The World Triathlon Championship Series may have been wrapped up almost a month ago, but the subsequent World Cups in Tongyeong, Miyazaki and Brasilia helped to define the final World Triathlon Rankings at the end of a packed year on the blue carpet.

The annual WTCS Rankings determine the season’s World Champions, but the World Rankings are used to determine athletes’ selection for racing. Points are earned from the maximum 1250 available for the winner of the Championship Finals down to 50 for the national championships (and points decreasing by 7.5% per position), and full criteria can be found here.

With the rankings covering the best six results from 2023 and 2024, it is little surprise to see the table more or less mirroring that of the World Triathlon Championship Series at the top, but there are some important differences for those with fewer WTCS opportunities to date as they head into 2025.

Jorgensen the top American woman

On the women’s side, Beth Potter’s remarkable consistency for the past two years means the 2023 World Champion stands on top of the World Rankings despite finishing with the overall Series silver this year behind Olympic and World Champion Cassandre Beaugrand.

Another major difference is Gwen Jorgensen’s place in the top 10. That makes her the top-ranked American woman at the end of the year courtesy of five World Cup wins and 6th place in Weihai, and ensures her WTCS presence at the start of 2025.

The rankings also show Olympic relay gold medallist Laura Lindemann as only the sixth-highest German after Tanja Neubert’s 4th place in Weihai catapulted her up the table. At 22-years-old, Xinyu Lin (CHN) and Zuzana Michalickova (SVK) are the two youngest women in the top 50, and in terms of national federation representation, a remarkable 8 Germans, 8 Americans and 7 Brits comprise almost half of the top 50.

French men flex

France is the nation with most athletes in the men’s World Rankings top 50, where it is Alex Yee, Hayden Wilde and Leo Bergere’s dominance of the podium places in the biggest races of the past two years that sees the World Rankings and WTCS top three match.

Elsewhere though, Yanis Seguin’s impressive end to 2024 sees him become the fifth highest-ranked Frenchman, just two spots behind Dorian Coninx, teammate Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger climbing 10 places after winning in Miyazaki to become the sixth of seven tricolors in the top 50.

Alberto Gonzalez Garcia firmly established himself as Spain’s number one across 2024, while the U23 Word Champion David Cantero del Campo is now the third-highest Spanish male after his fine end to the season. Cantero will be hungry to prove himself at the Series level in 2025.

Morgan Pearson remains the highest of the three American males in the top 50 but, at 15th, he sits just three spots ahead of newcomer John Reed, the US young gun looking forward to a big year of WTCS racing ahead.

At just 22 years-old, Henry Graf is now the third highest German male, Vetle Bergsvik Thorn has become the top-ranked Norwegian, and Brazil’s Miguel Hidalgo is the sole South American inside the men’s top 50.

It was the last World Triathlon Cup of the 2024 season and it finished with a bang. The men’s race at the Brasilia World Cup was a brilliant display of running legs, especially for Brazil’s Manoel Messias, who took victory on home soil with an impressive run. Behind him, Australia’s Callum McClusky rounded his season with yet another World Cup podium in second, while Spain’s Sergio Baxter Cabrera proved that he has overcome the injuries that kept him out of the blue carpet for months to finish in third place.

Forty-six men lined up at the start, ready to tackle the final World Cup of the 2024 season, beginning with a 750m swim in the warm, calm lake waters of Brasilia. Diego Moya (CHI) led the field out of the water, but with no significant gap, as a long line of athletes exited closely behind him, keeping the race wide open.

Out of the water and onto the bikes, Sergio Baxter of Spain launched an early attempt to break away, pulling along Moya, Callum McClusky (AUS), John Reed (USA), Miguel Hidalgo (BRA), and Igor Bellido (ESP). However, the effort was quickly countered, with Portugal’s Joao Nuno Batista and Messias working together to close down the attack and pull the field back together.

After several attempts to create a gap, including solo surges from Hidalgo and Bellido, the lead group arrived at the second transition as a single pack. As they hit the run, Messias wasted no time, bursting out of transition and immediately opening a gap on the field, not even glancing back as he charged up the bridge for the first time. Behind him, a chase group formed with Hidalgo, McClusky, Baxter, and Andree Buc (CHI) working to bridge the gap, but Messias looked unbeatable.

By the halfway point, Messias had built a comfortable lead, running with the confidence of an athlete who knew victory was his. He crossed the finish line to grab the tape with tears in his eyes, celebrating his first win of 2024 in front of a home crowd—a bittersweet triumph after a challenging season that included a 45th-place finish at the Paris Olympics and multiple DNFs in WTCS races. “This has not been my best year and I am extremely happy to close it with a win here, at home”, said Messias. “I felt really good today during the run and went for it”, he explained.

Behind him, a fierce battle unfolded for the remaining podium spots. McClusky made a decisive move with 500 meters to go, securing second place. After his victory in the first world cup of the year in Napier, and his silver in Valencia, the Aussie was eager for more today. “My world cups this year have been really solid, but it is bit disappointing not being able to perform at WTCS level, so I guess that will come next year. I tried to go with Messias but he was way too fast today. I knew that I have a good sprint finish so I just waited to the end”, he said.

Baxter followed closely, digging deep in the final stretch to clinch third place, replicating his podium finish from the Valencia World Cup two months earlier. “It feels like this year is all about third places, but I am super happy with my performance today, especially after this long season. Messias was no another level today, so when it was just us fighting for the podium, I thought one was gonna leave without a medal and I didn’t want to be that one so left it all on the line. Which was surprising cause I didn’t feel well at all on the run and I’ve had stomach problems all week, but really happy with my performance. I wanna thank my family, girlfriend and all my team for their support all year long.

Hidalgo, despite a strong effort, finished fourth, with Buc in fifth and Reed completing the top six.

Messias’s victory was a fitting end to the 2024 World Triathlon season, showing resilience and pride on home soil, while McClusky and Baxter rounded out the podium in a closely contested finale.

Mexico’s Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal proved this Saturday morning in Brasilia that she has found back her running speed. With a brilliant comeback, she closed a half-a-minute deficit on the bike to win dominantly the World Triathlon Cup Brasilia. Silver was for Sandra Dodet (FRA), while the bronze medal was for USA’s Tamara Gorman, the first time on a World Cup podium for her since 2019.

The Brasilia World Cup saw a thrilling race in the Brazilian capital, where 25 elite women athletes lined up under the famous Juscelino Kubitschek bridge with the sky holding the raindrops throughout the whole race. From the very start, local favourite Vittoria Lopes and USA’s Summer Rappaport took control of the race, as predicted, and proved once again that they are two of the strongest swimmers on the World Triathlon circuit, and they managed to create a 20-second gap out of the 750m swim.

By the time the chasers hit the shore, both were already charging toward their bikes, leaving the main chase group, which included key contenders like Sandra Dodet, Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal, Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto (COL), and Verena Steinhauser (ITA), scrambling to catch up.

As Lopes and Rappaport worked together on the 20km bike course, they stretched their lead to almost 40 seconds midway through. The chasers, hindered by strong winds on the bridge, struggled initially but eventually found some cohesion, and by the time the leaders transitioned into the run, they had trimmed the lead down to just 13 seconds.

Tapia Vidal was quick out of transition, capitalizing on her strength in the run. She immediately set her sights on the two leaders, knowing Lopes would struggle on the run. With Dodet close behind, the two surged forward, passing Lopes and closing in on Rappaport.

On the small climb to the bridge, Tapia Vidal made her decisive move, passing Rappaport and pulling away from Dodet, who couldn’t match her pace.

Behind them, Tamara Gorman displayed impressive strength in the second half of the run, climbing from the back of the pack to overtake Rappaport and secure third place with a negative split.

Ultimately, Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal clinched the victory, her second consecutive win after the Viña del Mar Americas Premium Cup, capping a stellar end to her season. “I am very happy. It had been a long time since I was wearing the number 1 and then I managed to deliver, and today I did. This season has been really long and hard at the end, but I am glad that at the end it was a good result”, she said. “There were many girls helping on the chase group of the bike, but I visualized this scenario the night before and just went for it. When I saw Summer closer and closer, it was hard to get her but I tried to be conservative a bit at the beginning and go full gas at the end”, she explained.

Dodet crossed the line in second, a satisfying result after an injury-laden season. “It has been a while since I was on the podium so today feels great. It was a very hard race today but I am happy with the results, and congrats to the girls out there”, she said.

Gorman’s bronze marked her first World Cup podium since Banyoles 2019, a well-earned reward after years of battling injuries. “This has been a tough race. I could not even think that I would finish on the podium when we started the run, I was just thinking to do my job, stay relax and do everything that you can. And ended up being in the podium so I feel great. It feels great to be back at this level”, she explained.

Despite Rappaport’s last push to regain a podium spot, she had to settle for fourth, while Steinhauser rounded out the top five. Sofia Rodriguez Moreno (MEX) finished in 6th, a career-best for her, and behind her were Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto, and Vittoria Lopes in 8th and was also the first Brasilian on the finish line.

At the end of an extended trip to Japan, arriving from the near-miss of fourth place in Tongyeong a fortnight ago, Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger of France pulled out a sprint-distance masterclass to win the Miyazaki World Cup on Saturday morning.

It was the perfect finish to a gruelling season as he dictated the run pace off the bike and pulled clear of nearest challenger Ben Dijkstra, the Brit crossing for silver and a first World Cup podium. Behind him, a Yanis Seguin time penalty opened the door for home favourite Kenji Nener to secure bronze, having hung tough on the Frenchman’s shoulder to round out the podium to the delight of the crowds.

“First gold, first podium for me, i’ve been looking for this since I first started in triathlon and taking the tape was a great day and end to the season,” said an emotional Hueber-Moosbrugger. “I was first pack in the swim and had really good legs after the bike so I went for it. They were struggling to keep with me so I took it to the line. The bike was technical, it’s good to have sharp turns, it hurts the legs but, that’s triathlon. I felt really good these last two weeks in Japan and had a podium on my mind but you just never know, so I’m really happy.”

Hojo and Nener out fast for Japan

In as race number one but short of training after illness, Nener lined up on the far left of the beach start, Seguin and Takumi Hojo to his right and as the horn sounded it was Reese Vannerson taking a tumble on the way in before working his way forward unfazed. 

The swim broke up on the way back to the beach, and it was Hojo, Valentin Morlec and Igor Dupuis with useful daylight behind them out of T1, Vannerson back to within 12s of leaders, Dijkstra just ahead of him.

It was an early chase on the bike for 20 of the field to catch on together, but as they tried to organise there was a big crash that took out Vannerson and Aurelien Jem and left 16 together at the end of lap one, Hojo driving things forward.

Pulls were shared, Jack Willis and Yanis Seguin also driving things on up front, and the gap soon went out to 30 seconds to a chase pack including Blake Harris (CAN) and Jayden Schofield (AUS)

Hueber-Moosbrugger unstoppable

A penalty for Seguin for swimming under the buoy was suddenly up on the officials’ board, meaning a 10-second time penalty to be served on the run, and as he led the group at the bell with Willis and Dijkstra for company, it soon looked like that could be very costly.

Off the bikes and out of T2, it was Australia’s Luke Schofield from Seguin, Dijkstra and Cameron Main, but soon Hueber-Moosbrugger worked his way through and was pushing the pace.

Nener, Dijkstra and Seguin were tucked in on the Frenchman’s shadow at the halfway mark, Hojo, Main and Willis just dropping off the pace as Morlec dug in, leaving four athletes for three medals.

With Seguin choosing to save the penalty for the very end, it was to be a late pep for the exhausted Nener as he found himself in third having refused to let the Frenchman gap him significantly.

Up ahead, Hueber-Moosbrugger had managed to move ahead of Dijkstra and into a clear lead he wouldn’t let slip, the gold and silver respectively their first podiums at the level, an exhausted Nener followed over the line by Seguin and Morlec.

QUOTES:
Ben Dijkstra
“It feels amazing. I’ve been waiting for this for a while. Max was super strong out there and the crash happened right next to me so I hope they’re okay. I saw the number two on the penalty board but didn’t know it was Yanis specifically. Max started swinging it out and I wanted to go with him and latch on. He was just too strong and I went for as long as I could. Down the blue carpet, a silver felt like gold for me. The first season since 2019 I have completed start to finish, and knew I was in good form.”

Kenji Nener
“After getting sick in Neom I didn’t have much expectation but in front of the home crowd and last one (of the season) I wanted to see what I had and I wanted to see it through. Yanis worked hard and sorry he had the penalty. I was so emotional after Neom and didn’t want to end the season that way, so thanks to everyone for their support and congratulations to Ben Dijkstra.”

At the end of an extended trip to Japan, arriving from the near-miss of fourth place in Tongyeong a fortnight ago, Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger of France pulled out a sprint-distance masterclass to win the Miyazaki World Cup on Saturday morning.

It was the perfect finish to a gruelling season as he dictated the run pace off the bike and pulled clear of nearest challenger Ben Dijkstra, the Brit crossing for silver and a first World Cup podium. Behind him, a Yanis Seguin time penalty opened the door for home favourite Kenji Nener to secure bronze, having hung tough on the Frenchman’s shoulder to round out the podium to the delight of the crowds.

“First gold, first podium for me, i’ve been looking for this since I first started in triathlon and taking the tape was a great day and end to the season,” said an emotional Hueber-Moosbrugger. “I was first pack in the swim and had really good legs after the bike so I went for it. They were struggling to keep with me so I took it to the line. The bike was technical, it’s good to have sharp turns, it hurts the legs but, that’s triathlon. I felt really good these last two weeks in Japan and had a podium on my mind but you just never know, so I’m really happy.”

Hojo and Nener out fast for Japan

In as race number one but short of training after illness, Nener lined up on the far left of the beach start, Seguin and Takumi Hojo to his right and as the horn sounded it was Reese Vannerson taking a tumble on the way in before working his way forward unfazed. 

The swim broke up on the way back to the beach, and it was Hojo, Valentin Morlec and Igor Dupuis with useful daylight behind them out of T1, Vannerson back to within 12s of leaders, Dijkstra just ahead of him.

It was an early chase on the bike for 20 of the field to catch on together, but as they tried to organise there was a big crash that took out Vannerson and Aurelien Jem and left 16 together at the end of lap one, Hojo driving things forward.

Pulls were shared, Jack Willis and Yanis Seguin also driving things on up front, and the gap soon went out to 30 seconds to a chase pack including Blake Harris (CAN) and Jayden Schofield (AUS)

Hueber-Moosbrugger unstoppable

A penalty for Seguin for swimming under the buoy was suddenly up on the officials’ board, meaning a 10-second time penalty to be served on the run, and as he led the group at the bell with Willis and Dijkstra for company, it soon looked like that could be very costly.

Off the bikes and out of T2, it was Australia’s Luke Schofield from Seguin, Dijkstra and Cameron Main, but soon Hueber-Moosbrugger worked his way through and was pushing the pace.

Nener, Dijkstra and Seguin were tucked in on the Frenchman’s shadow at the halfway mark, Hojo, Main and Willis just dropping off the pace as Morlec dug in, leaving four athletes for three medals.

With Seguin choosing to save the penalty for the very end, it was to be a late pep for the exhausted Nener as he found himself in third having refused to let the Frenchman gap him significantly.

Up ahead, Hueber-Moosbrugger had managed to move ahead of Dijkstra and into a clear lead he wouldn’t let slip, the gold and silver respectively their first podiums at the level, an exhausted Nener followed over the line by Seguin and Morlec.

QUOTES:
Ben Dijkstra
“It feels amazing. I’ve been waiting for this for a while. Max was super strong out there and the crash happened right next to me so I hope they’re okay. I saw the number two on the penalty board but didn’t know it was Yanis specifically. Max started swinging it out and I wanted to go with him and latch on. He was just too strong and I went for as long as I could. Down the blue carpet, a silver felt like gold for me. The first season since 2019 I have completed start to finish, and knew I was in good form.”

Kenji Nener
“After getting sick in Neom I didn’t have much expectation but in front of the home crowd and last one (of the season) I wanted to see what I had and I wanted to see it through. Yanis worked hard and sorry he had the penalty. I was so emotional after Neom and didn’t want to end the season that way, so thanks to everyone for their support and congratulations to Ben Dijkstra.”

Off the 20km bike in Miyazaki, the scene looked set for another World Cup run to the sun for USA’s Gwen Jorgensen on Saturday morning, before a tumble threatened to derail all the hard work. Suddenly over 15 seconds back from the leaders, the American dug deep, picked her way through 15 athletes, and finally reeled in Switzerland’s Alissa Konig to score another gutsy gold right at the end of a wild chase to the tape.

Konig had taken the run out hard with Jolien Vermeylen, but the Belgian dropped back before Jorgensen’s final surge, Konig kicking early as the chute approached but running out of steam to cede the lead at the line.

“I feel like I made this race harder than it needed to be,” admitted Jorgensen, “but the theme was just not to give up, and I just kept telling myself to race. I’m not sure what happened in T2, I went into someone as they racked their bike and fell. At one point I thought a podium was enough but then I thought, ‘Gwen, stop. Race, give your best’. Alissa really made me work for it and sprinted early… but I kept in it and gave my all. A lot of things happened today so I’m really proud I never gave up.” 



Vermeylen and Kropko slice through swim

The highest ranked athletes took to the left of the beach start, but it was the likes of Marta Kropko and Beatrice Mallozzi (ITA) further right and turning up the heat early on. Vermeylen then joined Kropko up front as the field bunched up, the Hungarian out and up the beach first, but a big group came into transition together.

Away onto the first of four bike laps, Vermeylen, Konig, Sian Rainsley, Jessica Fullagar looked to drop the hammer, Jorgensen tucked in just off the back and ahead of Emma Jeffcoat and Mallozzi.

There were nine athletes in that front pack at the end of lap one, including Erin McConnell, Erika Ackerlund and Yuko Takahashi, but the chasers had them firmly in their sights, Jeffcoat powering them on, Jorgensen with her.

Vermeylen and McConell then dropped off the back out of the leaders, perhaps foreseeing the merging of the packs that followed half a lap later, a further group of nine including Charlotte Derbyshire (AUS) already out of contention 90s back.

Chaos reigns in transition

GB’s Katie Rodda rolled the dice on lap three but the pack was all back together into transition, McConnell off her bike first but then took a big tumble, before Jorgensen also fell and lost potentially crucial time as Fullagar took to the front.

But while Vermeylen and Konig pressed on, Jorgensen was picking her way forward determinedly. At the bell the gap was still 10 seconds, then the Swiss dropped the Belgian before, at the final turn towards the home straight, it was suddenly Jorgensen right in behind the leader.

As Konig kicked, Jorgensen dug in for one last drive and found the sprint to pass her rival all the way to the tape in a dramatic finale, Vermeylen crossing for the bronze ahead of Sian Rainsley, Takahashi in fifth.

QUOTES
Alissa Konig:
“I feel very honoured to have a sprint with Gwen, I could hear her coming! At the beginning of the bike we tried to gap but never stayed away and then I became aware that I would need my energy on the run. This season is way more than I expected and I worked so hard on myself and it has paid off, I don’t have words for this season so I’m very excited for the next one.”

Jolien Vermeylen:
“The swim was excellent and I thought I was going to have a good day but the bike didn’t go great. I thought I was pushing a lot of power but just not as much as at the front. I was going into T2 and saw someone fall so I was very careful and avoided the problems.”

Off the 20km bike in Miyazaki, the scene looked set for another World Cup run to the sun for USA’s Gwen Jorgensen on Saturday morning, before a tumble threatened to derail all the hard work. Suddenly over 15 seconds back from the leaders, the American dug deep, picked her way through 15 athletes, and finally reeled in Switzerland’s Alissa Konig to score another gutsy gold right at the end of a wild chase to the tape.

Konig had taken the run out hard with Jolien Vermeylen, but the Belgian dropped back before Jorgensen’s final surge, Konig kicking early as the chute approached but running out of steam to cede the lead at the line.

“I feel like I made this race harder than it needed to be,” admitted Jorgensen, “but the theme was just not to give up, and I just kept telling myself to race. I’m not sure what happened in T2, I went into someone as they racked their bike and fell. At one point I thought a podium was enough but then I thought, ‘Gwen, stop. Race, give your best’. Alissa really made me work for it and sprinted early… but I kept in it and gave my all. A lot of things happened today so I’m really proud I never gave up.” 



Vermeylen and Kropko slice through swim

The highest ranked athletes took to the left of the beach start, but it was the likes of Marta Kropko and Beatrice Mallozzi (ITA) further right and turning up the heat early on. Vermeylen then joined Kropko up front as the field bunched up, the Hungarian out and up the beach first, but a big group came into transition together.

Away onto the first of four bike laps, Vermeylen, Konig, Sian Rainsley, Jessica Fullagar looked to drop the hammer, Jorgensen tucked in just off the back and ahead of Emma Jeffcoat and Mallozzi.

There were nine athletes in that front pack at the end of lap one, including Erin McConnell, Erika Ackerlund and Yuko Takahashi, but the chasers had them firmly in their sights, Jeffcoat powering them on, Jorgensen with her.

Vermeylen and McConell then dropped off the back out of the leaders, perhaps foreseeing the merging of the packs that followed half a lap later, a further group of nine including Charlotte Derbyshire (AUS) already out of contention 90s back.

Chaos reigns in transition

GB’s Katie Rodda rolled the dice on lap three but the pack was all back together into transition, McConnell off her bike first but then took a big tumble, before Jorgensen also fell and lost potentially crucial time as Fullagar took to the front.

But while Vermeylen and Konig pressed on, Jorgensen was picking her way forward determinedly. At the bell the gap was still 10 seconds, then the Swiss dropped the Belgian before, at the final turn towards the home straight, it was suddenly Jorgensen right in behind the leader.

As Konig kicked, Jorgensen dug in for one last drive and found the sprint to pass her rival all the way to the tape in a dramatic finale, Vermeylen crossing for the bronze ahead of Sian Rainsley, Takahashi in fifth.

QUOTES
Alissa Konig:
“I feel very honoured to have a sprint with Gwen, I could hear her coming! At the beginning of the bike we tried to gap but never stayed away and then I became aware that I would need my energy on the run. This season is way more than I expected and I worked so hard on myself and it has paid off, I don’t have words for this season so I’m very excited for the next one.”

Jolien Vermeylen:
“The swim was excellent and I thought I was going to have a good day but the bike didn’t go great. I thought I was pushing a lot of power but just not as much as at the front. I was going into T2 and saw someone fall so I was very careful and avoided the problems.”

World Cup racing returns this Saturday to Brazil for the season’s finale, and it is the capital city, Brasilia, the perfect scenario for a superb sprint distance race. The famous 1.2km Juscelino Kubitschek bridge and the Paranoa Lake will be the backdrops of the action, with a start list for the Women’s race full of stars. Get ready for the last weekend of thrilling racing of the World Triathlon World Cup calendar. 

Wearing the #1 will be Mexico’s Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal, coming in fresh from a thrilling sprint finish victory at last week’s Viña del Mar Americas Premium Cup. This win marked a triumphant return to form for Tapia Vidal, who had been searching to regain the fierce closing speed she displayed in 2023. Currently ranked 10th in the world, a strong performance in Brasilia would give her momentum and a solid ranking for the start of next season’s WTCS.

Joining Tapia Vidal at the start line are some of the fastest runners and most consistent performers of the season. Gina Sereno of the USA leads her team with impressive top-7 finishes in every World Cup she’s raced this year, including a podium finish in Karlovy Vary and a career-best 8th place at the WTCS in Weihai. She’ll be accompanied by fellow American Summer Rappaport, who rebounded from a challenging season with a silver in Tongyeong two weeks ago, and Tamara Gorman, a powerful athlete making her World Cup comeback after battling injuries over recent years. Also lining up for the USA’s team will be last week sensation, Eleanor Lawler, who stormed the field to claim silver in Viña del Mar with the fastest running split.

Adding international depth are Verena Steinhauser (Italy) and Sandra Dodet (France), two seasoned veterans with reputations for well-rounded strengths across all three disciplines. Both are eager to cap off the year with podium finishes, leveraging their swim-bike consistency and experience in tight fields to secure standout results. The big hopes for the local crowds are set on Vittoria Lopes (BRA), who will try to set the difference with yet another magnificent swim to try to break the race from the beginning.

Colombia’s Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto, a World Triathlon Team athlete, is another one to watch. After her debut at the Paris Olympics last summer, she brings a mix of podium finishes and mid-pack results from earlier this season. Known for her endurance in grueling races and difficult conditions, Velasquez Soto will aim to finish the year on a high.

Spanish U23 talent Maria Casals Mujica also enters Brasilia in top form, riding the momentum of her recent bronze at Viña del Mar. Her running prowess makes her a serious contender if the race remains tight to the final leg.

Canada’s Dominica Jamnicky and Mercedes Romero Orozco (Mexico) are both athletes to keep an eye on as well. Both have shown flashes of power and speed this season, and they’re each capable of shaking up the podium in Brasil.

The Women’s race will take place on Saturday at 7am, and you can watch it LIVE at Triathlonlive.tv or at the World Triathlon’s Youtube channel. Check the start lists HERE.

This Saturday, the World Triathlon Cup Brasilia will bring the 2024 season to an exciting close. Get ready for the last blue carpet action before the winter break. On the menu, a superb sprint distance race with a combination of rising talents from around the world and well established names of the sport. 43 men are toeing the start line, led by home hero Miguel Hidalgo on what promises to be a fierce competition and a fast-paced battle for the podium.

Brasilia made its debut on the world Cup season last year. For the second edition, the race has been changed to a Sprint distance, with the athletes doing a one-lap 750m swim by the bridge, to then move to the bike snakes round the bridge access to take in two long straights up and over its span four times for the 20km. Out of T2 it’s back onto the bridge for two run laps and 5km in total to the tape, and you can watch full coverage of the men’s race from 9am local time on TriathlonLive.tv .

Leading the men’s field will be local star Miguel Hidalgo, who is determined to finish his season strong in front of his home crowd. The young Brazilian has experienced a rollercoaster year, but he’s shown glimpses of his true potential, especially with a career-first WTCS podium finish in Weihai in September. However, a disappointing 20th place in Torremolinos followed, adding to his motivation to redeem himself and end the season on a high note.

Hidalgo proved last year, winning superbly in Brasilia, that this course fits him extremely well, and is ready to do it all over again.

The lineup also features several emerging talents who have turned heads this season. John Reed from the USA arrives in Brasilia fresh off a 6th-place finish at the 2024 U23 World Championships and a World Cup victory earlier in the season. Reed has been gaining momentum and is eager to make his mark again, hoping to build a strong foundation for 2025. Meanwhile, Australian Callum McClusky, renowned for his finishing speed, is keen to reach another World Cup podium after his strong performance in Valencia. He’s one to watch if the race comes down to a close sprint finish.

Chilean athletes Andree Buc and Diego Moya are equally hungry for success after impressive outings last week. Buc, brimming with confidence following his victory at the Viña del Mar Americas Premium Cup, will look to carry that momentum to Brazil. Moya, coming off a second-place finish, is also eager to make his mark, especially after last year’s DNF in Brasilia.

Excellent swimmers like Liam Donnelly (CAN), Joao Nuno Batista (POR) or Diego Moya will be ready to make an impact on the race from the early stages.

Another local favorite to keep an eye on is Manoel Messias. Despite a challenging season, the Brazilian speedster remains one of the circuit’s top runners, and a course like this could play to his strengths if the pack stays tight into the final leg. And making a long-awaited return is Spain’s Sergio Baxter Cabrera, whose recent injury struggles have kept him away from competition. His comeback adds another layer of intrigue, as Baxter has the experience and skill to shake things up.

With such a dynamic field, the Brasilia World Cup of Triathlon promises an electrifying race where hometown pride, rising stars, and seasoned competitors converge to deliver a memorable season finale. Check the start lists HERE and don’t miss the race on TriathlonLive.tv or the World Triathlon’s Youtube channel.

The final weekend of 2024’s World Cup calendar lands in the south of Japan on Saturday morning, and a familiar favourite in its sprint-distance guise: Miyazaki.

This year’s action gets underway with a beach start to the 750m swim, transitioning into a winding 20km bike over four laps before the two-loop, 5km run to the tape that wraps around the bay.

With 43 men set to line up, including sizeable delegations from the hosts, Korea and France, there’s sure to be fireworks afoot as we close out the year, and you can watch it all unfold on TriathlonLive.tv and YouTube from 11am local time / 3am CET, just hours before the final blue carpet showdown of the season hits Brasilia.

Nener back with unfinished business

Top-ranked and a firm home favourite, Kenji Nener will wear the number one, and what a time it would be to score his as-yet elusive first World Cup win. Japan’s number one, the reigning Asian Games and Continental Champion and 15th-placed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, there can’t be many neutrals out there who would deny the magic that would be his maiden win at this level to cap the year.

Invariably one of the first out of the water and aggressive on the bike, it was on the Hong Kong run that the 31-year-old went all in back in March, only for the flying Spaniard Gonzalez to take the nuclear option and detonate the final 500m.

Nener will be grateful the Spanish threat is diminished this time around. What remains red hot, however, is the French threat, with motor-men Yanis Seguin and Valentin Morlec proving themselves among the quickest in the business in Rome last month, Aurelien Jem and Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger also with plenty of firepower and capable of ramping up the pointy-end pressure over 5km.

Dijkstra ready to strike?

The last sprint distance here was 2022, when Britain’s Ben Dijkstra produced the third fastest run of the day to haul himself up into 12th place. The injury-hit Brit starts his 8th race of the season this weekend, the most he has been able to compete since 2019, something he will see as a big win as he builds into the LA 2028 cycle. A top ten or even five would be even bigger, and expect teammate Jack Willis to also be pressing for the prizes after a first WTCS top 10 in Weihai.

Takumi Hojo is no stranger to an end-of-season podium after gold and silver in Korea in 2021 and 2023, both over the sprint distance. After the strains of the Tongyeong 10km run proved too much last weekend, could this his time to shine on home soil?

Reese Vannerson took Junior World Championship silver in Torremolinos and the young American talent will be full of a mixture of confidence and desire off the back of that title near-miss. Quick in the water, strong on the bike and rapid on the run, he was only nine seconds off David Cantero del Campo’s golden 5km in Valencia, and will be one to watch now and over the next four years.

The same should be said of Poland’s Maciej Bruzdziak, the bronze-winning breakaway boy along with Dylan McCullough in Tongyeong. Comfortably the performance of his career so far, can he follow it up with more of the same in Japan? Tune in on Saturday to find out.

The full start list can be found here.

After 12 stops starting in New Zealand back in February, the World Triathlon Cup season closes on a major double-header weekend, with the seventh edition of Cup racing heading to Miyazaki on Saturday morning, before the finale in Brasilia.

A sprint-distance challenge awaits the 29 women lining up on the southern tip of Japan, all looking for a big performance to take into the off-season, and including USA legend Gwen Jorgensen, aiming to go one better than her silver here 12 months ago.

It’s a beach start for the 750m Pacific Ocean swim close to the marina, then a snaking run up the beach and towards transition. Onto the bikes, it’s a largely flat 4-lap, 20km ride, three dead turns on each, and a 5km run of two loops back around the bay to the finish.

You can watch all the action live and direct on Saturday 9 November from 9am local time (1am CET) over on TriathlonLive.tv and World Triathlon’s official YouTube channel.

Gwen Jorgensen hungry for more

Wearing the number one is USA’s Gwen Jorgensen, with her quest for success still very much fired up after strong showings at WTCS Weihai and the Championship Finals Torremolinos. With only two races since Hamburg and a subsequent collarbone fracture suffered in training, the Rio 2016 champion will be ready to show her race-power once again in the sprint hit out, only her second over the distance this season.

Anyone thinking that Jorgensen has been quiet across 2024 compared to last season would do well to remember her 2023 World Cup dominance, scoring four wins and seven consecutive podiums in under 12 months. Coming in hot, however, is Belgium’s Jolien Vermeylen, winner of her first World Cup in Tongyeong just 10 days ago, and having been knocking on victory’s door repeatedly the past two years.

Slim bike-break potential on stop-start course

It was a bike breakaway with Sian Rainsley that helped Vermeylen seal the deal in Korea, something we could see the Brit try again on Saturday, especially given her teammate Jessica Fullagar’s formidable bike power. If Yuko Takahashi can also get in that mix, a first home World Cup gold would represent a huge achievement at the end of a tough year for the Asian Champion, who has five top 10s to date here, but no podiums to her name in Miyazaki.

Alissa Konig will be backing herself for a medal return after the Swiss talent’s first taste of a World Cup podium in Rome a month ago, a prize USA’s Erika Ackerlund would love to land for the first time if she can dig in on the run.

Italy’s Beatrice Mallozzi and Hungary’s Marta Kropko are two rising talents currently making their mark at the World Cup level, while GB’s Katie Rodda, Germany’s Lara Thekla Ungewickell and USA’s Micehelle Magnani make their debuts.

For the full start list, click here.