How WTCS Hamburg messed up the 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series rankings • World Triathlon

After three races of the 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series, we are now entering the (long) home stretch. Only WTCS Weihai remains before the series finale in Torremolinos, although athletes can still score points at the Paris Olympics and their continental championships. However, as the races wind down, the impact of Hamburg could set the tone in the battle for the world title.

There was also a catch. As it was a sprint race, a win in Hamburg was only worth 750 points. In contrast, Yokohama and Cagliari were worth 1,000 points, while Paris and Weihai could reshape the rankings as they are also standard distance races. So it’s time to get out the calculator and work out who leads the men’s and women’s series at mid-season and who is in pole position to be crowned world champion.

The ranking of the women’s series

Emma Lombardi (FRA) maintained her lead in the series with her third consecutive top-5 result. Her 3rd place in Yokohama and 4th place in Cagliari preceded her 5th place in Hamburg, giving her 2196.15 points. Another medal would certainly cement her position, but with a lead of over 200 points at the top of the table, Lombardi is well placed.

Lisa Tertsch (GER) won her second consecutive silver medal, moving up to 2nd place overall. She has 1981.70 points, but will need to replace her 14th place from Yokohama if she wants to overtake Lombardi. Given Tertsch’s recent form, another podium finish is definitely not impossible. There is one problem, however.

Even more than Lombardi, Tertsch will be paying attention to the approaching steam train that is Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA). The French athlete is the only undefeated woman in the series and her second win of the year puts her in 3rd place overall with 1725 points. Beaugrand has the most points of any athlete with just two results and with another win (or medal) there is a risk that she will be almost out of sight when the WTCS final rolls around.

Nevertheless, Beaugrand is not untouchable. The fact that her victory in Hamburg was only worth 750 points could prove to be a saving grace for her rivals, as it could be trumped by the results in Paris and Weihai. In this respect, Beth Potter (GBR) is still very active in the race for the world title. Like Beaugrand, she has two results to her name and her two bronze medals in 2024 have earned her 1497.50 points. On the one hand, she is already over 250 points behind Beaugrand. On the other hand, two results on long standard distances could turn the tide and lead to Potter defending her title.

After deciding not to compete in Hamburg, Taylor Knibb (USA) has dropped from 2nd to 7th in the overall standings. She has 1384.58 points and is the third-placed woman with two results. Her medal in Yokohama adds a lot to her overall score and she has to make up for her 11th place in Cagliari. So she faces the same challenge as Potter: to become world champion, she has to be almost perfect in Paris, Weihai and Torremolinos.

Meanwhile, WTCS Yokohama winner Leonie Periault (FRA) is in 10th place with 1142.41 points, 1000 of which were scored in Yokohama. If the season-opening Periault returns, she could rejoin the ranks of the series leaders. Given her good performance in Japan, this possibility simply cannot be ruled out.

The ranking of the men’s series

Luke Willian (AUS) continues to fight. The Australian athlete finished eleventh in Hamburg and now has 1778.99 points from his three participations in the series. But as impressive as Willian has been this year, he must expect that his compatriot could overtake him.

With 1675 points from just two races, Matthew Hauser (AUS) is just one race away from overtaking his teammate and taking the lead in the men’s series. With silver in Yokohama and gold in Hamburg, he is also the only double medalist in the men’s category to date. Should he finish on the podium in Paris or Weihai (or even both), he will have a good chance of winning his first series title.

Vincent Luis (FRA) may be sensing a chance to win a third World Championship title. The French athlete is in 3rd place with 1579.81 points and his 6th place in Hamburg was his best result of the WTCS season. However, as he has yet to win a medal in the series this year, he will have a tough time competing against Hauser. Interestingly, Willian, Luis and Yokohama winner Morgan Pearson (USA) are the only men in the top 8 with three points. This gives the feeling that the men’s series has not yet fully taken shape, with so many athletes not having fulfilled their quotas and having the opportunity to make big strides up the rankings.

Charles Paquet (CAN) and Csongor Lehmann (HUN) dropped out of the top 3 due to not being in Hamburg. They are now in 4th and 6th place respectively. Pierre Le Corre (FRA) separates them after his bronze medal in Hamburg. Of particular note is that Alex Yee (GBR) and Hayden Wilde (NZL) have just one point each. Yee’s win in Cagliari earned him 1000 points, putting him in 12th place overall. Wilde’s silver medal at the same event earned him 925 points, dropping him two places back to 14th place.

With just one race under their belt, Yee and Wilde will need to stay clean in Paris and Weihai if they are to arrive in Torremolinos with a real chance of winning the world title. A slip, a crash or a bad day will end their hopes of winning the world title before the final even begins. Equally, as in the women’s series, podium finishes in Paris and Weihai could see them trump Hauser’s win in Hamburg and take the series lead.

There are still three months to go until the WTCS finals, but the series will take a few more twists and turns between now and then. You can keep up to date with the latest developments across all World Triathlon channels.