Two starts, two wins, now that Portugal’s Vasco Vilaça finally has a taste for Series gold, it is going to take something special from his nearest rival Miguel Hidalgo (BRA) or the likes of Alex Yee (GBR) and Henry Graf (GER) to stop him at Saturday’s inaugural World Triathlon Championship Series Quiberon.
A new venue for the Series, a familiar one for the athletes and followers of the French Grand Prix circuit (Morocco’s Jawad Abdelmoula won the race here in 2025), Quiberon is also the first sprint distance WTCS race so far in 2026. Throw in the forecast high temperatures and possible wetsuit uncertainty, a beach start and a 4-loop bike circuit, not to mention world championship and LA28 points, and this is set to be a firecracker.
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Third win could see Vilaça take charge of Series
Huge wins in Samarkand and Alghero – his only races so far this campaign - have put Vasco Vilaça on top of the Series. The second of those was arguably his most impressive, seeing off the 2025 Alghero winner Miguel Hidalgo and a start list – if not finish list - that included Matt Hauser and Alex Yee.
Neither finished, but the points speak for themselves. Add in the fact that arguably one of Vilaça’s finest results pre-’26 was when he pushed Hauser all the way over the same distance, in similar heat, in the French Riviera last year, and this could again be the Vasco show. 3,000 points at the halfway mark of the season would be dreamland. 
Hidalgo, Yee, Graf, Cantero: firepower incoming
The pace will need to be on from the gun if the top swim-bikers are going to give themselves a chance against the run form of an Alex Yee, David Cantero or Hugo Milner. As #1 and #2, Vilaça and Hidalgo will get the pick of the start spots, Graf and Yee line up 8th and 12th, Cantero 18th. Who finds the right feet the fastest could be key to how quickly things may or may not string out.
Yee was so close to catching on in Alghero before the gap went out on the bike to something insurmountable, and he will not want to let that happen again. But 20 seconds was all the front pack needed out of the water in the Riviera race to make their break stick, so that will again be the goal for them here.
Hidalgo led from the swim there, and Henry Graf did catch on from 15s back and can also be an instrumental force in any breakaway. With two and one silver medals respectively this year so far, both are in form and ready to let rip over the shorter distance, Graf’s DNF after a double crash in Alghero leaving him both hungrier and wiser. A dangerous combination.
Podium potential running deep
Ricardo Batista finally hit the Series podium for the first time in Alghero after years of knocking on the door. The Portugues no.2 starts third as a result and can be a strong ally for his teammate. Of the French athletes, Yanis Seguin is the top-ranked after his first top 10 in Alghero, but Dorian Coninx could be an even bigger threat thanks to a 4th place in Italy that suggests he is back near his prime.
Tim Hellwig (GER) seeks to translate his early-season World Cup success into Series podium form, while John Reed (USA) will want to put himself into striking position to unleash his formidable run after a disappointing start to his year.