Championships were the order of the weekend, both in terms of triathlon and triathletes dabbling beyond the sport. From the Winter World Championships in Padola to two major continental titles, some serious gongs were contested. Find out who came out on top in this week’s Monday Morning Mix.
World Winter Duathlon Championships Padola
Daria Rogozina (AIN) defended her title in emphatic fashion in Padola, winning by a sizeable 36 seconds. She arrived in T1 only 1 second ahead of her closest opponent. But after a rapid transition, she was away and never looked back.
Alina Liagaeva (AIN) claimed the silver medal and the U23 title. Axelle Vicari (ITA), another U23 athlete and the early challenger to Rogozina in the first run, rounded out the senior podium in 3rd place.
No Norwegians in the elite men’s field? No problem. The defending champion and bronze medallist may have been absent but in their place Jens Kristoffer Dyrdahl (NOR) stepped up to win both the senior and U23 titles. Unlike Rogozina, his victory was a narrow ordeal, with Dmitrii Kondrashov (AIN) pushing him all the way to the line. Dyrdahl nonetheless had enough of a margin to celebrate as he crossed, even if the ultimate gap between them was 1 second. Home athlete Franco Pesavento (ITA) completed the podium. View the full results here.
World Winter Triathlon Championships Padola
The next day, Rogozina was at it again. This time her gap to her competitors was even more substantial; a whole 54 seconds separated her from Liagaeva. Once again, Rogozina was the first athlete into T1 and again she was only 1 second ahead of her closest rival (again, Vicari). Smart work in T1 extended her lead and, once onto the bike, she gained more and more time. Vicari would go on to take the bronze medal behind Liagaeva.
Whereas the women’s winter duathlon and winter triathlon bore significant similarities, the men’s winter triathlon saw changes at the top. This time, Kondrashov found a way past Dyrdahl in a tense finale.
Kondrashov made his move on the opening run, gaining time. Meanwhile, Dyrdahl was pinned back with defending champion Oleg Chestikov (AIN). Come the final cross-country ski leg, the three leaders moved into the same frame and it took a late surge from Kondrashov to win by 3 seconds. Dyrdahl then held off Chestikov to grab the silver by 1 second. View the full results here.
Oceania Sprint Championships and Oceania Cup Napier
He’s back and he’s looking good. T100 world champion Hayden Wilde (NZL) got his season off to a perfect start with a continental title. Napier has been a World Cup host in previous seasons, and Wilde was forced to settle for the silver medal there in 2024. This time he made no mistake.
Wilde was 5 seconds behind the leader out of the 750m swim and then took control on the bike. A 25:50 split for the 20km was the best of the day and ensured he entered T2 with the race in his hands. From there, he coasted to a 15:01 5km split to win by 8 seconds. Evidently, his time tackling the longer distances last year has not dulled his speed.
The fastest run of the day actually went to Saxon Morgan (NZL) (14:54) as he ran through to claim the silver medal. Henry McMeeking (NZL) then ensured a home sweep of the podium in 3rd place.
A non-Oceania athlete took the win in the women’s race. If one thing is for sure, Desirae Ridenour (CAN) likes racing in Napier; it was the site of her maiden World Cup win last year and at the weekend she added an Oceania Cup gold. Like Wilde, Ridenour was in control throughout. She was the third athlete out of the water before settling into a lead pack with good company in the likes of World U23 champion Richelle Hill (AUS) and Oceania Junior champion Aspen Anderson (AUS).
Ridenour’s run was clearly in fine fettle as she dropped a 16:48 5km split to take the win by 9 seconds. Anderson was next over the line and took gold in the Oceania Championships, beating Hill into 3rd place overall. View the full results here.
South Americas Championships and Americas Cup Formosa
Over in Argentina, Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto (COL) launched her 2026 campaign with a win at the South Americas Championships. The winner of last year’s Huatulco World Cup was a class apart, emerging second from the water before taking control of the race over the bike and run. Come the finish line, her lead stood at 42 seconds.
Giovanna Lacerda (BRA) held off Barbara Riveros (CHI) to take the silver medallist. Notably, bronze represented a first (non-cross triathlon) medal for Riveros since making her comeback to elite racing.
Antonio Bravo Neto (BRA) came out on top in a clash of Brazilians with Kauê Willy (BRA). Willy had set a furious tempo in the sprint distance swim, gaining 5 seconds over the next man out. Bravo, meanwhile, was 11 seconds back. The two Brazilians then played a cat-and-mouse game across the rest of the race, with Bravo prevailing by 16 seconds. Chile’s Mateo Mendoza Burgos – who will be making his WTCS debut this month in Abu Dhabi – sealed the bronze medal. View the full results here.
Around the world
It has been championship season of late with respect to triathletes chancing their hands at the third discipline. A week ago, Hugo Milner (GBR) won the British Cross Country Championships. We did not see Milner at his best in 2025 due to injury, yet it cannot be forgotten that he was the fastest runner at the WTCS Final in 2024, out-splitting peak Yee and Wilde. Fresh off his latest win, he seems to be in a good place ahead of the new campaign.
Similarly, there was a win for Carina Reicht (AUT) at the Austrian Indoor Championships over the 3000m. A time of 9:00.97 for the winner of last year’s Rome World Cup currently puts her on the cusp of breaking into the global top-100; not bad at all for a triathlete’s pre-season hit out.
On the note of the 3000m, Csongor Lehmann (HUN) was at it again. We wrote the other week how he had scored a personal best over the distance. Yesterday, at the Hungarian Indoor Championships he hacked another 3 seconds off his best time, clocking 8:13.88. Looking ahead to WTCS Abu Dhabi, with Lehmann and Wilde looking so sharp the battle on the run should be rather tasty.