Hauser and Périault Defend Titles in Hamburg
Matt Hauser won WTCS Hamburg for the third year running, and Leonie Périault defended the title she took a year earlier. The racing took place on 11 July 2026 in 30°C (86°F), over the sprint distance: 750 metres of swimming in the Alster, 20 kilometres of riding through the city centre and a 5 kilometre run.
Men: Hauser settles it in the last metres
The Australian rode this race the way he usually rides sprints. He kept it under control, stayed with the lead group on the bike and left the decision to the run.
He went about 800 metres from the line and nobody came back at him. Vasco Vilaça was second, Germany’s Henry Graf third.
Three straight wins in the same city is rare at WTCS level. Hauser won in Hamburg in 2024 and 2025, so the course along the Alster had already become his ground.
Women: Périault wins in transition
The Frenchwoman settled her race earlier than Hauser and in a different place. She put together a very good second transition, moved to the front of a large group and rode away from defending world champion Lisa Tertsch.
Sweden’s Tilda Mansson ran through to third after losing time in a poor transition. It is the second year in a row that Périault has won in Hamburg.
| Podium | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Hauser (Australia) | Leonie Périault (France) |
| 2 | Vasco Vilaça (Portugal) | Lisa Tertsch (Germany) |
| 3 | Henry Graf (Germany) | Tilda Mansson (Sweden) |
Mixed relay and a ticket to Los Angeles
The mixed relay world championship was held on Sunday. France won and took the Olympic qualification place for the Los Angeles Games with it. Hungary were second, Great Britain third.
Hauser did not race the relay, because Australia withdrew. The reason was illness affecting U23 world champion Richelle Hill.
The World Triathlon Para Series debuts
Hamburg also hosted the first ever round of the WTPS, the World Triathlon Para Series. It is a separate series for athletes with disabilities, until now run inside other events.
Winners there included Lauren Parker in PTWC, Grace Norman in PTS5 and Susana Rodríguez in PTVI, for whom it was a 58th career victory.
Hamburg returns to the calendar as host of the world championship finals in 2027.