Saturday will see France's Benjamin Choquert look to defend the 2025 duathlon world title he won in Pontevedra, while Germany's Lisa Tertsch brings a season of World Triathlon Championship Series podiums to the women's race, as the 2026 World Triathlon Duathlon Championships hit Hudayriyat Island, kicking off the World Triathlon Multisport Championships Abu Dhabi.
The elite women go first at 11:15 local time / 08:15 CET, with the men following at 13:45 local / 10:45 CET. Both races follow the 5km run / 20km bike / 5km run format, and the 2x2 Mixed Relay follows on Sunday 15 November at 13:30 local / 10:30 CET. Watch on TriathlonLive.io and YouTube.
Elite Men
Benjamin Choquert held his nerve in the closest of finishes last year, crossing the line four seconds clear of Arnaud Dely (BEL). He backed it up with World Games gold in Chengdu two months later and, at 40, starts in Abu Dhabi as the man everyone else has to beat.
His run remains his weapon. At the European Championships in Banyoles in July he lost a minute to the leaders on the bike and had to settle for fifth, yet still ran the fastest closing 2.5km of the day. If he makes the front group on Hudayriyat Island, that finishing speed makes him the favourite to retain his title; miss it, and Banyoles showed how hard the gap can be to close.
Dely is the most obvious threat. Four seconds short in Pontevedra, the Belgian answered in Banyoles, taking the European title by eight seconds from Emile Blondel Hermant. Blondel Hermant brings remarkable range of his own: fifth at last year's Worlds, European champion in 2025 and runner-up in 2026, he was crowned Powerman Long Distance World Champion in Zofingen in September for a second time.
Wearing the number one, though, is Thibaut De Smet (BEL). The 2025 World Cross Duathlon Champion added the European cross title in July and posted the fastest bike split in Banyoles on his way to fourth, exactly the kind of power that could leave Choquert chasing.
Adrien Pilleux (FRA) took bronze in Banyoles, while Léo Starck (FRA) and Vincent Bierinckx (BEL) placed seventh and eighth respectively at both last year's Worlds and this year's Europeans. With Jonathan Wayaffe, Belgium matches France's four-strong team. Morocco's Mohamed Nemsi, 11th in Pontevedra, leads the charge from outside Europe, with Thomas Cremers and Wout Driever (NED), Sebastian Fuchs (AUT), Krzysztof Hadas (POL), James Hodgson (GBR), Jonathan Homberg (GER) and Albion Ymeri (KOS) among the 23 names on the start list.
Elite Women
Better known as the 2025 World Triathlon Champion, Germany's Lisa Tertsch was also once a Junior European Duathlon Champion. In a year of experimentation that also saw her crowned 2026 Europe Triathlon Champion, Tertsch’s appearance on the duathlon start line a day after the final WTCS of the year continues that theme. Of course, the run strength that has kept her at the sharp end of the Series all year makes her the woman to beat, but her challengers know this format inside out.
Spain's María Varo Zubiri has been runner-up at the last two major championships: five seconds behind Giorgia Priarone (ITA) at last year's Worlds after leading her out of T2, then three seconds behind Jasmijn Bakker (NED) at the Europeans in Banyoles in July. With Priarone absent, Varo Zubiri is the most consistent duathlete in the field.
Bakker rode her way into contention in Banyoles with the fastest bike split among the medallists before holding Varo Zubiri off over the closing 2.5km. France brings depth through Emma Wasser, fifth in Pontevedra and bronze in Banyoles, and Meghan Bazire, seventh and fifth respectively, with Fiona Cornet completing the French team.
Morocco's Ghizlane Assou heads to Abu Dhabi as the reigning African Duathlon Champion, having defended her continental title in Hurghada last month, and Diana Isakova comes in on form after winning the World Cup in Hong Kong last weekend. Jeanne Dupont (BEL), ninth in Pontevedra, Julia Klein (GER), Kitty Shepherd-Cross (GBR), Ivana Kuriackova (SVK), Valentina Riasova (RUS) and Selene Martinez Avila (MEX) complete the 14-strong elite field.
