Across five events and numerous races that had us on the edges of our seats, there was plenty to dig into at the weekend. Find out all the top stories from international triathlon below in your Monday Morning Mix.
Chongqing Asia Cup
After the recent star turns of Chinese triathletes on the World Cup circuit, the country’s run of success continued as Xinyi Xu (CHN) scored gold on home soil in Chongqing. Her teammate Yuan Yuan (CHN) led out of the water, clocking 20:00 for the 1500m, but the field survived Yuan’s exertions and remained together. On the run, Xu would come under pressure from Raven Alcoseba (PHI) and Germany’s Sophie Gießmann, but she stuck to her task and ground down her rivals to win a first international gold medal by 29 seconds. Alcoseba crossed in 2nd place, beating out Gießmann by 11 seconds.
Victory in the men’s race was claimed by Pavel Sorokin (RUS) as he made the most of an eight-man breakaway that controlled the event. Swim leader Jack Crome (AUS) did the early damage, exiting the water in 18:13 and crowbarring open the field. Sorokin and the rest of the podium jumped at the opportunity to ride away with Crome and suddenly the pack had a decisive gap.
As with Xu in the women’s race, Sorokin did not need to be the fastest runner; he simply needed to be the quickest of the front pack, a task he handled with aplomb. With a rock-solid 10km run, he prevailed over Yegor Krupyakov (KAZ) by 54 seconds, with China’s Lubo Zhang a single second back in 3rd place and in turn one second ahead of teammate Rongheng Chen (CHN). View the full results here.
Chongqing Asia Junior Cup
Perhaps inspired by the recent medals of Xinyu Lin (CHN), Anqi Huang (CHN) and Xirui Zhang (CHN), some of China’s top young triathlon talent was eager to also impress in Chongqing, and the team was only just denied a clean sweep of both podiums.
Asia Youth champion Shujia Zheng (CHN) came out on top in the women’s race. Zheng was part of a four-athlete breakaway alongside Zixuan Hao (CHN), Jirong Dong (CHN) and Diana Biktimirova (UZB) that escaped the attentions of the field, including swim leader Xinyue Wang (CHN), on the bike. Once onto the run, Zheng then dispatched her breakaway partners with a cool-headed 18:43 5km split.
Dong took the silver medal, but Biktimirova found herself under challenge from Shouqing Wang (CHN) as Wang flew across the gap separating chase group and leaders. Wang’s field-leading 18:23 split, however, was not quite enough as Biktimirova held on to secure the bronze medal by 4 seconds.
Meanwhile, on his international debut Shuncang Wang (CHN) powered to victory in the men’s race. Wang was the top cyclist (32:50) and runner (16:01) which saw him home first by 13 seconds. In a race dominated by the home team, as Team China locked out the top-9, Yunkang Luo (CHN) crossed in 2nd place while Wenlei Xie (CHN) placed 3rd. View the full results here.
San Pedro de la Paz World Para Cup
Women’s winners
PTS2: Allysa Seely (USA)
PTS4: Rafaela Rojas (CHI)
PTS5: Virginia Ogburn (USA)
PTVI: Marina Mears (USA)
Allysa Seely’s return to international racing continues to gather momentum as she made it three medals from three appearances in 2026. After a silver in Chiba and a gold in Alayna, she added another win in San Pedro de la Paz in a performance that signalled she will be ready to challenge the likes of Hailey Danz (USA) and Anu Francis (AUS) at the top of the PTS2 class next season.
Seely was one of three American women to claim gold in Chile but the largest cheers were inevitably reserved for Rafaela Rojas who won the PTS4 class.
Men’s winners
PTWC: Thomas Fruehwirth (AUT)
PTS2: Diego Alfonso Lares García (MEX)
PTS3: Luca Panciroli (ITA)
PTS4: Michele Pasquazzo (ITA)
PTS5: Ruiter Antonio Goncalves Silva (BRA)
PTVI: Maxime Gayet (FRA)
World champion Thomas Fruehwirth did what we have become accustomed to and dominated the PTWC class while Ruiter Antonio Goncalves Silva, the Americas champion, was the fastest man in every aspect of the PTS5 race to cruise to a fantastic victory.
Things were a little different in the PTS3 event as we were treated to a thrilling contest between teammates Luca Panciroli and Fabrizio Suarato (ITA). The two Italians were 2 seconds apart out of the water before Panciroli gained some time in T1. He then took off on the bike, blazing a 34:14 20km split to Suarato’s 35:55. As a result, it looked like the race was done and dusted. But Suarato, who had won only a week prior in Alanya, had other ideas.
He pulled back some time in T2 and then delivered a flying 18:27 run split to chomp into Panciroli’s advantage. Ultimately, though, Suarato ran out of ground and fell only 12 seconds short of catching his teammate.
One man to match Seely and back up an Alayna victory with another gold in San Pedro de la Paz was Maxime Gayet. Like Goncalves in the PTS5 class, Gayet was the top athlete across the board in the PTVI event and won handily. View the full results here.
San Pedro de la Paz World Cup
The day after the World Para Cup, San Pedro de la Paz welcomed the latest instalment of the World Triathlon Cup. Early speed in the water from Márta Kropkó (HUN) saw the Beijing World Cup medallist arrive in T1 first (19:05 for the 1500m swim). A pack of sixteen women would take control of the rice, with Kropkó, top seed Marta Pintanel Raymundo (ESP) and Italy’s Carlotta Missaglia (the day’s top cyclist – 1;02:56 for the 40km) all prominent.
A long run in chilly conditions made for a dogfight of a finale, but it was Pintanel that rose above the opposition to power home in 1st place with a 39:29 10km split. Her compatriot Ana Carballo Gómez (ESP) made it a Spanish 1-2, and for both athletes this was a first of sorts. Whereas San Pedro de la Paz represented Pintanel’s first World Cup win, this was Carballo’s first ever World Cup medal. Finishing 10 seconds back of Carballo after fending off Missaglia was Eva Daniels of Luxembourg, who herself also enjoyed a first ever World Cup podium.
A small lead pack likewise defined the men’s race. Home athlete Diego Moya (CHI) threatened to blow the roof off as he led out of the water (17:09) and became the heart of an eight-man breakaway that torched the course. As last year’s gold and silver medallists Manoel Messias (BRA) and David Cantero del Campo (ESP) either fell back or did not finish, the door hung ajar for Moya to deliver on home soil.
To do so, however, he would have to get past WTCS race winner Morgan Pearson (USA). And on the run, Pearson had the bit between his teeth and rumbled into the lead. A chase pack of Louis Vitiello (FRA), Márton Kropkó (HUN), Pelayo González Turrez (ESP) and Moya tried to catch the American, but it was not to be as Pearson kept them at arm’s length to take his first World Cup win since Karlovy Vary 2023. Vitiello followed in 2nd place, 33 seconds down, while it was not to be for Moya as Kropkó earned his first World Cup medal of an injury-hit season a fortnight after placing 4th in Beijing. View the full results here.
Santa Eulària des Riu – Ibiza Europe Cup
Last but not least, the final Europe Cup of the season took place in Ibiza, but the anticipated home party led by World Cup winner Sara Guerrero Manso (ESP) was put on ice as Heidi Juránková (CZE) stormed to her maiden international victory.
The field split in the sprint distance event after Sara Crociani (ITA) and Lotte Minnebo (BEL) controlled the swim (stopping the clock in 10:03). Guerrero and Juránková were close behind, while Carlotta Bülck (GER) was among a crop of athletes that made their way into the slimmed-down front pack on the bike.
Coming into T2, it seemed the stage was set for Guerrero to deliver. But when Juránková exited T2 in 1st place, with Guerrero 1 second back, it was clear the Spanish athlete would not have things all her own way. So it proved as the Czech racer blasted a 16:31 5km split to win by an impressive 32 seconds. Guerrero was the best of the rest as she placed 2nd while Cristina Jímenez-Orta Guerrero (ESP) held off Bülck to make it two Spanish women on the podium, as in San Pedro de la Paz.
Further Spanish medals flowed in the men’s race as Xavi Cabanilles Añó (ESP) defeated World Cup winner Genis Grau (ESP). Still a junior athlete, Cabanilles had the third fastest bike split of the day to ride into the main pack after losing time in the water. He then found himself as part of an electrifying final 5km showdown in which five men battled for the win.
French duo Achille Besson and Quentin Criado put Cabanilles and Grau under pressure, as did Italy’s Davide Menichelli (ITA). Yet Cabanilles would not be denied as he produced the sprint of his life to surge to victory by 4 seconds. Grau then pipped Besson in a photo finish to seal 2nd place while Criado (the day’s top runner in 14:21) finished in 4th behind his teammate by 1 second. View the full results here.
