Vilaca and Beaugrand Shine as Global Racing Delivers Another Memorable Weekend
Triathlon delivered incredible racing across WTCS Alghero, Challenge St. Pölten, Ironman Brazil, and Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau
World Triathlon
WTCS Alghero
The third WTCS event of the season was stacked with a start list for the ages, and it delivered.
On the men’s side, Vasco Vilaca once again put on a performance for the ages, reminding us again not to discount him as a top pre-race pick. He went into the event tied with reigning world champion Matt Hauser at the top of the leaderboard, with one win each, but Vilaca now takes that top spot with his back-to-back victories.
Between the two WTCS wins and taking the tape at the Europe Triathlon Cup Quarteira, it has been an incredible start to the season for him.
Rounding out the men’s podium was Miguel Hidalgo in second and Ricardo Batista, who took the bronze in a sprint finish against the 2023 world champ Dorian Coninx. Batista successfully secured his first ever WTCS podium, marking a truly emotional moment.
The women’s side was even more suspenseful as a group of five women – Cassandre Beaugrand (2024 world champion and Paris Olympic champion), Beth Potter (2023 world champion), Lisa Terstch (2025 world champion), Jeanne Lehair, and Georgia Taylor-Brown – all ran together up front.
Taylor-Brown was the first to falter off the leader’s incredible pace, followed by Lehair, the second victim to the hot pace. In the closing couple hundred metres, Beaugrand’s cadence notched higher which decisively proved too much for both Terstch and Potter. However, Potter held on for silver while Tertsch took bronze.
Potter, following her win in Samarkand and podium at Yokohama, remains at the top of the leaderboard, followed by Lehair and Taylor Spivey.
Challenge St Pölten
Caroline Pohle is proven unstoppable this year at Challenge races. She made it three for three victories, taking the win at Challenge St Pölten with a new course and bike record. It was a tape-to-tape win, leading from the swim to the red carpet, never under threat.
On the men’s side, Frederic Funk won his first race of the season here. As he put it: “987 days since my last professional win. The road back hasn’t been linear but the momentum is building again.”
Ironman Brazil
Ironman Brazil marked Youri Keulen’s long-awaited Ironman debut in pursuit of a Kona qualification slot. Keulen did take the fastest bike split of the day and finished in an impressive second place behind Wilhelm Hirsch, with only one minute separating both competitors (Keulen’s final finishing time was 7:33:20). For Hirsch, this marked his first Ironman win in his professional career, and for Keulen, an incredible debut and that sought-after KQ.
On the women’s side, Romina Biagioli crossed the finish line first to take her first ever professional Ironman win. It took five years for an athlete to finally upset Pamella Oliveira’s supreme reign over Ironman Brazil. Biagioli needed the fastest marathon of the day (3:00:08) to do it, and passed Julie Iemmolo and Olveira deep into the marathon.
Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau
Last but not least, in front of home fans, Daniela Kleiser and Cedric Osterholt took gold at Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau. For Kleiser, this marked her first win of the season, and for Osterhold his first professional win.
Kleiser is well-known for her run prowess, and made up 6:15mins in the half-marathon to take over the lead from Lena Meissner in the final kilometres. It was a stunning comeback as Kleiser ran her way to first from sixth place out of T2.