Check out all the latest in international triathlon in the latest Monday Morning Mix
The talk of the triathlon world was justifiably focused on Kona at the weekend, as WTCS stars Vincent Luis (FRA) and Taylor Knibb (USA) etched their names into the history books as the latest victors on the storied course. For Knibb, gold represented a redemption of sorts from a brutal 2025 race she had to abandon. For Luis, his victory was perhaps a tad more surprising than most given he had never medalled over the distance before.
Five years ago, both shared the Mixed Team Relay podium at the Tokyo Olympic Games and now they end this season as the best long distance triathletes of 2026. As spellbinding as the Kona action was, it was not the only game in town, though. Catch up with everything else that happened below and be sure to keep an eye on the results of today’s World Para Cup in Chiba, Japan.
Africa Championships Hurghada
In a battle of Olympians, Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR) overcame Henri Schoeman (RSA) to add the standard distance Africa title to the sprint distance crown he claimed earlier in the year. Schoeman was dominant in the water, clocking 19:03 to lead the 1500m by 33 seconds. Abdelmoula, meanwhile, found himself in the chase pack behind. The chasers would reel Schoeman in, setting up a bout over the 10km run and here the Moroccan athlete made no mistake.
His split of 33:30 was 20 seconds better than Schoeman’s and ensured a comfortable victory. Finishing in 3rd place, Julian Birkel made it two South African athletes on the podium after the Team World Triathlon athlete had made it into the front pack on the bike.
Gold in the women’s race went to another Team World Triathlon member as Shanae Williams (RSA) blasted clear of her rivals on the run. A 21:47 swim split had put Williams in control of the race, with only Nora Romina Nádas of Hungary within 30 seconds of her. Hannah Newman (RSA) would ride up to join Williams and Nádas at the front, and together this trio distanced the field.
The run, however, was all about Williams as she out-split her fellow leaders (stopping the clock at 39:05 for the 10km) to beat Nádas by 1:53 and Newman by 2:58. View the full results here.
Africa Duathlon Championships Hurghada
Also on the table in Hurghada were the Africa titles in the duathlon and aquathlon events. In the men’s duathlon, Mohamed Nemsi (MAR) denied teammate Oussama Nabil (MAR) in a photo finish to take home the gold medal. Nabil had led the opening 5km run in 15:12 alongside eventual bronze medallist Moussa Karich (BRN) while Nemsi languished over 20 seconds behind. Nemsi recovered on the bike, however, and rode clear with Nabil before the pair went toe-to-toe over the final 2.5km run.
Ghizlane Assou (MAR) then led a Moroccan sweep in the elite women’s duathlon. She won by 21 seconds after recording the top run splits of the day at the start and end of the race (21:55 and 9:42, respectively). Silver and bronze medallists Aya Bkhibkhi (MAR) and Islam Bkhibkhi (MAR) managed to hang with Assou during the first run and over the 20km bike. It was on the final run, though, that Assou’s experience told. View the full results here.
Africa Aquathlon Championships Hurghada
Šimon Koblížek (CZE) won the men’s aquathlon in Hurghada from Filip Vilenica (CRO) and Tin Rebic (CRO) with 4th place finisher Naim Mokhfi (ALG) claiming the Africa title. Abdessamad Hindi (MAR), who placed 6th overall and took the Africa Aquathlon Championship bronze medal, was the top athlete in the first run, but lost time in the swim that followed. Rebic was the best swimmer but then Koblížek came through on the second run to win.
In the women’s event, Iva Pavlovic (SRB) defeated Viva Kovač (CRO) and Karmen Fabris (CRO) to cross the line first. Shahd Walid (EGY), who placed 7th overall, was the top African performer and therefore came away with the continental crown. View the full results here.
Africa Junior Cup Hurghada
Finally, Hurghada hosted up and coming junior talent, with Kirill Arapko (RUS) nabbing the men’s gold medal ahead of Artur Nikiforov (RUS) and Adam Kermadi (MAR). Arapko’s victory was built on a solo breakaway on the bike as he clocked 28:48 for the 20km to put over a minute into his chasers. Although Nikiforov and Kermadi would beat his 5km run time, the damage was done and Arapko won by 1:19.
Viktoriia Shutova (RUS) was similarly dominant in the junior women’s event as she won by 54 seconds after powering to the top swim (10:17) and run times (18:35) of the day. Elizaveta Polianskaia (RUS), who spent the swim and bike with Shutova, was forced to settle for the silver medal while Veronika Deeva (RUS) followed her home in 3rd place. View the full results here.
Americas Cup Santa Fe
Across the Atlantic, Santa Fe hosted a fiercely contested sprint distance Americas Cup that went down to the wire. Early swim speed from Costa Rica’s Alvaro Campos Solano (9:05) helped to stretch the field and notably put World Cup medallist Alejandro Rodriguez Diez (CUB) 35 seconds in arrears. While Rodriguez tried to make up for lost time, Kauê Willy (BRA) and Gabriel Terán Carvajal (ECU) established themselves at the front of the field and endeavoured to keep their Cuban rival behind.
They would prove successful in their task, with Terán leading the front pack into T2 with a near-half minute gap over Rodriguez. Over the subsequent 5km, Willy and Terán traded blows. Yet Rodriguez was not out of it yet. A field-leading 14:21 5km split very nearly hauled him back into the fight for gold. However, he ran out of road and settled for 3rd place, only 11 seconds behind the winner. Up ahead, Willy and Terán’s battle continued, and it was only late on that the Brazilian broke clear to win by 3 seconds.
Another World Cup medallist, Rosa Elena Martinez Melchior of Venezuela, proved the pick of the bunch in the women’s race as she defeated Chilean rivals Dominga Elena Jacome Espinoza and Rafaela Capó to secure the win. Martinez had the second quickest swim and run, as well as the fourth fastest bike, on a day in which she did not put a foot wrong. Jacome and Capó were part of the four-woman group to arrive into T2 alongside Martinez, but they just could not match the Venezuelan’s inspired performance over the 5km. View the full results here.
Americas Junior Cup Santa Fe
Brazil and Venezuela would repeat the gold medals at the Junior Cup in Santa Fe as two youngsters logged their first ever international wins. In the men’s race, early swim speed from Florian Muñoz (ARG – 9:58 for the 750m) helped to break the field up and laid the foundation for a ten-man group to escape off the front.
Jhon Matias Tuesta Castro (COL) was part of this lead group and went on to record the fastest run of the day (15:24). However Tuesta was disqualified for pushing off the ground in an unauthorised part of the swim course. In his place, Eduardo Staniaski Gonçalves (BRA) made the most of the opening to snatch a first win of his international career with a strong run of his own. Following in 2nd and 3rd place were the Argentinian duo Faustino Sabio and Santiago Buntalyk Caviglia.
Another home athlete took the lead in the water, although that rather understates just how dominant Federica Carletto (ARG) was over the 750m. Carletto stopped the clock at 12:32 with her closest rival – Renata Valentina Oña Paredes (VEN) – out in 13:40. With too much of the race left to go it alone, Carletto was caught by a pack of eight others on the bike.
The Argentinian athlete was also the first out onto the run, but Oña soon moved past her on her way to a field-best 18:12 5km split. Carletto would settle for silver behind her Venezuelan opponent while Juana Marcela Barzallo Ortiz (ECU) managed to grab the bronze medal. View the full results here.
Europe Cup Tenerife
Jaspar Ortfeld (GER) followed up his recent strong showing at the World U23 Championships, where he placed 6th, with a win in Tenerife. Crossing in 2nd was the oldest man in the field, Vicente Hernandez (ESP), who finished 5 seconds back, while a second Spanish athlete, Jarno Pousada Troitiño, completed the podium a further 7 seconds behind.
All three had been well down on the leaders coming out of the water, with Hernandez the best ranked in tied-42nd place. They would nonetheless make their way into the massive main group that would form on the bike. The run would give the field some order and 13:12 5km splits for Ortfeld and Hernandez separated themselves from the rest before a final kick from Ortfeld determined the gold.
Over in the women’s race, Annie Fuller (USA) won again, making it three victories in a row on the Europe Cup circuit. As has been the norm for her lately, she made her move on the run. Elena Polaert (FRA) had led into and out of T2 but Fuller was only 5 seconds back and from there ripped a scintillating 14:56 split, a time matched by bronze medallist Faith Duncan (USA) (as with the men’s race, the run course was short beyond the normal variance).
Duncan finished only 2 seconds behind the eventual silver medallist Polaert and the 7 seconds she lost to the Frenchwoman in T2 proved significant. As for Fuller, she has established that she is too quick for the Continental Cup circuit and it will be intriguing to see how she fares on her World Cup debut in Chile next month. View the full results here.
