Yesterday we considered some of the men that might make a splash across the various levels of triathlon in 2025. Today it is the turn of the women. In contrast to the men, it feels like we are on slightly safer ground with stars of the women’s field when it comes to forecasting who might light up the blue carpet.
On the WTCS front, the women’s Series has been a little more orderly in recent times. Last season, Cassandre Beaugrand completed a long-awaited journey to the top of the sport as she claimed the Olympic and world titles. A year prior, Beth Potter similarly became world champion on the back of a clear rise in which she collected World Cup and then WTCS medals.
Moreover, the World Cup podiums have welcomed familiar faces in recent times. For instance, Gwen Jorgensen and Bianca Seregni dominated the circuit in 2023 – neither of whom came from nowhere – while Maya Kingma and Lena Meißner claimed maiden wins in 2024 having already graced WTCS podiums.
Surprises are never far away in triathlon, but as we look ahead to the coming campaign a clear band of female favourites can be seen at almost all levels. The real challenge will be guessing which of these evenly-matched contenders will get the better of one another.
WTCS contenders: the queen and her rivals
Cassandre Beaugrand had as close to a perfect season as possible in 2024. Alongside her dual titles, she went unbeaten in the WTCS and proved herself to be, beyond question, the best female triathlete in the world. As we turn to 2025, will she experience a slight hangover from the giddy highs of last year?
Any slip from Beaugrand’s immense standards could open the door for Lisa Tertsch, Beth Potter and Emma Lombardi. Tertsch was one of two women to otherwise win a WTCS race last year; she secured her maiden triumph in Weihai. Furthermore, the German star regularly pushed Beaugrand on the run and may just be the only woman right now that can shock her. It should not be forgotten that she handed Beaugrand her last defeat at the European Cup in Quarteira a year ago.
Beth Potter, the 2023 world champion and Olympic bronze medallist, has also gotten the better of Beaugrand before, such as at the WTCS Final in 2023 and Olympic Test Event that same year. Although she lost to Beaugrand four times last season, she has the experience to reverse this trend.
Perhaps Beaugrand’s closest rival might actually be her teammate, rising star Emma Lombardi. Lombardi landed on the overall WTCS podium for the second straight year in 2024, a remarkable achievement for an athlete so young. Of the leading quartet, Lombardi is the only athlete yet to have won a WTCS race. This, then, might be the year she claims gold.
Elsewhere, Leonie Periault cannot be ignored after she won in Yokohama last year. At the same time, she has not typically been as consistent as her aforementioned rivals. Georgia Taylor-Brown is the only other active racer to have won a WTCS race since the start of 2023 (Sophie Coldwell is on a maternity absence), but she has not quite rediscovered the same highs. As a result, the WTCS this year appears as if it is shaping up to be another clash of the Big Four. But will anyone actually beat Beaugrand?
World Cup: first wins, big statements
The World Cup circuit will see plenty of athletes gunning for their first wins on the world stage as they look to make their presence known early in this new Olympic cycle. One woman to watch carefully will be Karolina Helga Horváth, the newly-crowned World U23 champion. To date, she has yet to break into the top-5 at a World Cup. After the biggest win of her career so far, though, Horváth will be champing at the bit to rise to new levels.
Similarly, Roksana Slupek will be one to watch. The Polish athlete earned a first World Cup medal last year and will look to convert that into gold in 2025. Amid a dizzying late run to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Slupek also scored personal best finishes at the WTCS level. She then finished 13th at the Games and became the World University champion.
Meanwhile, several athletes will be looking to inherit the mantle of leadership for their respective countries. In the British ranks, for example, there is a sense that the door is open for the next generation to rise. As already mentioned, Coldwell is on a maternity break. Kate Waugh will be a T100 Hot Shot with new goals to target, while it remains to be seen if Potter and Taylor-Brown will forge on to the 2028 Olympic Games.
The likes of Olivia Mathias and Jessica Fullagar will therefore try to assert their credentials this season, and what better way to do so than winning a World Cup. Both made it onto a World Cup podium last year, with Mathias winning multiple medals. To make the next step, gold may be the currency in which they have to deal.
New blood may also be required in Team USA. Former world champion Katie Zaferes retired at the end of 2024, WTCS medallists Taylor Knibb and Taylor Spivey have T100 commitments, while Summer Rappaport considered retirement last year. One athlete to watch then may be Gina Sereno. Already a World Cup medallist, Sereno earned a top-10 and personal best WTCS finish in Weihai last season. Look for her to pursue a maiden World Cup win as she proves herself ready to shoulder America’s expectations.
Para triathlon: awesome head-to-heads
In a similar vein to the WTCS, the state of women’s para triathlon can be largely characterised as possessing a narrow pool of favourites that on their day could easily upset one another. Take the PTWC class. Lauren Parker was superlative for much of 2024 as she powered to Paralympic gold. However, Kendall Gretsch got the better of her at the World Championships. The clash between this pair may well define PTWC racing this year.
In the PTVI class, Susana Rodriguez earned a dose of vengeance over Francesca Tarantello. The Spanish athlete snatched back the world title her young Italian rival won in 2023, while also winning the Paralympic and European crowns. Tarantello, though, is an athlete making great strides forward and may well supplant her illustrious rival for good this year.
Grace Norman was dominant in the PTS5 class in 2024. However, she has two considerable rivals on the quest for revenge in the British pair of Claire Cashmore and Lauren Steadman. The chances of a bolt from the blue upsetting the established favourites can never be ruled out in para triathlon. Overall, though, the ones to watch are those in what could be the most intense battles for gold.
Multisport: Pontevedra calling
Another close call can be anticipated on the multisport front as Charlène Clavel looks to defend her long distance triathlon world title against Marta Lagownik. With the World Multisport Championships taking place in Pontevedra this June, the event also may attract plenty of European interest and perhaps some T100 stars.
Marion Legrand (duathlon) and Marta Menditto (cross triathlon and cross duathlon) seem to be among the safer picks to defend their respective world titles this year. Such was their dominance at the 2024 World Championships, it would be a bold decision to bet against them.
The rematch
Finally, there is one race in particular that will demand attention. If all goes to plan, Amber Grasset and Fanni Szalai will have their rematch at the World Junior Championships at the end of the year. Grasset, the reigning World Junior champion, pipped Szalai, the 2024 European Junior champion, in Torremolinos. With both still being in the junior ranks this year, Szalai will have the opportunity to exact a slice of payback.
The World Junior Championships tend to produce unexpected twists with each edition and someone could definitely upset the defending gold and silver medallists. The prospect of the rematch, however, is certainly a tantalising one.
The outlook of women’s triathlon is therefore similar across the board. There are clear favourites, but not necessarily obvious champions. Stay up to date with every development across all World Triathlon channels and catch all the action on TriathlonLive.
