Vasco Vilaca bagged a richly-deserved first World Triathlon Championship Series victory when his power-packed finish netted the gold medal in Samarkand.
The Portuguese star has finished on the WTCS podium no fewer than nine times but took full advantage here of the fact that the ‘big three’ of Matt Hauser, Hayden Wilde and Alex Yee were racing elsewhere this weekend.
Vilaca still had to dig deep to burn off fellow front-runners Henry Graf (GER) and Charles Paquet (CAN) in the closing stages after the trio had moved clear of the rest.
Csongor Lehmann (HUN) was fourth and World U23 champion Ollie Conway (GBR) a stunning fifth after making up more than a minute on the run.
The race was the first of the WTCS season after March’s scheduled opener in Abu Dhabi was postponed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
RELATED CONTENT: Beth Potter wins the women’s race in Samarkand.
Swim – Kropkó takes charge
Conditions were ideal for the swim and we saw a masterclass of a display from Márton Kropkó.
He led early on and his efforts saw the field start to string out behind him before he then put clear water between himself and the rest.
So often it’s his compatriot Márk Dévay who sets the pace in the water but a passport issue had prevented him travelling and Kropkó stepped up to the plate brilliantly.
He was out of the water clear of a group of seven which in terms of the favourites featured Lehmann and Miguel Hidalgo (BRZ), seven seconds back and the rest already had 20 seconds and more to make up.
Conway, fourth on his WTCS debut at Karlovy Vary last year, was 54 seconds adrift while David Cantero (ESP), one of the sport’s fastest runners, was 1:17 back.
Bike – Late move pays off
Kropkó was soon joined by Hidalgo and the two worked well together but the strength in numbers in behind and a flat bike course always meant they were likely to be reeled in.
And sure enough by the third of seven laps we had 26 athletes in what was now one big group.
Of the quicker runners, Cantero and Hugo Milner (GBR) were trying to peg the gap to that front group as it was already over a minute.
But Kropkó was at it again at the start of the penultimate lap when he broke clear and was joined by Chase McQueen (USA), with the two of them putting daylight between themselves and the other 24.
So much so that when they reached T2 they were 25 seconds to the good.
Run – Incredible drama
Having done so much to animate the race it was a real shame to see Kropkó pull up early on the run as Lehmann, Hidalgo and Tom Richard (FRA) all few past.
And they were soon joined by Vilaca, Graf and Paquet in what was now a six-man front group.
But all the while Conway, Cantero and Milner were slicing through the field – their deficit of over a minute was soon down to 46 seconds and then 25 seconds as they went from outside the top 25 into the top 10.
Up front six became three as Graf, Paquet and Vilaca went clear while Conway and Milner dropped Cantero and were now 18 seconds behind starting the last lap.
Vilaca, so often outsprinted by eventual champion Hauser in the WTCS last year, was taking no chances at the start of this campaign and he set sail for home with around 500 metres to go – and Graf and Paquet were unable to respond.
It was a hugely popular victory for Vilaca who crossed the line four seconds ahead of Graf, with a similar margin back to Paquet in third in what was his first ever WTCS podium, with Tyler Mislawchuk the only other Canadian man to do so before.
Lehmann kept on well for fourth, Conway was fifth after a fastest-of-the-day 29:36 10km, Richard sixth and Milner seventh.
WTCS Samarkand men’s results
Saturday 25 April 2026 – 1500m / 40km / 10km
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vasco Vilaca | POR | 18:04 | 54:26 | 30:09 | 1:43:33 |
| 2 | Henry Graf | GER | 17:43 | 54:46 | 30:14 | 1:43:37 |
| 3 | Charles Paquet | CAN | 18:03 | 54:25 | 30:17 | 1:43:41 |
| 4 | Csongor Lehmann | HUN | 17:38 | 54:50 | 30:26 | 1:43:47 |
| 5 | Oliver Conway | GBR | 18:27 | 54:49 | 29:36 | 1:43:50 |
| 6 | Tom Richard | FRA | 18:09 | 54:15 | 30:31 | 1:43:52 |
| 7 | Hugo Milner | GBR | 18:16 | 55:01 | 29:40 | 1:43:55 |
| 8 | Ricardo Batista | POR | 18:04 | 54:27 | 30:43 | 1:44:08 |
| 9 | David Cantero Del Campo | ESP | 18:50 | 54:29 | 30:18 | 1:44:32 |
| 10 | Ian Pennekamp | NED | 18:10 | 54:20 | 31:10 | 1:44:39 |
