World Triathlon Cup Brasilia will make its debut this weekend as the Brazilian capital hosts the first of two South American world cups this winter, with the World Triathlon Cup Vina Del Mar still to come in November.

Among the entrants this weekend are local heroes Manoel Messias and Miguel Hidalgo on the men’s side, plus American middle-distance star Jason West. On the women’s side, Miriam Casillas Garcia of Spain wears the #1, as Vittoria Lopes flies the flag for the home side.

Our preview has all the details you need to know about start times and how to follow live. Additionally, we will tell you which athletes to look out for on race day.

Start time and how to follow live

The Elite Women will race first in Brazil, with the gun set to go off at 07:00 local time on Sunday October 15. This corresponds to 11:00 UK time, 12:00 in Central Europe, 06:00 on the East Coast and 03:00 PST. 

For the men, racing will kick off at 10:00 local time on Sunday, which is 14:00 UK time, 09:00 on the East Coast and 06:00 PST.

All the action will be available to watch live via Triathlonlive.tv

Elite Women racing in Brasilia

Leading the way in Brasilia is Spaniard Casillas Garcia, who finished her WTCS season with 18th on home turf at the WTCS Finals in Pontevedra. Ranked at World #18, the Olympian will be racing a World Cup for the first time in 2023 after a season full of top-tier events.

Next, Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal of Mexico, one of the few WTCS medalists in the field, started the year strong with a second place finish at WTCS Yokohama, but hasn’t quite had the season she would have wanted after that breakthrough. With a race closer to home on the cards, Tapia Vidal will be a favourite for the podium this weekend.

Representing the home nation, Vittoria Lopes and Luisa Baptista are the two main favourites to get on the podium, with both likely to garner a huge amount of home support in the first Brazilian World Cup since 2004. With neither having finished on a podium this season, Sunday could be the perfect opportunity.

Finally, Olympic medalist Katie Zaferes, currently on the long road to Paris Olympic Games qualification after childbirth, will be searching for valuable Olympic points as well as a race win when she lines up in the Brazilian capital. Having finished 13th at the World Triathlon Cup Huatulco, how well can the American do in Brasilia?

Elite Men racing in Brasilia

On the men’s side, Manoel Messias and Miguel Hidalgo will go into the race as two of the big favourites for the win, with Messias, who is a WTCS podium finisher this season, looking to bounce back from a slump in the second half of the season.

Alongside the Brazilians are a strong contingent of Spaniards, with Antonio Serrat Seoane wearing the #1 bib and team-mates Sergio Baxter Cabrera and David Castro Fajardo waiting in the wings. Fajardo, who won in Huatulco earlier on in the year, has a killer sprint and it will be interesting to see how he does over the Olympic distance.

Finally, Jason West, the current PTO World #3, will be racing his second consecutive World Triathlon Cup, having finished 39th at the World Triathlon Cup Rome over the sprint distance. This week, with more time and distance on his side, it will be fascinating to see how the American performs.