Cassandre Beaugrand claims a fourth consecutive WTCS victory in Weihai, Jelle Geens makes an impressive return from injury in Zell am See and Vasco Vilaça retains the World Triathlon Championship Series lead ahead of the Grand Final.
Cassandre Beaugrand continued her outstanding run of form at WTCS Weihai in China, claiming her fourth consecutive World Triathlon Championship Series victory of the season and strengthening her position ahead of the Championship Finals in Pontevedra, Spain.
Racing in Weihai for the first time since 2017, when she finished fifth at the World Cup, the French Olympic and world champion emerged from the 1.5-kilometre swim tied for second before settling into the lead group on the 40-kilometre bike.
Beaugrand helped drive the pace into the bike-to-run transition, emerging alongside Beth Potter (GBR) and Lisa Tertsch (GER) at the front of the race. The trio quickly separated from the rest of the field over the opening kilometres of the 10-kilometre run, with Beaugrand staying composed behind Potter through the opening laps.
Her decisive move came after the final turnaround, with a little over one kilometre remaining. Beaugrand accelerated to first drop Tertsch before pulling clear of Potter and striding to victory in 1:49:20, including a 32:12 run split.
“Yeah, this one was definitely not easy. I was feeling great on the swim, great on the bike, I was a bit scared because the last time I raced in the rain was Yokohama (2025, when she crashed)… the run was quite hard with Beth (Potter) pushing the pace.”
Vilaça retains WTCS series lead
Bahrain Victorious 13 teammate Vasco Vilaça remains at the top of the men’s World Triathlon Championship Series standings following Weihai, retaining the series lead heading into the final stages of the season.
With the Grand Final in Pontevedra still to come, Vilaça remains firmly in contention for the world title after an impressive and consistent season on the WTCS circuit.
Geens makes impressive return from injury
There was further positive news for Bahrain Victorious 13 over the weekend, with Jelle Geens making a brilliant return to racing after injury to claim second place in Zell am See.
The performance was an encouraging return for the reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion and an important step in his preparations to defend his world title in Nice, France, on 12 September.
Geens will be joined on the start line in Nice by Bahrain Victorious 13 teammate Marten Van Riel, who heads into the championship in strong form and will also be a serious contender for the world crown.
With Beaugrand continuing her winning streak, Vilaça retaining the WTCS series lead and Geens returning to the podium ahead of his world title defence, Bahrain Victorious 13 heads into a major September of racing in outstanding form.
