There’s no rest for the wicked in this sport. Fresh off the carnival of triathlon that was the World Championships in Wollongong, we had another weekend heaving with action. Fortunately for the many tired bodies coming off a long season, there were no standard distance races. Instead, the racing was made up by a series of frenetic sprint distance events, many of which went down to the wire.
Guatemala Central American Games
Alvaro Campos Solano (CRC), a recent member of Team World Triathlon, got the weekend rolling with a gold medal at the Central American Games, beating out compatriot David Hernandez Muñoz (CRC) and home favourite Jorge Raul Cabinal Gramajo (GUA).
Setting the tone early on, Campos and Hernandez opened up a 20 second gap in the water. Four men, including Cabinal, then bridged to the lead duo on the bike. With no one able to break clear, the medals were settled on the run and here, as with the swim, Campos and Hernandez were a cut above. The former ran 17:44 over 5km to the latter’s 17:56 which was enough to seal the win.
In the women’s race, Marlen Alejandra Abigail Aguilar Bolaños (GUA) took down Catalina Torres Espinoza (CRC) and Julia Maria Alcala Rosales (HON) to win gold. Aguilar had been the top swimmer by 5 seconds before a pack of four women asserted themselves at the front of the race. Aguilar was then the quickest runner of the field – she had the only sub-19 run split (18:56) – to win by 23 seconds. View the full results here.
Bahrain Asian Youth Games
The only event not contested over the sprint distance at the weekend came in Bahrain. Here, the action was even shorter as the continent’s top athletes went head-to-head over the super sprint format.
One of the most head-turning performances of the weekend came in the women’s race as Enge Xu (CHN) triumphed in style. Xu seized control of the race early on. After logging the best swim of the field, she then broke away with Zija Bian (CHN). To conclude a dominant display, Xu added the best run of the day. Bian crossed 8 seconds after her teammate to secure the silver medal. Bronze then went to Aira Martha Adristri (INA).
Yansong Li (CHN) ensured China came away with both individual golds with a sparkling win in the men’s race. Unlike Xu, Li found himself on the back foot coming out of the water. He nonetheless forced his way back to the front on the bike. From there, he ripped the best run split of the day by 15 seconds to win in relative comfort. Ramazan Ainegov (KAZ), already an Asia Junior Cup race winner this year, was next home in 2nd place. A mere 2 seconds back, Woohyeon Kang (KOR) denied Parsa Rasouli Jazi (IRI) the bronze in a photo finish. View the full results here.
World Para Cup Alanya
Men’s winners
- PTWC: Semen Radaev (AIN)
- PTS2: Kenshiro Nakayama (JPN)
- PTS3: Fabrizio Suarato (ITA)
- PTS4: Gregoire Berthon (FRA)
- PTS5: Aleksandr Konyshev (AIN)
- PTVI: Łukasz Wietecki (POL)
World champion Alexis Hanquinquant might have been absent but there was still a Frenchman on top in the PTS4 class. Gregoire Berthon missed the World Para Triathlon Championships in Wollongong but certainly made a statement with his win. Similarly, Kenshiro Nakayama made some noise as he followed his recent Asian title with another big win.
The closest race of the Alanya World Para Cup came in the men’s PTS4 class as Fabrizio Suarato left it late to win by 14 seconds. In a yo-yo race against Viktor Chebotarev (AIN), Suarato saw his fortunes swing wildly. He had put 48 seconds into his rival in the water, but then lost almost 3 minutes on the bike. With nothing to lose on the 5km run, Suarato came roaring back, clocking 17:15 to Chebotarev’s 19:17, to sneak by in the closing stages.
Women’s winners
- PTS2: Gitte Welslau (BEL)
- PTS3: Serena Banzato (ITA)
- PTS4: Kübra Dere (TUR)
- PTS5: Lauren Steadman (GBR)
- PTVI: Fanny Bourdelas (FRA)
The highest profile gold medallist was Lauren Steadman as the Tokyo Paralympic champion bounced back from bronze in Wollongong with a win. Steadman was never really challenged in this race, having led from the off. After opting against regular international appearances in 2025, she thus signed off with a second win and can now turn her sights to the 2026 campaign. View the full results here.
Europe Cup Alanya
Alanya was also the host of the final Europe Cup of the season, serving up two suspense-ridden finishes. Gold in the women’s race went to Manon Laporte (FRA) as the youngster beat out Mathilde Gautier (FRA) with a late blue carpet attack.
Laporte and Gautier were the first two women out of the water, briefly creating a breakaway group of four with a 12 second lead to the chase pack. However, most of the field came together at the front. After smart riding in the main pack, Laporte and Gautier pulled clear on the run. Gautier had all the experience but the 2023 World Junior Championships bronze medallist had the better finish, earning a maiden senior international win. Ana Carballo Gómez (ESP) was the next woman to finish in 3rd place.
In an even closer showdown, Louis Vitiello (FRA) pipped Andreas Nikolajsen (NOR) by 1 second. This made it a second win in October following the Frenchman’s victory in Ceuta at the start of the month. On a fast course, the field split in two as those that could not live with the pace fell behind. Vitiello and Nikolajsen were comfortably set in the lead pack and then separated themselves on the 5km run. When Vitiello kicked for the line, though, his rival could not find a way to respond. Pablo Isotton (FRA) rounded out the podium in 3rd place. View the full results here.
Europe Junior Cup Alanya
Completing a thrilling weekend of racing in Alanya, Sofia Tikhonova (AIN) ran away to the gold medal in the junior women’s event. An eight-strong breakaway group, which included Tikhonova, had put 2 minutes into the chasers following exceptional work on the bike. A field-leading 16:17 run split then handed Tikhonova victory by 25 seconds. Viktoriia Shutova (AIN) finished 2nd while Dóra Pusztai (HUN) placed 3rd.
Meanwhile, Arthur Baigidin (AIN) won the junior men’s race, beating out Konrád Székely (HUN) and Senan McConnell (IRL) in a close finish. McConnell had been among the early leaders heading out onto the bike, but Székely and Baigidin were not far behind and rode up to form an eight-man lead group. This pack would not be caught during the 20km bike, setting up a battle on the run between the three eventual medallists. For most of the run, there was little to separate the trio. Baigidan, however, had the sharpest finishing kick and won by 5 seconds. Only 3 seconds then split Székely and McConnell as the former took home the silver medal. View the full results here.
Asia Cup Kota Kinabalu
When a four-woman breakaway surged clear in Kota Kinabalu, putting a hefty gap into the chasers, it was clear that the medals were going to be dealt among the quartet. Any question as to who would win, however, was quickly dispelled as Sinem Francisca Tous Servera (TUR) shot away over the 5km to win by 41 seconds. Sarika Nakayama (JPN) came away with the silver medals after a strong run of her own while Ji Yeon Kim (KOR) completed the podium.
Whereas the women’s race was rather open-and-shut, the men’s race came down to a late decisive move from Peter Luftensteiner (AUT). A fairly spread out swim hinted at the race breaking up. Yet the field largely came back together on the bike.
Luftensteiner was one of the many men to make up for time lost in the water on two wheels. Onto the run, he hit the front. But the likes of Logan Campbell (AUS) and Felix Duchampt (ROU) – recently elected to the World Triathlon Athlete Committee for 2025-2029 – proved tricky to shake. In the end, Luftensteiner found an extra gear and propelled himself to gold by 7 seconds. In turn, Campbell summoned a late charge to take silver, forcing Duchampt into 3rd place. View the full results here.
Americas Cup Iquique
Dominga Elena Jacome Espinoza (CHI) notched the first senior international win of her career as she took gold by 59 seconds in Chile. In a small field, she did it alone. Jacome exited the water 3 seconds behind leader Rosa Elena Martinez Melchor (VEN) but then took off. With a field-best bike split of 28:36, she put a chasm between her and her rivals. Indeed, no one rode within 75 seconds of her time on the bike. Out of T2, dealing with the final 5km proved a comfortable task. Like Laporte in Alanya, Jacome is in her first year out of the junior ranks and this victory represents a significant milestone in her career.
While Jacome was untroubled at the front, the battle for silver was far more intense.Martinez spent the run harried by the attentions of Ana Maria Valentina Torres Gomez (MEX) and Sofia Rodriguez Moreno (MEX). The Venezuelan athlete nonetheless came through the Mexicans’ efforts to take silver. Torres then had the better sprint finish to take bronze by 1 second.
Fresh off racing at the World Junior Championships in Wollongong, Blake Bullard (USA) made a statement of his own with a first senior win. Bullard was the top swimmer, recording 9:16 for the 750m, as he and Carter Stuhlmacher (USA) opened up an 8 second gap to the next fastest athlete. With the field stretched, a group of seven men formed at the head of the race.
Among their number was Hamish Reilly (GBR), a 2022 World U23 Championships medallist. Reilly was the most obvious threat to Bullard and duly proved the only man able to stick with him on the run. Bullard nonetheless held firm and took the win by 5 seconds. Although it was to be silver for Reilly, the race was a useful tune-up for the upcoming South American World Cup swing. Taking 3rd place 26 seconds later was Dylan Didier Campa Carranza (MEX). View the full results here.
Americas Junior Cup Iquique
There was a dominant win for Cinthia López Ortega (MEX) in the junior women’s race in Iquique. López broke away with silver medallist Millaray Angelica Castro Álvarez (MEX), creating an insurmountable gap to the rest of the field going into T2. She then ran clear to win by 64 seconds. Victoria Arce Nuñez (CRC) was the best of the rest, earning the bronze medal.
Gerald Rojas Carvajal (CRC) came out on top in the junior men’s event. A six-man front pack escaped on the bike, with Rojas conspicuous in leading it. Nicholas Andres Miller Herrera (CHI) and Sergio Maja Krause (CHI) were likewise in the group and sought to pressure Rojas in the opening kilometres of the run. Rojas, though, kept his cool and won by 15 seconds. Miller would then take 2nd place after dropping Maja. View the full results here.
Around the world
Finally, Olympic champion and recently dethroned 2024 world champion Alex Yee (GBR) was back on the start line, albeit not in the triathlon world. Instead, he ran the Valencia half marathon as part of his ongoing preparation for his second attempt at the full distance later this year. His final time was 1:01:29, although Yee afterwards said he felt like he left time out on the course.
Remarkably, as further evidence of the run-speed inflation seen in triathlon lately, Yee’s performance is not the best half marathon by a WTCS athlete this year. That honour is still held by Morgan Pearson (USA), courtesy of the 1:01:01 he ran in Houston in January. As such, if any WTCS athletes are looking for bragging rights, there are still two months left in the year to find that sub-61 time.
