After examining the men that could boss international triathlon yesterday, today we turn to the women that could set the sport on fire across all levels in 2026. From rival French trios to revenge missions, and from perfect records to trends of changing champions, there are plenty of plots to keep tabs on. Find out some of the key athletes to note below.
WTCS contenders: now the dust has settled
WTCS Wollongong was like the kind of summer fling that still gets the heart racing years later. Ok, it was barely four months ago, but the shocking ending to the women’s WTCS is something that has taken the triathlon world plenty of time to process. Let’s start with the winner.
Lisa Tertsch (GER) was more than a worthy champion in 2025, winning both the first race and last race of the Series while attending every stop in between, a rarity at the top level. Across all disciplines, Tertsch has the ability to best anyone in the world. What she proved beyond all doubt last year, however, was that she also possesses the kind of killer instinct that makes her a truly nasty opponent to go up against.
If Tertsch is to prove that Wollongong was no fluke, she will need to remain on top of a Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) on the comeback trail. It all went wrong for the Olympic champion in Wollongong. Nevertheless, we have seen far too much evidence of Beaugrand’s brilliance in recent years to even imagine counting her out.
Beaugrand’s predecessor as world champion, Beth Potter (GBR), was another to wilt in Wollongong having shared the Series lead with her French rival going into the Final. At the same time, Potter earned her first Series race wins in almost two years last season, and that should give her plenty of confidence that she can rule the roost in 2026.
There is also a broader picture to consider. In the history of the WTCS, four women have won multiple titles. If we remove Flora Duffy (BER), four-time world champion who triumphed most recently in 2022, over ten years have passed since an athlete last managed to win a second WTCS crown. Can Tertsch, Beaugrand or Potter prove that, Duffy aside, it is still possible to repeat as a champion? Or has the women’s field become too deep?
After all, we cannot forget Leonie Periault (FRA) who enjoyed her best season ever last year. The French woman finished 2nd overall and became the first woman to beat Beaugrand in a WTCS race since 2023. Could she go one better in the overall standings this year?
Jeanne Lehair (LUX) won a WTCS race for the first time last season and impressed on multiple occasions. Emma Lombardi (FRA) could also be primed to deliver on her immense promise with a maiden win of her own. And then there is the evergreen Taylor Spivey (USA) who one suspects, afforded enough time, would take on eight different series simultaneously. Spivey took 4th overall last year and could knock a few rivals aside as she seeks to climb back onto the overall podium.
World Cup: chasing momentum
One of the major talking points at the World Cup level last year was the group of women that became first-time medallists. Such results can often prove stepping stones onto even greater things and as such this cohort will hope to maintain their momentum at the world level.
Leading this group is Sara Guerrero Manso (ESP). The Spaniard completed the set of World Cup medals last year, finishing the season with hardware of every colour. Having concluded her year with a win in Florianopolis, she looks set to be a major threat in 2026.
Tilly Anema (GBR) and Desirae Ridenour (CAN) established themselves as two of the best swimmers in the sport on their way to maiden World Cup wins last year; their respective gold medals also provide more than a hint that they are no one-trick-ponies. At the other end of the scale, Carina Reicht (AUT) regularly dropped searing running times both in the triathlon realm and beyond. After her win in Rome, look for her to make further advances.
Moreover, the likes of Franka Rust (GER) and Danielle Orie (USA) will look to kick on after making a first World Cup podium each in 2025. Both are fairly new to the world stage and seem likely to improve by dint of exposure to international racing alone.
Para triathlon: the perfectionists are back
No one likes losing. In Para triathlon, though, there is a group of women that really don’t like losing. Lauren Parker (AUS) and Anu Francis (AUS) formed an unbeaten double act in 2025, winning every individual international race they appeared at. The Australian pair each went a perfect five-from-five.
Susana Rodriguez (ESP) repeated the European-world double she achieved in 2024 and generally bossed the PTVI class. She even threw in a side quest gold at the World Duathlon Championships for good measure. The real perfectionist at the top of Para triathlon, however, is Grace Norman (USA).
Do you remember what you were doing back in 2021? That was the last time Norman was beaten in a race she finished. Judging by her subsequent 20 victories, she did not care for it. If anyone is likely to complete another perfect season, then, recent history suggests Norman may be the woman to back.
Multisport: the comebacks are on
One factor that could define the 2026 World Multisport Championships will be the series of showdowns before the 2024 and 2025 world champions. Indeed, one of the trends of the Pontevedra Multisport Championships was the frequency in which the incumbent gold medallists were defeated.
In the duathlon, Marion Legrand (FRA) slipped out of the medals to 4th place as Giorgia Priarone (ITA) came out on top. The same happened to Marta Menditto (ITA) in the cross triathlon. While the reigning champion placed 4th, Alizee Paties (FRA) stormed to the gold medal. Meanwhile, Charlène Clavel (FRA) saw her compatriot Marjolaine Pierre (FRA) blast to the long distance triathlon world title as she settled for bronze.
When the World Multisport Championships come to Abu Dhabi, these head-to-heads will be among the most tantalising action on offer. For in the heat of the UAE, revenge may be a dish best served hot.
Moving on up
If triathlon was a futures market, France would be the asset in which to invest. French women have won three straight World Junior titles; perhaps even more impressively, they have done so with a different athlete on each occasion.
Ilona Hadhoum (FRA) was a class apart in 2023. Ambre Grasset (FRA) dazzled in 2024. And then Lea Houart (FRA) won in sensational fashion last October. All three have now left the junior ranks (Grasset and Houart will be in their first post-junior years being born in 2006). Yet for all their talent, the rise of France’s next generation faces a problem. The current generation.
This trio of champions will have the invidious task of usurping the existing guard of Beaugrand, Periault and Lombardi by LA 2028. There is still plenty of time for each to progress in the sport and all are young enough to set their sights on 2032 instead. But such talent is rarely patient. As a result, the trinity of Hadhoum-Grasset-Houart will eagerly hunt World Cup results to earn their shot at taking on the Beaugrand-Periault-Lombardi axis in the WTCS.
Of course, France is not the only country in triathlon with promising youngsters. One budding star likely to demand attention is Fanni Szalai (HUN). After consecutive silver medals behind French rivals at the World Junior Championships, Szalai will gun for the gold this time around (assuming a fourth French champion does not appear out of nowhere). Even if it doesn’t happen this year, Szalai will have a final bite at the junior cherry in 2027.
Of greater intrigue are Szalai’s first senior (outdoor) international starts. Debuts at the World Cup and even WTCS levels appear to be on the cards and while it would be unfair to expect a lot of an athlete so young, her abilities suggest she might spring a surprise or two.