Can anyone “steal” the worlds from Alex Yee again?

To answer the question … yes. But it won’t be easy, and will require a bad day from the Olympic gold medalist, along with some big races from his rivals.

Some history

So how crazy can a world championship finish be? To this day I will never forget the sight of Richard Murray standing in front of the finish line at the 2016 World Triathlon Series Grand Final asking his countryman Henri Schoeman if he could cross the line. He needed to know if Jonny Brownlee had won – if the Brit had taken the win, Murray’s friend and training partner Mario Mola needed to finish in the top four to win the title. If not, Murray could cruise across the line ahead of Mola and the Spaniard would still claim the world championship. (That was the year Jonny Brownlee collapsed just short of the finish line and his brother, Alistair, would basically carry him across the line as the pair finished second and third.)

“I won,” Schoeman kept saying. “You’re good.”

Murray finally crossed the line.

Everything you need to know about this weekend’s World Triathlon Championships

2024 Numbers

The game of numbers continues this weekend as we gear up for the World Triathlon Championship Series Grand Final in Torremolios, Spain, although it does seem like the fourth time must surely be the charm for Great Britain’s Alex Yee as he hunts for the elusive world title that has escaped him over the last few years. Two years ago, heading into the World Triathlon Championship Finals in Abu Dhabi, Yee trailed rival Hayden Wilde (NZL) by 118 points, with France’s Leo Bergere sitting at 357 points behind. A huge race from the Frenchman saw him take the win to Yee’s fourth and Wilde’s sixth, netting Bergere the world title. Fast forward a year later and it was Yee out in front just 57 points ahead of Wilde heading into the finals in Pontevedra, but this time it was Dorian Coninx who would take the sprint for the win, overcoming a 511 point deficit to take the world title as Wilde finished 10th and Yee had a shocker of a day to take 30th.

Heading into this year’s final, Yee has 425 more points than Bergere and 525 on Wilde. It’s enough of a cushion that a top-six finish will net him the world title. A win for Bergere and seventh or further down in the field for Yee will net the Frenchman another world title. Wilde needs to win, with Bergere taking third or lower and Yee eighth or lower.

Beaugrand in control of her destiny

A win or runner-up finish will guarantee France’s Olympic gold medalist Cassandre Beaugrand the world title. That doesn’t mean the world title is a lock for the Olympic champ – last year Beth Potter took the win at the Grand Final and netted the world title. A win for the British Olympic bronze medalist and a third or lower for Beaugrand will see Potter defend her world title. The same goes for Germany’s Lisa Tertsch – if the recent winner of WTCS Weihai can take the win and there’s someone else who finishes ahead of Beaugrand, she can take the title, too.

While there are certainly lots of contenders for the win this weekend, it will be a stretch to see any other women take the overall world title, but certainly expect to see the likes of Emma Lombardi (FRA), Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), Kate Waugh (GBR) and Leonie Periault (FRA) in the hunt for a podium finish in Saturday’s women’s race.