A Standout Weekend for Women in Triathlon
From breakthrough wins to record-setting performances, women's triathlon delivered an outstanding weekend of racing.
World Triathlon
What an incredible weekend of racing for women in triathlon. From 22-year-old Tilda Månsson’s sprint finish at WTCS Yokohama, to Marjolaine Pierré’s course record-breaking win in Pays d’Aix, to Grace Alexander completing back-to-back wins at Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast and Chattanooga, what these athletes are achieving right now is outstanding.
The hope is that it builds, that one performance leads to another, and that more women continue to break records, celebrate firsts, and inspire others to aim even higher.
WTCS Yokohama
The action started at WTCS Yokohama. To say the women’s race was an edge-of-your-seat finish does not quite capture how it felt to watch it unfold. Running together with approximately 1.3 km to go, Beth Potter, Jeanne Lehair, and Månsson were locked in.
Potter surged at the final aid station. The effort was too much for Lehair. Månsson, undeterred, stayed with Potter step for step. At that point, the volume in my living room went up. “Potter for the win,” one commentator said, a fair call given her six WTCS victories. But there was another factor to consider: Månsson’s finishing speed had shown up before in World Triathlon Cup races. Might it again here?
At the final turn, it did. Månsson changed gears, and Potter could not respond. She took her first WTCS win, improving on her previous best of fifth at this level (in Hamburg last season). Having just turned 22 earlier this week, she remains one of the youngest athletes in the field. With the 1,000 points for her victory, she now moves into third in the Series rankings.
Ironman 70.3 Pays d’Aix
The action continued at Ironman 70.3 Pays d’Aix, where Pierré delivered a decisive and record-breaking performance. After coming close to the podium earlier this season, she returned to a course she knows well and stopped the clock at 4:08:27. In doing so, she broke both her own bike course record and the overall course record, defended her title, and secured her first win of the year.
“I just race with emotion, you know, and memories. It’s just so powerful to have so many memories here and so much good vibes,” Pierré said afterwards. “I really race with my heart and it was what gave me this win today.”
Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga
The hard-fought double belonged to Alexander, who won Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast last weekend and followed it up with another victory in Chattanooga. Two wins one week apart was her goal, and she delivered, controlling the race from the swim through to the run to successfully defend her title. One fan summed it up simply: “beast mode activated!”
In a pre-race interview, Alexander said she has made a habit of racing back-to-back at least once a year since turning professional in 2021, starting with the Ironman 70.3 World Championship and Ironman 70.3 Augusta. This time, it came together for the first time: two races, two wins.
A Moment to Remember
It would be difficult to close without highlighting a moment of class-act sportsmanship in transition at Ironman 70.3 Pays d’Aix. Charlotte McShane struggled to secure her helmet until fellow athlete Bridget Theunissen stopped to help her.