Get ready for an epic conclusion to the 2026 women's WTCS
It all comes down to this. Eight rounds of the regular WTCS season have led us here, to the 2026 Pontevedra Finals, where we could be about to see only the second woman in the past decade win a second world title. Four-time world champion Flora Duffy (BER) stands alone in achieving the feat since 2016, but in Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA), Beth Potter (GBR) and Lisa Tertsch (GER) we have three contenders ready to join this exclusive club. That is, unless the shocks of last year repeat themselves and someone like Tilda Månsson (SWE) pounces.
Over a concluding standard distance race made up by a 1500m swim of two laps, a 40km bike of eight laps and a 10km run of four laps, all will be decided. The moment of truth has arrived, and either history or a historic upset awaits. Catch every moment of the elite women’s race live on TriathlonLive from 18:00 (CEST) on Saturday 26th September.
The overwhelming favourite coming into this weekend’s race is Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA). Unbeaten in 2026, the French athlete has lost exactly one Series race she has finished since the start of 2024. With four wins and a perfect 4000 points to her name, she will look to match the victory at the 2024 Series Final that earned her a first world title. Beaugrand will not be complacent, though, especially after leading into last year’s Final only to not finish and see the world title drift away.
Beth Potter (GBR) started the season with a bang, winning at WTCS Samarkand to continue a run of form that gave her three wins from four starts. The return of the Final to Pontevedra, the site of her 2023 coronation as world champion, also seemed like a propitious omen for the rest of the year. However, Potter has not returned to the top of the podium since Samarkand and faces a 225 point deficit to Beaugrand. As Pontevedra 2023 was the last time Potter beat her French rival, she will need to summon the magic of yesteryear to win a second world title.
Our third possible double world champion is the reigning title holder, Lisa Tertsch (GER). As was the case last year, Tertsch comes into the Final ranked 4th overall and will know that closing the gap to the top is by no means impossible. Tertsch memorably won last year’s Final in Wollongong and will back herself to do so again, although she will need results to go her way if she is to climb the rankings.
Of those that could potentially stage a shock, WTCS Yokohama winner Månsson is best placed. Ranked 3rd overall, Månsson has 363.74 points to close to Beaugrand; beating the French athlete is one thing but expecting her to miss the podium altogether in 6th (which is what Månsson requires) is quite the lofty hope. At the same time, Månsson is the only one of the top four contenders to have rested instead of racing WTCS Weihai and/or WTCS Karlovy Vary, meaning she will likely be the freshest of the favourites at the Final.
Similarly, Leonie Periault (FRA), the WTCS Hamburg winner, is another to have saved all of her energies for Pontevedra. It has not helped her ranking and her gap from 5th place gives her far too much to do to win the world title. Nevertheless, Periault medalled at the 2021 Final and generally has a strong record at the season-enders. If she is on song, she will have a big role to play in this weekend’s race.
Our remaining and most recent gold medallist from the 2026 campaign, Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), will also be starting. The Brit broke a chain of five successive French wins in this year’s Series with her victory in Karlovy Vary and will be brimming with confidence coming into Pontevedra. Like Periault, Taylor-Brown is realistically too far down the rankings to take overall glory for herself this year (she is 7th), but an athlete as capable as her – and a former WTCS Final medallist to boot – is more than capable of throwing a few grenades into the mix just to see what happens.
Further spoilers lurk throughout the start list. Jeanne Lehair (LUX) already has two WTCS medals this year and at her swashbuckling best can go toe-to-toe with anyone. Moreover, Emma Lombardi (FRA) is the only athlete on an active WTCS Final podium streak having taken home the bronze medal in both 2024 and 2025.
Additional 2026 WTCS medallists Jolien Vermeylen (BEL) and Taylor Spivey (USA) could likewise shape the race. Vermeylen is renowned for her swim strength and will likely try to force the pace there, while Spivey showed exactly what she is capable of on the bike as part of the breakaway in Karlovy Vary. Throw in athletes in fantastic form such as Diana Isakova (AIN) and Roksana Slupek (POL) and we have a truly explosive mix on the start line. Whether we see a slice of triathlon history or another astonishing upset, whoever comes out on top on Saturday will have done so by surviving a true test of fire.
