Lindemann Wins Chengdu World Cup by Inches
The third round of the 2026 World Triathlon Cup, held in the Jintang district of Chengdu, produced two of the closest finishes in the event’s history. Laura Lindemann came back from a hard 2025, a year of injury and rehabilitation, with a win decided by the photo at the line. Luke Willian of Australia took gold, beating France’s Nils Serre Gehri by a single second.
Women: a photo finish and Lindemann’s return
Of the 65 women on the start list, two took the lead early in the swim. Hungary’s Fanni Szalai and France’s Mathilde Gautier chose an aggressive line at the left-hand buoy, a gamble that paid off. They reached T1 with a lead of around 20 seconds.
On the bike, as in the men’s race, a large group formed quickly. The favourites sat inside it: Lindemann, Kate Waugh, Sian Rainsley, Julia Bröcker, Selina Klamt and Sara Guerrero Manso. None of them wanted to show her hand early.
Almost 50 women left T2 together. Candice Denizot of France went first, but Valentina Riasova of AIN soon moved to the front and set a pace that cut the group apart. At 2.5 km she had six seconds. It looked like a repeat of her win from the previous season.
The last kilometre changed all of it. Lindemann and Waugh took the gap back step by step. On the final 180 degree turn into the finish, the German and the Briton caught Riasova on the blue carpet. Three of them came in together, and the officials needed several minutes to make the call.
Women’s result:
- Laura Lindemann (GER), 00:55:27
- Valentina Riasova (AIN), 00:55:27, by a fraction of a centimetre
- Kate Waugh (GBR), 00:55:28
Behind them: Sara Guerrero Manso (ESP) fourth, Mariana Vargem (POR) fifth for a career best. Sian Rainsley took sixth in 00:55:35, Julia Bröcker seventh and Aspen Anderson eighth, both in 00:55:40.
For Lindemann this is the signal that she is back after a 2025 marked by injury. A win by what World Triathlon’s own report called a fraction of an inch has a familiar ring: that was how she took Olympic gold in the mixed relay in Paris in 2024, in a Games where she did not finish the individual race after a crash.
Men: the Australian wins by one second
The men’s race was almost as tight. Luke Willian (AUS) held the lead into the finishing sprint, beating Nils Serre Gehri (FRA), who took his first World Cup podium, by a single second.
Men’s result:
- Luke Willian (AUS)
- Nils Serre Gehri (FRA), one second back
- Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN), 50:16, his seventh career World Cup podium
Willian confirms the form he showed last season, and Serre Gehri’s result says France has another athlete capable of fighting at the top of short-course racing.
Next in the World Cup season
The next stop is WTCS Yokohama on 16 and 17 May 2026, with the defending world champions in the field: Matthew Hauser, Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde on the men’s side.
Sources: World Triathlon, Australian Olympic Committee, 220 Triathlon
Read next: World Cup Rio: Legg and Michalickova Win It by a Second. Racelify lists triathlons worldwide, each with a link to the organiser.