Great Britain’s Beth Potter launched her 2026 World Triathlon Championship Series campaign in style, taking the gold at a sun-baked WTCS Samarkand to claim victory in the season’s opening Series race.
France’s Leonie Periault pushed her all the way to the line, finishing just nine seconds back, while Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair rounded out the podium after chasing down Georgia Taylor-Brown. Olympic Champion Cassandre Beaugrand was unable to start with illness, and defending World Champion Lisa Tertsch had her chances dashed after a bike crash in the opening stages of the 40km bike.
“I’ve been swimming and biking very well — it was the run that I was most scared of, to be honest,” admitted a delighted Potter. Talking about how she bridged the gap with the lead group in the bike, she said: “I got very lucky — my teammate Jess Fullagar and I pulled turns together. I always thought we could catch them, because we could see them and we were motivated to work.”
Vasco Vilaça (POR) won a thrilling men’s race, claiming his first World Triathlon Championship Series victory after a six-year run of podium finishes. Beating Germany’s Henry Graf by four seconds and Canada’s Charles Paquet by eight, it was a huge moment for the Portuguese star who had dreamed of taking the tape at the top level after a clutch of tight finishes.
‘I have been working for this for so long. I’ve had races when I’ve been in such good shape and not been able to make it,’ said Vilaça. ‘Today I was really struggling, I wasn’t feeling my best but I was digging deep. The other guys were so strong, but mentally, I think I was also strong and tried to be tactical and take my chance. Hugely thankful for my whole team throughout all the podiums.’
