The World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) makes its penultimate stop in Weihai, China, on Friday, September 26th. With the Championship Finals set for Wollongong, Australia, on October 19th, the Weihai race carries weight as one of the last chances for athletes to fine-tune their form, collect points, and set the tone heading into the finale. The course is Olympic distance, with men starting at 9:00 a.m. local time and women at 11:45 a.m.
Men’s Race
Series leader Matthew Hauser of Australia will not be on the start line, nor will his closest rivals Miguel Hidalgo of Brazil and Vasco Vilaca of Portugal. That leaves the spotlight on Germany’s Henry Graf, currently fourth in the standings. Graf arrives fresh from his breakout win in Karlovy Vary, where he earned the maximum 1,000 points. His consistency this season, fifth in Hamburg and fourth in Abu Dhabi, has him brimming with confidence as he looks to close the gap on the top three.
Canadian eyes will be on Martin Sobey, who makes his second WTCS appearance of the season after racing in Yokohama. Joining him is Liam Donnelly, making his series debut. Donnelly, ranked 14th in the Americas Triathlon Rankings, is a member of the TTL Development Team mentored by Eric Lagerstrom, Paula Findlay, and the TTL Community.
Women’s Race
The storyline centers on Beth Potter of Great Britain. Fresh off her gold medal in Karlovy Vary, another win in Weihai would pull her even with Cassandre Beaugrand at the top of the standings ahead of Wollongong.
Equally inspiring is the form of American Taylor Spivey. In Karlovy Vary she led until the final kilometers before being caught by Potter. Spivey called it “one to remember” on Instagram, adding that the experience was a reminder that progress sometimes requires a step back. Her resilience and attacking style make her a podium threat again this weekend.
Germany’s Lisa Tertsch will also be one to watch. She joined Potter and Spivey on the Karlovy Vary podium, her first top-three finish since Yokohama, and sits fifth in the overall standings.
Canada will be represented by a trio of women gaining valuable series experience. Emy Legault lines up for her third WTCS race, with a best finish of 16th in Abu Dhabi. Sophia Howell also returns for her third appearance. Desirae Ridenour, whose strongest finish came with 16th at the French Riviera, rounds out the Canadian contingent. Legault and Ridenour are both ranked inside the top ten in the Americas Triathlon Rankings.
How to Watch
The men’s race begins at 9:00 a.m. local time on Friday, September 26th. That means Thursday evening viewing in North America: 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Central, 7:00 p.m. Mountain, and 6:00 p.m. Pacific. The women’s race follows at 11:45 a.m. local time, which is 11:45 p.m. Eastern, 10:45 p.m. Central, 9:45 p.m. Mountain, and 8:45 p.m. Pacific. Both races stream live on TriathlonLive.TV.
The post WTCS Weihai: Penultimate Showdown Before Wollongong Finals appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.