It has taken seven years and 38 individual race finishes, but this past weekend, the mental work, the training, and the adjustments all came together for Tyler Mislawchuk.

The three-time Olympian took bronze at the WTCS race in Weihai, China, crossing the line in 1:41:25.

Seven years in the making

Not since the 2019 racing season, when Mislawchuk raced to four individual medals, has he enjoyed this level of success. Now, in 2026, he has matched that tally with bronze at the World Triathlon Cup Chengdu, gold at the World Triathlon Cup Huatulco, silver at the World Triathlon Cup Edmonton, and bronze this past weekend at the WTCS event in Weihai.

What did it take to get back to the top? A front pack swim of 18:26, a 51:53 bike, followed by a 29:35 run.

In a post-race interview, Mislawchuk grinned, saying, “Last time I got one of these [podiums] I had hair.”

Behind the humour was a season of being intentional about his training. Earlier this year, Mislawchuk heard a statement on a podcast that helped shape his approach to racing: “Be about it.”

In the post-race interview, Mislawchuk explained that the statement spoke to his year-over-year consistency and string of top ten results, while still wanting, and knowing, he could achieve more. During the off season, he and his coach made some gentle changes to his approach in pursuit of another level.

Mislawchuk reflected that on previous occasions in races, he had found himself in the second group following less than ideal swims, allowing podium opportunities to slip from his grasp. Not this time.

It was a podium celebrated and applauded across Canada.

“These races are what you dream about when you ride 5 to 6 hours in the winter alone. These are the moments we train for and to actually do it is another thing. I could not be happier.”

Mislawchuk followed up on social media: “A few years ago I wasn’t sure if I would ever be back on one of these podiums, how good! I never take for granted that I get to do this as a job!”

With a solid 855.63 points from Weihai, Mislawchuk jumped 11 positions in the WTCS standings to 22nd.

The penultimate race before the September 23rd Pontevedra final takes place in Karlovy Vary on September 13th. Mislawchuk is not currently on the start list; instead, there is another podium to chase this weekend. He will be lining up at the Supertri Pro Series Final in Jersey after winning the third and final regular season round in Toronto.

Full race preview for Supertri Jersey coming soon!