It was a weekend in which young talent captured the headlines as two rising American prospects grabbed gold medals and junior athletes went head-to-head across two separate Junior Cups. Find out all that occurred in this week’s Monday Morning Mix.
Lima Americas Cup
An American 1-2 was the top story in the men’s race in Lima, although that barely scratches the surface of a race in which a massive chase group hunted down a three-man breakaway and the gold and silver medals were earned in opposite ways. For race winner Carter Stulhmacher (USA), everything was in hand from the start. Stuhlmacher hit the top swim split over the 750m (9:41) to carry a 4 second lead into T1.
Joshua Bird (CAN) and Gabriel Terán Carvajal (ECU) followed, with no one else within 10 seconds of Terán. Meanwhile, silver medallist Foster Wilfong (USA) came out of the water 58 seconds behind his compatriot, but crucially was part of the large chase group that subsequently formed and pursued the leaders. Over the 20km, the chasers’ numerical advantage told and the gap came down. Yet the leading three toughed it out to carry a 30 second advantage into T2.
Onto the run, Stuhlmacher dispensed with Bird and Terán as he and Wilfong were the fastest men on the course. Wilfong would claim the top 5km split (14:20) but it was not enough to reel in his teammate as Stuhlmacher took the gold. Only 8 seconds behind Wilfong, Juan Jose Andrade Figueroa (ECU) then ran through to earn the bronze medal.
Another American win came in the women’s event as Faith Duncan (USA) backed up her July victory in Magog by taking down the vastly more experienced Elizabeth Bravo (ECU). After a string of strong World Cup finishes on her comeback from injury, Bravo was on paper the favourite for the win in a small field. As Gabby Martin (USA) and Leslie Amat Alvarez (CUB) led out of the water, she was well-placed only a few seconds back.
Duncan, however, was in sharp form of her own and duly logged the best bike split of the day (30:48) as she rode up to the leaders and was the first into T2. A 15:53 5km run split, the best of the day, then saw Duncan defeat Bravo in impressive fashion. Bravo would come away with her first medal of 2026 in 2nd place while Cecilia Sayuri Ramirez Alavez (MEX) rounded out the podium. View the full results here.
Lima Americas Junior Cup
Over in the junior men’s race in Lima, Luke McIntyre (BAR) channelled the best of Stuhlmacher and Wilfong, recording both the top swim and bike splits to notch the first Junior Cup win of his career. McIntyre’s time of 10:54 for the 750m swim put him level with Chile’s Sergio Maza Krause. In a small field, most of the riders then clumped together on the bike.
McIntyre’s 14:27 run split, good enough for the second quickest time in the senior men’s race, nonetheless proved too hot for the rest of the field, handing him the gold by 14 seconds. Maximiliano Bobadilla (CHI) took the silver medal while Elias Medina Paolucci (URU) pipped Maza to the bronze.
A fast run likewise proved the point of separation for Manuela Ortega Arteaga as the Ecuadorian athlete won the junior women’s race by 32 seconds. The Americas Youth champion was second out of the water behind silver medallist Victoria Arce Nuñez (CRC) and the pair remained together as a small pack developed around them on the bike. With a time of 16:37 for the 5km run, though, there would be no catching Ortega at the end. Renata Valentina Oña Paredes (ECU) completed the podium after achieving the joint-best T1 and T2 splits of the day. View the full results here.
Moletai Europe Junior Cup
To be updated upon confirmation of final results.