From Norwegian dominance to the return of old favourites and the emergence of some exciting new stars for the future, the 2026 triathlon season has so far thrilled, entertained and left us all thirsty for more.
With the action taking a mid-summer break this weekend, we thought it would be an apt time for the TRI247 team to pick its top ten moments of the campaign so far – a task that was easier said than done, given the level of incredible racing we have seen.
With the business end of the season now about to get underway, we know there is going to be even more fun to come, so let us whet your appetite with ten of the best so far from the class of 2026…
1: Kat Matthews – IRONMAN New Zealand
(March 6: Swim 53:30 – Bike 4:38:01 – Run 2:51:48 = 8:28:55)
Last year’s Pro Series winner was expected to fly out of the traps for the new season, and she did not disappoint as the British athlete put in a truly dominant display to take the tape at Taupō.
More than just a victory, this was an emphatic warning to her rivals that she meant business; anyone hoping to win honours in 2026 had better be at their best, because Matthews – driven by the near misses of previous seasons – was seemingly determined to win it all.
Sixth out of the water, she would take the lead on the bike and never look back, pulling steadily away on the run to complete the perfect start to 2026, winning by just under seven minutes.
Read the report HERE.
2: Kristian Blummenfelt – IRONMAN Texas
(April 18: Swim 48:33 – Bike 3:57:46 – Run 2:30:47 = 7:21:24)
Despite Big Blu struggling in his opening race at Taupō, he had given a glimpse of what was to come when recording a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Hayden Wilde and Jelle Geens at the IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong – but, in truth, nobody really expected something this special.
He defended his Texas title with a performance that screamed power, endurance and a determination to thrust himself back into contention for this season’s major titles and honours, having missed out so narrowly on the worlds in 2025.
Against an incredibly stacked field, he not only won, but he annihilated his rivals, setting a new course record of 7:21:24, which was only seconds outside of his own world best of 7:21:12, which he recorded at IRONMAN Cozumel in 2022.
More than a statement, this was a punch in the face to make sure everyone knew that he meant business.
Read the report HERE.
3: Solveig Løvseth – IRONMAN Texas
(April 18: Swim 56:44 – Bike 4:20:22 – Run 2:49:52 = 8:11:09)
Having stunned her rivals with an incredible Kona World Championship victory last season, the big question this season was whether Løvseth could follow up that success and prove that she was not simply a one-title wonder.
It didn’t take long for such questions to be answered… and answered emphatically, as the Norwegian hunted down long-time leader Taylor Knibb and powered her way to a win that will have made the whole sport sit up and realise that she is definitely here to stay.
At one point, it even looked as though Løvseth might break the course record of 08:10:34 set by Kat Matthews a year earlier, but she eased off in the final few kilometres and crossed in 08:11:09.
Read the report HERE.
4: Vasco Vilaca – WTCS Samarkand
(April 25: Swim 18:04 – Bike 54:26 – Run 30:09 = 1:43:33)
Portugal’s Vasco Vilaca had been an unlucky loser so many times during his WTCS career – nine podiums without a win – that even he was starting to wonder if that elusive victory was ever going to come.
His big chance came at Samarkand in the opening WTCS race of the season, and this time, when the opportunity presented itself, he was finally able to grab it with both hands – demonstrating a power-packed finish to see off Germany’s Henry Graf and Canada’s Charles Paquet to take a most deserved success.
Yes, the big three of Hayden Wilde (NZL), Matt Hauser (AUS) and Alex Yee (GBR) were missing, but Vilaca had shown he was able to get the job done, and despite recent defeats to Hauser, he remains in pole position to win the championship this season.
Read the report HERE.
5: Tilda Månsson – WTCS Yokohama
(May 16: Swim 20:10 – Bike 55:58 – Run 32:47 = 1:50:13)
Sweden’s Tilda Månsson produced one of the shocks of the season when she outsprinted former world champion Beth Potter to secure what was undoubtedly the biggest win of her fledgling career at WTCS Yokohama.
Having only turned 22 a few days before, she stunned the experienced Brit by first holding on when Potter attempted to kick away in the closing stages and then went for it herself, powering toward the finish line for a famous win.
Since then, she has finished second at WTCS Quiberon and picked up two third places in Hamburg and London, proving that Yokohama was clearly no fluke, and she is certainly an athlete who has a huge career ahead of her.
Read the report HERE.
6: Harry Palmer – The Championship
(May 24: Swim 22:23 – Bike 1:54:38 – Run 1:09:55 = 3:31:55)
Undoubtedly the biggest win of his career, British athlete Harry Palmer’s brilliant win at Challenge Family’s ‘The Championship’ sparked a run of success which has only been halted by a frustrating hip injury.
Having struggled at the tail end of last year, he was clearly in need of some inspiration as he headed over to Samorin, admitting after the race that he had ‘low expectations’ and that lining up was a ‘roll of the dice’ which he felt he had to make.
His win clearly sparked something within, as he went on to finish third at 70.3 Sweden before claiming a third consecutive IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea title; however, his season is now finished due to a hip problem, and he will be hoping that the magic returns come 2027.
Read the report HERE.
7: Cassandre Beaugrand – WTCS Alghero
(May 30: Swim 19:45 – Bike 59:16 – Run 33:26 = 1:53:49)
Having missed the opening race of the WTCS season in Samarkand due to illness and then opting to focus on her running – where she set a new French national record at 5,000m – little was expected from Cassandre Beaugrand when she lined up in Alghero.
It seems almost foolish to say it now, but there were concerns that having spent so much time on the track, the French superstar might not be at her best in the multi-sport format. Boy, how those doubters were made to eat their words by the 2024 Olympic gold medallist.
Her swim may have been rusty and unspectacular, and her transitions were a disaster, but she was able to manoeuvre herself into position on the bike and then give herself the opportunity to attack where she is at her most lethal… on the run.
Easing her way through the field of runners, she proved too much for Potter and reigning world champion Lisa Tertsch (GER) to record what would be the first of three wins from three races in this season’s WTCS campaign.
Read the report HERE.
8: Alanis Siffert – Challenge Roth
(July 5: Swim 52:03 – Bike 4:29:19 – Run 2:45:00 = 8:09:09)
While all the pre-race talk in Roth was focused around the battle of the Brits – Kat Matthews and Lucy Charles-Barclay – very few people, if any, were talking about Swiss athlete Alanis Siffert.
An athlete who, despite having won five of her 12 races in 2025, had continued to compete under the radar of mainstream coverage would, however, go on to secure the biggest win of her career and ensure that her name is certainly mentioned as a potential threat in the future.
While Matthews struggled, an undercooked Charles-Barclay simply didn’t have enough in the tank to reel in the 24-year-old who has now won four of her six races this season, including last week’s Alpe d’Huez for the third consecutive season.
Expect big things from her in the years to come.
Read the report HERE.
9: Sam Laidlow – Challenge Roth
(July 5: Swim 46:57 – Bike 3:54:58 – Run 2:36:53 = 7:21:04)
In stark contrast to Siffert, it seemed that everyone was talking about Sam Laidlow as the reigning Roth and former world champion lined up against his old foe Kristian Blummenfelt, who was making his debut at this most special of races.
Laidlow said before that it was going to take something special to beat the powerhouse Norwegian, and his prophetic words couldn’t have been closer to the truth as the duo battled it out in one of the most enthralling races of the season.
Having teamed up with German pair Jonas Schomburg and Rico Bogen in an attempt to drive as much distance and time in between them and race favourite Big Blu, it all came down to the run where Blummenfelt had just the 12 minutes to make up on the leaders.
Schomburg and Bogen would be caught, but Laidlow showed just what he is made of with a performance of true grit and sheer defiance that drove him to a glorious retention of his title.
Read the report HERE.
10: Paula Findlay – IRONMAN Lake Placid
(July 19: Swim 55:43 – Bike 4:50:26 – Run 2:55:49 = 8:47:43)
While many middle-distance athletes would like to think they can handle the change of pace and distance at a full IRONMAN, it is rare that triathletes drop straight in and complete a victory of the magnitude that Canada’s Paula Findlay managed at Lake Placid.
Having won the 70.3 Pennsylvania earlier in the season, this feat was all the more impressive as she took to the full-distance category as if she had been born to race there.
Taking control on the bike alongside Spain’s Marta Sánchez, the duo then started the run together before Findlay stretched away and never once looked like she was going to stumble. With Kona qualification secured, the question now is: can she do it against the best of the best?
Read the report HERE.
