At the weekend there were firsts, with the awarding of the first triathlon world titles of 2026 and the first LA 2028 triathlon slots being earned; there were lasts, with the final World Para Series stop of the year; and there were even thirds, as one of the sport’s biggest stars clocked national record number three. Read on to find out what went down in this week’s Monday Morning Mix.
World Para Series Hamburg
Men’s winners
- PTWC: Thomas Fruehwirth (AUT)
- PTVI: Dave Ellis (GBR)
- PTS2: Wim De Paepe (BEL)
- PTS3: Henry Urand (GBR)
- PTS4: Alexis Hanquiquant (FRA)
- PTS5: Martin Schulz (GER)
We knew it was going to be close in the PTS2 class, but we did not expect it to be this close. Wim De Paepe and Jules Ribstein (FRA) produced a Herculean contest as the Belgian got one over the reigning world champion by a mere 5 seconds. De Paepe had led Ribstein out of the 750m swim by 1 second, before the Frenchman exited T1 first. A superior bike and T2 put De Paepe back into the lead, forcing Ribstein to hunt him down over 5km. And the Paralympic champion very nearly made it, only to run out of road at the last.
While most of the other men’s races followed the form book, with commanding victories for four reigning world champions, a similarly tight race unfolded in the PTS5 class. German star Martin Schulz and Stefan Daniel (CAN) emerged as the primary contenders for gold with Schulz getting over the line first by 13 seconds after a nail-biting run. Interestingly, neither Schulz nor Daniel recorded the best split in any discipline in a testament to the depth of the class.
Women’s winners
- PTWC: Lauren Parker (AUS)
- PTVI: Susana Rodriguez (ESP)
- PTS2: Anu Francis (AUS)
- PTS3: Serena Banzato (ITA)
- PTS4: Camille Seneclauze (FRA)
- PTS5: Grace Norman (USA)
A mere 14 seconds separated Lauren Parker from Kendall Gretsch (USA) at the finish line in an instalment in their ongoing rivalry that will slot in among the very best. After Parker had the better swim (by precisely 14 seconds as it happens), Gretsch roared back with the best splits in every stage thereafter. As a H2 athlete to Parker’s H1, the American started 3:38 behind the Australian and very nearly closed the gap. The difference in the water, however, ultimately proved the crucial point of separation.
Meanwhile, Serena Banzato continued her fine run of form with a win in the PTS3 class and Anu Francis was back on top in the PTS2 class. World champions Grace Norman and Susana Rodriguez likewise continued their winning streaks. Finally, world champion Camille Seneclauze prevailed against Paralympic champion Megan Richter (GBR) in another great showdown. Richter had established a clear lead coming into T2 but it was not enough as Seneclauze out-split her by 59 seconds on the run to win by 32. View the full results here.
WTCS Hamburg
There were repeat victories for Matthew Hauser (AUS) and Leonie Periault (FRA) at WTCS Hamburg as the pair romped to gold with field-leading 5km run splits. Large packs came together in both fields on the bike to set up the wild finales. Hauser was up against world champion rival Vasco Vilaca (POR), while Periault had to find a way past current world champion Lisa Tertsch (GER), but both had the extra gear required to win by 3 and 5 seconds, respectively.
Vilaca took a fourth straight silver medal in Hamburg ahead of first-time Hamburg medallist Henry Graf (GER) in 3rd place. Crossing behind Tertsch was WTCS Yokohama winner Tilda Månsson (SWE), who has won a Series medal of each colour in her past three appearances. View the full results here.
World Mixed Team Relay Championships Hamburg
To round off the weekend, twenty countries duked it out over the first of the three triathlon world titles to be decided in 2026. With the individual titles to be settled at the WTCS Final in Pontevedra, it was the turn of the Mixed Team Relay. Crucially, the winning team would also receive two male and two female qualification slots to LA 2028.
Three fiercely contested legs set up a showdown between the final four of France, USA, Hungary and Britain, and of that group Dorian Coninx (FRA) kept his head to bring home the gold medal. Csongor Lehmann (HUN) pushed Coninx throughout the two-lap 1.6km run but had no answer to the WTCS Quiberon winner’s spectacular late attack. Rounding out the podium was the British team as they were anchored by European champion Oliver Conway (GBR). View the full results here.
Americas Cup Magog
Over in Canada, Zach Leachman (USA) earned another Americas Cup win after using a sizzling 14:47 5km run split to relegate his closest rival, Tomer Shapira (ISR), into 2nd place by 4 seconds. Leachman’s run stood out as only two other men managed to break the 15:15 barrier. Luxembourgish youngster Theo Marti then rounded out the podium.
Further American success came in the women’s race as Faith Duncan (USA) also used the best run of the day to vault herself to victory. After a large pack came into T2 together, Duncan was one of four women to separate themselves from the field on the run. Of this quartet Annie Fuller (USA) came into this race off the back of a recent win in Montreal, while Joy Gill (USA) is also an Americas Cup race winner. Neither could match Duncan’s 16:35 split, however.
Nor would Fuller or Gill manage to claim the silver. Instead, the fourth member of the leading cadre, Béatrice Filion (CAN), added 2nd place to her recent silver medal in Montreal by pipping Fuller in a photo finish. View the full results here.
Europe Duathlon Championships Banyoles
A pair of super races kick-started the Europe Multisport Championships at the weekend with Arnaud Dely (BEL) reclaiming the title he won in 2024 and Jasmijn Bakker (NED) powering to the first international win of her career.
Over a 5km run, 20km bike and 2.5km run, Dely was put under constant pressure by the French pair of Emile Blondel Herment and Adrien Pilleux after they were part of a five-man breakaway on the bike. Reigning duathlon world champion Benjamin Choquert (FRA) spent the bike stranded in the chase pack and lost over a minute to the leaders. Dely then kept his wits about him on the run to secure the gold by 8 seconds, with Blondel Herment then beating Pilleux to the silver medal.
On what was her first international start, Bakker took a significant scalp in the form of World Duathlon Championships silver medallist and World Games winner María Varo Zubiri (ESP). The Dutch duathlon champion and Varo were at the front throughout and remained clamped together for most of the 2.5km run. A late surge from Bakker, though, saw her home first by 3 seconds. Next over the line after Varo was Emma Wasser (FRA). View the full results here.
Europe Junior Cup Tabor
The second of the two home victories this weekend (after Schulz in Hamburg) came through Jakub Marik’s (CZE) win in Tabor. The Czech junior rallied from a difficult swim that saw him lose 50 seconds to teammate Jan Kovář (CZE) to make it to the front on the bike. A swift T2 then ensured he was the first man onto the run and he did not look back from there.
Levente Szabó (HUN) actually had the best run of the day, clocking 16:03 to Marik’s 16:10. However his positioning at the end of the bike and a slower T2 ultimately cost him as he settled for silver by 9 seconds. Finishing only a second behind Szabó was Italy’s Alessandro Villa as he, like Szabó, made the first international podium of his career.
Perhaps the most comprehensive victory of the weekend came in the women’s race as Petra Bán (HUN) dropped the best swim (10:29), bike (34:27) and run (18:57) splits to seal the gold by 74 seconds. Bán spent the swim and bike with Zóra Filep (HUN) for company as they gained over 90 seconds on the rest of the field. After Bán ran off into the distance over the 5km, Filep then held on for the silver medal. Verena Zehentmayr (AUT) was the best of the rest and took 3rd place, although she finished 2:43 behind the impressive Bán as the Hungarian out-split her Austrian rival by an additional 49 seconds on the run. View the full results here.
Around the world
With triathlon season in full swing, we have not seen quite so many side quests lately (Taylor Knibb’s American title in the time trial aside). That changed with Olympic champions Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) and Alex Yee (GBR) stepping up to race at the Monaco Diamond League. Although Yee’s race in the 5000m did not quite go as he hoped (he clocked a very respectable 13:27), Beaugrand came away with a third French national record of the year, this time in the 3000m, as she ripped a time of 8:32.86.