Oliver Conway topped off an incredible breakthrough season when he was crowned the men’s U23 World Champion in Wollongong, Australia.
The British youngster won his first-ever World Cup race in Saidia in June and then finished a superb fourth on his WTCS debut at Karlovy Vary before going on to bag a Supertri podium in Jersey.
All of which suggested a special talent, which he underlined in stunning style with what turned into a solo win on the New South Wales coast.
Running away with it
Hungary’s Márton Kropkó led out the swim but Conway was in touch and a group of 14 would move clear on the bike before a crash reduced them to nine and that was how it stayed all the way into T2.
But it was one-way traffic on the run, with Conway surging 17 seconds clear on the first of five laps.
And the gap continued to go out – up to 1:39 by the time the line came thanks to an incredible 29:35 10km for Conway, with Kropkó taking silver and Italy’s Euan De Nigro the bronze.
Perfect race
Speaking afterwards, Conway said: “I think I was lucky with my starting position as I was near to some really fast swimmers. So I pretty much got on feet straight away and I probably had the best swim of my life.
“And then on the bike I just tried to keep the pace on, pushing it up the hills, as I didn’t want the fast runners behind to catch on.
“And then the run I just felt good so I just tried to keep a consistent pace all the way through and I managed to get a gap.
“I don’t think the race could have gone any better! Race-by-race this season I’ve just been gaining confidence, it’s great to see it all coming together.”
U23 World Championship 2025 results
Thursday 16 October 2025 – 1.5km / 40km / 10km
Men
| Position | Athlete | Nation | Overall time | Swim | Bike | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oliver Conway | GBR | 01:42:54 | 00:16:57 | 00:55:11 | 00:29:35 |
| 2 | Márton Kropkó | HUN | 01:44:33 | 00:16:51 | 00:55:20 | 00:31:10 |
| 3 | Euan De Nigro | ITA | 01:44:46 | 00:17:05 | 00:55:09 | 00:31:23 |
| 4 | Miguel Espuna Larramona | ITA | 01:44:59 | 00:17:01 | 00:55:13 | 00:31:33 |
| 5 | Mitch Kolkman | NED | 01:45:23 | 00:16:58 | 00:55:14 | 00:32:03 |
