura Lindemann (GER) had other ideas. In a frantic bunch sprint, the WTCS gold medallist pipped Riasova by a matter of inches, building on the bronze medal she won two months ago in Lanzarote. T100 world champion Kate Waugh (GBR) completed the podium in her first outing of the year.
Finally, Team Spain was carried to victory in the Mixed Team Relay Cup by a fantastic anchor leg from Antonio Serrat Seoane (ESP). The WTCS medallist knocked Jack Willis and the British team into 2nd place while Martin Sobey snatched the bronze medal for Canada ahead of Braxton Legg and the Americans in another photo finish. View the full results here.
WTC San Pedro de la Paz achieves Bronze certification
The WTC San Pedro de la Paz has achieved Bronze certification with the World Triathlon Sustainability Programme for their 2025 event, making it the first event in the Americas to achieve certification with the program. The event, which takes place in the Santuario de la Naturaleza, Laguna Grande – Humedal Los Batros made efforts to protect the local ecosystem, reduce and sort waste onsite, reduce single-use plastics, and to measure the scope 1 and 2 emissions. Their programs also engaged local high school students and community members who are new to the sport of triathlon. More information can be found here.