There is only one race to go in the World Triathlon Championship Series and the leadership of both the men’s and women’s rankings has changed.
The Paris Olympic Test Event was the last race to count in the regular season before the Final in Pontevedra. After claiming a dominant win, Alex Yee has reaped the Series lead.
The Brit now sits on 3499 points (rounded) and has moved up 4 places in the standings. Prior to Paris, he only had three WTCS results to his name in 2023. The Test Event therefore brought him line with his rivals.
Sitting right behind Yee is the former leader, Hayden Wilde, with 3442 points.
It is hard to not to think Wilde has had an unlucky year. His DNF in Paris deprived him of the chance to move up the rankings. His lowest score comes from his 3rd place in Sunderland, a race at which he was sick.
A top-6 finish in Paris would have improved on that score while a top-5 would have maintained his lead over Yee. However, it was not to be as a hip issue caused by a pre-race crash stopped him from finishing. That misfortune can be added to his Abu Dhabi mechanical and Sunderland illness.
A podium in Paris would have given Wilde over 200 more points than his Sunderland score. That number is particularly relevant as a win in the Final will be worth 1250 points. The points drop by 7.5% thereafter.
As such, whoever wins out of Yee or Wilde in Pontevedra will probably claim the world title. Had Paris gone differently, though, Wilde could have been in a position to lose the Final and still win the Series.
It is probable that Yee or Wilde win the Series, however it is by no means guaranteed. Last season was lesson enough when it comes to such expectations.
Vasco Vilaca lies in 3rd place and can take a run at the world title. He has 3284 points and a win in the Final could be enough, although it will rely on Yee finishing outside of the medals and Wilde finishing no better than 3rd. Stranger things have happened.
Leo Bergere, meanwhile, sits in 4th with 3014 points. His compatriot Dorian Coninx has moved up 2 places to 5th (2988 points) courtesy of his bronze medal in Paris.
Several athletes also made notable climbs in the rankings after the Test Event.
Pierre Le Corre gained 6 places and is now ranked 8th with 2274 points. Most significantly, Le Corre only has three scores to his name. Seeing as all three of his recorded three finishes have been worth over 700 points, there is every chance he could have been 4th overall right now with a full quota of events.
Tim Hellwig likewise moved into the top-10. He is now in 10th after gaining 11 places. Miguel Hidalgo has also assumed 11th place after moving up 9 places.
Further down the rankings, Max Studer is up to 18th after gaining 7 places while Barclay Izzard has solidified his status as the second best male Brit in the Series by climbing 6 places into 25th. Matthew McElroy is up 10 places into 30th and Michele Sarzilla has jumped 11 places into 35th.
Five athletes also broke into the top-50 following their results in Paris.
The most eye-catching rise has been that of Morgan Pearson. The American has risen a whopping 59 places after finishing 6th in Paris. All told, that has put him in 36th in the standings and within striking distance of his compatriot McElroy. He is also just behind Gábor Faldum. The experienced Hungarian athlete gained 22 places after the Test Event to move into 33rd.
Sergio Baxter Cabrera improved by 21 places to move into 44th, Takumi Hojo moved up 12 places to 42nd and Ricardo Batista made his way into the top-50 as his 7 place gain put him in 45th
In contrast to the men’s Series, the women’s winner in Paris actually lost her leadership of the WTCS. Despite winning in a late dramatic burst, Beth Potter has slipped to 2nd place.
In place of Potter, Cassandre Beaugrand has stepped into the Series lead. Beaugrand has 3341 points to her name while Potter has 3309. As with the men’s Series, a tight finish can therefore be expected in Pontevedra.
The reason Beaugrand overtook Potter is that her 2nd place in Paris replaced a 6th place from Abu Dhabi. Potter’s win replaced a 6th place in Cagliari. Abu Dhabi was worth 75% of the points of Cagliari as it was a Sprint race. As a result, Beaugrand had more scope to add points to her total.
Emma Lombardi sits in 3rd place in the Series however she is further away from the lead than Vasco Vilaca is in the men’s Series. Lombardi’s 4th plcae in Paris has lifted her to 2946 points, taking her clear of Taylor Spivey who has 2837 points.
Summer Rappaport follows in 5th place with 2357 points.
With Georgia Taylor-Brown still in 6th place, the top-6 is made up of two French athletes, two British athletes and two Americans. Two German women have moved into the top-10 too. Nina Eim is up 7 places into 9th while Laura Lindemann’s bronze medal saw her climb 8 places to 10th.
In addition, Taylor Knibb has moved up 9 places into 11th. She is the highest ranked woman with only three scores to her name.
Kate Waugh and Katie Zaferes both improved their ranking in Paris to give Britain and American four women in the top-20. Waugh rose 7 places into 14th while Zaferes claimed 17th place after gaining 6 places. Germany, meanwhile, are the only country with five women in the top-20.
Jolien Vermeylen continued her brilliant summer and moved up 7 placed into 24th. Ainsley Thorpe made a similar improvement as she took 28th place after rising by 6 places.
Julie Derron effectively booked her place on the Swiss Olympic team in Paris. In doing so, she also moved into 29th place in the Series after jumping 16 places.
Finally, two women stepped into the top-50 after Paris. Alice Betto rocketed up 35 places and now is ranked 45th. Dominika Jamnicky also snuck into 48th after gaining 7 places.
