Zachary Bernier-Michaud (CAN) started the half marathon nearly five minutes behind Dorian Horsten (NED) but caught him in the closing metres to win a dramatic Challenge Xiamen in China on Saturday.
Norwegian stars Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden had headlined the men’s field, but they finished 13th and 16th respectively as Bernier-Michaud ran 1:11:45 to claim his first professional middle-distance win.
Sara Pérez Sala had a very different race in the pro women’s event. The Spaniard led from the gun and rode a 2:02:35 bike split on her way to a successful title defence by almost 15 minutes in hot and windy conditions.
Men’s race – Nearly five minutes down, then a late pass
Alejandro Rodríguez Rilo led the field out of the water in 23:50, with Louis Woodgate and Horsten just 12 and 14 seconds behind. Blummenfelt was in the chase group 18 seconds off the lead, while Iden had 1:45 to make up.
Blummenfelt and Iden had both been in the mix at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, where Blummenfelt took silver and Iden finished fourth. Iden then went on to finish second in Kona, where Blummenfelt was eighth.
In Xiamen it was Horsten and Woodgate who dictated the race on the bike. They traded the lead, and by the third lap the Dutchman was back in front with the chase group, which included Blummenfelt, around three minutes adrift.
Horsten rode 1:54:27 and headed out on the run 23 seconds clear of Woodgate. Bernier-Michaud was 4:49 back leaving T2, with a half marathon to close the gap.
Horsten ran 1:16:59, but Bernier-Michaud was more than five minutes quicker. The Canadian reeled him in in the final kilometre and made the pass with the finish line in sight, taking the tape in 3:39:11. Horsten crossed 25 seconds later in 3:39:36, while defending champion Kieran Storch closed with a 1:10:59 run to take third in 3:40:49.
Blummenfelt was 7:25 off the lead when he started the run and clocked 1:22:33 for a 3:52:35 finish. Iden started the run five minutes behind his compatriot but clawed back most of that gap with a 1:18:44 half marathon, finishing just 1:11 behind him in 3:53:46.
Women’s race – Pérez Sala takes control with 2:02:35 bike split!
Pérez Sala led out of the water in 25:28, almost two minutes clear, and did the biggest damage on the bike. Her 2:02:35 split was more than 11 minutes quicker than anyone else in the women’s top five. It was just 57 seconds slower than Blummenfelt’s and more than two minutes faster than Iden’s.
She started the run 15:03 clear of Jasmine Brown, with Magda Nieuwoudt up to third after riding 2:13:53. Brown ran eight seconds quicker than Pérez Sala, but the defending champion was well clear as she crossed in 4:00:04. Brown took second in 4:14:59, with Nieuwoudt third in 4:16:38.
Challenge Xiamen 2026 pro results
Pro men
| Position | Athlete | Nation | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zachary Bernier-Michaud | CAN | 25:31 | 1:57:38 | 1:11:45 | 3:39:11 |
| 2 | Dorian Horsten | NED | 24:04 | 1:54:27 | 1:16:59 | 3:39:36 |
| 3 | Kieran Storch | AUS | 25:34 | 1:59:41 | 1:10:59 | 3:40:49 |
| 4 | Ognjen Stojanović | SRB | 24:01 | 1:59:46 | 1:13:56 | 3:41:59 |
| 5 | Mike Phillips | NZL | 25:30 | 2:00:05 | 1:14:30 | 3:44:29 |
| 13 | Kristian Blummenfelt | NOR | 24:08 | 2:01:38 | 1:22:33 | 3:52:35 |
| 16 | Gustav Iden | NOR | 25:35 | 2:04:43 | 1:18:44 | 3:53:46 |
Pro women
| Position | Athlete | Nation | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sara Pérez Sala | ESP | 25:28 | 2:02:35 | 1:27:08 | 4:00:04 |
| 2 | Jasmine Brown | AUS | 27:26 | 2:15:39 | 1:27:00 | 4:14:59 |
| 3 | Magda Nieuwoudt | RSA | 30:06 | 2:13:53 | 1:27:15 | 4:16:38 |
| 4 | Caroline Bridges | UAE | 27:22 | 2:19:52 | 1:28:35 | 4:21:05 |
| 5 | Sam McInnes | GBR | 27:23 | 2:28:58 | 1:24:04 | 4:25:57 |
