Pontevedra World Duathlon Championships
The duathlon events kickstarted the 2025 World Multisport Championships in Pontevedra. With the aquathlon, cross triathlon, long distance triathlon and more still to come, be sure to stay up to date on all the latest across all World Triathlon channels.
The elite men’s duathlon was all about the final 5km run as the top contenders ramped up the pace. It took a split of 14:30 to finally separate Benjamin Choquert (FRA) from the field, handing the Frenchman a second world title in the discipline. His second run split actually surpassed the 14:45 he clocked on the first 5km as part of the lead pack. Crossing in second was Arnaud Dely (BEL), whose running speed was in no doubt after racing at the European Road Running Championships earlier in the year. WTCS medallist Antonio Serrat Seoane (ESP) was the next man home to take the bronze medal.
In the elite women’s race, Giorgia Priarone (ITA) beat out European duathlon champion Maria Varo Zubiri (ESP) to take the biggest win of her career. There was a hectic tempo from the off as Varo Zubiri led the front pack into T1 with a 5km split of 16:43. Priarone was a second back. The Spanish athlete also chanced a solo breakaway during the 30km but the leaders reeled her back in. A second 5km split of 17:00 then managed to break her rival at the last to win by a mere 5 seconds. Camille Laurent (FRA) followed in 3rd place, only 7 seconds back of silver.
Notably, in both races the reigning world champions, Javier Martin Morales (ESP) and Marion Legrand (FRA), finished 4th. Laurent also took the women’s U23 crown while Mack Downey took the men’s U23 title after finishing 9th overall.
In the junior races, Caleb Wagener (NZL) and Cristina Jiminez-Orta Guerrero (ESP) struck gold. Wagener blasted the race open early courtesy of a 15:04 5km split. That separated him at the front alongside silver medallist Nicholas Horne (RSA), or at least until Wagener attacked to arrive in T2 on his own. His final run split of 8:16 over 2.5km was not the fastest of the day, but Wagener had done more than enough to secure a comprehensive victory.
Jiminez-Orta had a similar race and was one of two women to arrive at the front into T1 alongside silver medallist Licia Ferrari (ITA). Unlike Wagener and Horne, they rode together for the entire 20km bike. Indeed, they were not separated until Jiminez-Orta applied her final sprint kick to win by 2 seconds. View the full results here.
Holten Europe Premium Cup
Jolien Vermeylen (BEL) came out on top in a battle of recent World Cup gold medallists in Holten. The winner of the 2024 Tongyeong World Cup came up against Desirae Ridenour (CAN), winner of this year’s Napier World Cup, and the pair set up shop early on. They were the second and third women out of the water. Vermeylen was then the first onto the bike as she tried to push the pace but the lead pack swelled into double digits as more and more women made it to the front.
Tanja Neubert (GER) was one of those women having lost over 20 seconds to Vermeylen in the water. The Belgian, though, simply bided her time. Having won in Holten in 2023 and 2024, she knew exactly how to prevail and duly produced a 16:59 run split, the only one under 17 minutes, to win by 25 seconds and complete the hat-trick of golds. Behind, Ridenour beat out Neubert by 10 seconds to settle the silver and bronze.
In the men’s race, Lasse Nygaard Priester (GER) mowed down Connor Bentley (GBR) on the run to secure a win of his own. Back racing after a bout of glandular fever, Bentley had followed Jack Crome (AUS) and Tom Lerno (FRA) out of the water, with Priester 20 seconds back. The German athlete then made up time in T1 and then on the bike. Solomon Okrafo-Smart (GBR), Pelayo Gonzalez Turrez (ESP) and Adam Fouchal (FRA) were others to make up time on the bike.
Bentley went hell for leather on the first of the two run laps, putting everyone else on the back foot. However Priester came back at him in the second half and clocked 15:00 to Bentley’s 15:14 to win by 9 seconds. In the battle for bronze, the young trio of Okrafo-Smart, Gonzalez and Fouchal were in the thick of the action and eventually managed to pull clear of the rest of their rivals. It was Okrafo-Smart who claimed the bronze, his second medal in a row after recently taking the silver in Rzeszow. View the full results here.
Holten Europe Junior Cup
European youth champion Anouk Rigaud (FRA) delivered another warning shot with a second consecutive international win. After downing the reigning World Junior champion in Caorle, Rigaud ran away from the field in Holten. Her 5km split of 17:35 was only a second off matching Neubert in the senior women’s event.
Lisa Lecompte (FRA) had led the way in the water, registering a time of 9:25 for the 750m swim. No one was close to her as she cruised through T1 but with nobody to work with she was caught on the bike. A pack of nine women including Rigaud formed and stayed clear. Such was Rigaud’s run speed, though, no one could trouble her. Addison Houslip (AUS) was the best of the rest in the lead pack, taking silver. Lecompte was then rewarded for her efforts with the bronze medal.
Another previous European youth champion (from 2023) emerged triumphant in the junior men’s race as Tristan Douche (FRA) made it a double French success. Ilio Kopriva (BEL) had torpedoed the field in water, logging a time of 8:31 to really stretch the field. The closest athlete was Jakub Mittner (CZE), some 9 seconds back. Douche was the best part of half a minute behind but the field mostly came back together at the front.
While much of the field made it into the lead pack, the day’s fastest runners – Martin Hubner (FRA) and Jack Woodberry (AUS) – did not. They were over 20 seconds quicker than Douche but were powerless to prevent him from winning with a 16:00 split. Isaac Lamprecht (USA) impressed on his way to silver while Mittner took bronze. View the full results here.
Huatulco World Cup
After Hurricane Erick had provided the drama before the event, forcing the organisers to scramble to ensure the event could still go ahead (which became possible thanks to their efforts), the Huatulco World Cup saw plenty more drama with the action on the course. The women’s race came down to a thrilling three-way sprint finish between Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto (COL), Erika Ackerlund (USA) and Elizabeth Bravo (ECU). All had been part of the breakaway group of eleven that had long since distanced the rest of the field.
By the skin of her teeth, Velasquez snatched gold away from a flying Ackerlund and the evergreen Bravo. Bravo actually had the fastest run split in 17:06 but no one would deny Velasquez. She had found herself in a similar position at last year’s Wollongong World Cup and came away with silver. Evidently, she was determined to avoid a repeat.
Whereas the drama came in the finale of the women’s race, the men’s race saw the tension ramp up much earlier. Shachar Sagiv (ISR) escaped out of T1 for a one-man breakaway and when no one came after him, he put his head down and got to work. A huge chase pack followed yet it seemed many of the athletes had confused the race for the bike familiarization, such was the relaxed pace. Sagiv’s lead therefore grew and grew, and with only 5km to run, gold became a certainty.
Meanwhile, in the scramble for silver and bronze there was delight for Cuba and Kuba. Alejandro Rodriguez Diez (CUB), like Velasquez a member of Team World Triathlon, turned heads with a field-leading 14:57 run split to power to an incredible silver medal. With minimal experience at this level, this was a huge statement by the Cuban athlete and a first ever World Cup medal for his country. Fresh out of the junior ranks, Kuba Gajda (POL) then stepped up in a big way to secure the bronze medal, the first of his fledgling senior career. View the full results here.
