Matt Hauser and Cassandre Beaugrand will look to make up for lost time – and points – this weekend as they line up in Weihai plotting a return to the top of the WTCS standings.
Both athletes have missed large chunks of the campaign, either due to injury or other racing commitments, but can once again take control of their respective championships with a decent showing in China on Saturday.
Australian Hauser has three wins from four races, having crashed out at Alghero, and currently sits third in the men’s rankings, while France’s Beaugrand is sixth, with her trio of victories having come in as many starts after illness ruled her out of Samarkand.
A glorious opportunity for them both to stamp their authority on the WTCS season, here is all you need to know ahead of Weihai…
Start times and how to watch
The Elite men will start proceedings at 09:00 local time at Halfmoon Bay as they dive in for the 1.5km swim, while the Elite women are then due to start three hours later at midday.
Start times around the globe for the men’s race include 02:00 in the UK, 03:00 in Central Europe, 21:00 Friday on the USA’s East Coast, 20:00 Friday in Central USA and 18:00 Friday on the Pacific Coast.
On Australia’s East Coast, the race will start at 11:00 Saturday; in Central Australia it will be 10:30, and in the West it will start at the same time as in China, 09:00. The start time in New Zealand will be 13:00.
For the women’s race at 12:00 local time, it will be 05:00 in the UK, midnight on the USA’s East Coast, 23:00 on Friday in Central USA and 21:00 Friday on the Pacific Coast. The East Coast of Australia will need to tune in at 14:00, Central viewers at 13:30 and those on the West Coast also at 12:00. The women’s start in New Zealand will be at 16:00.
The race will be screened live on the WTCS TriathlonLive channel from 09:00 local time. Subscription details can be found HERE.
The course
This Olympic-distance race starts with a two-lap, 1.5km ocean swim from Halfmoon Bay on China’s east coast.
The athletes then tackle eight laps of a hard, hilly and technical 40km bike course, featuring several testing corners and challenging sections around transition, before completing a rolling four-lap, 10km run along the Weihai seafront.
Elite women – Beaugrand aims to extend perfect record
While Cassandre Beaugrand is undoubtedly the woman to beat in Weihai, there are two WTCS world champions lining up alongside her looking to strengthen their own bids for 2026 glory.
The French athlete has been imperious so far this season, taking wins at Alghero, Quiberon and London, and it will likely take something very special to stop her from making it four from four in China on Saturday.
However, reigning WTCS champ Lisa Tertsch (GER), who took Weihai gold in 2024, and Beth Potter (GBR), the 2023 world champion who also won this race last year, won’t simply sit back and let their rival maintain her 100% record.
Both know what it takes to win in Weihai, but it has been a while since either tasted success over their great French rival. Given their experience at the event, though, this is a rare moment in which they have a slight advantage over Beaugrand.
As things stand, Beaugrand is sixth overall in the series, with three from a possible four scores to her name, and therefore requires one more to qualify for the final in Pontevedra next month, with only Weihai and Karlovy Vary remaining.
Had she left it to the last round in the Czech Republic, she would have been opening up the possibility of a puncture, crash or bout of illness ending her world title hopes before even arriving in Spain; this way, Karlovy Vary remains a back-up should she falter.
Beaugrand, Potter and Tertsch are joined by Tanja Neubert (GER) and Jeanne Lehair (LUX) as the only WTCS medallists since the start of 2024 set to race in Weihai.
Tilda Månsson (SWE) has chosen not to start in Weihai, while Leonie Periault (FRA) and the injured Jolien Vermeylen (BEL) are the other 2026 medallists not to start.
Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), Emma Lombardi (FRA) and Taylor Spivey (USA) are other big names to miss out, which could jeopardise their hopes of a top-ten overall placing should the likes of Neubert, Roskana Slupek (POL), or Diana Isakova (AIN) enjoy strong results.
Elite men – Hauser ready to take top spot?
The target could hardly be simpler for defending world champion Matt Hauser on Saturday, although achieving your goals in triathlon is rarely as straightforward as it would seem.
A win at the World Triathlon Championship Series Weihai would propel the Australian to the top of the rankings with a perfect score of 4,000 points from four wins and send him to the Championship Finals in Pontevedra with his title-defence destiny in his own hands.
With two wins on the spin, plus one back in Yokohama, a medal of any colour in Weihai will be enough to put Matt Hauser on top of the rankings, but he heads to China with nothing short of gold on his mind.
He was pushed harder than ever at WTCS London by his closest rival Vasco Vilaça (POR), but none of his usual challengers will be lining up against him this weekend, meaning he will have the added pressure of trying to control things from the outset.
The last time Hauser raced in Weihai was back in 2024, when he had a 200-point lead in the rankings but came off the bike with a big pack that included a freshly minted Olympic champion in Alex Yee, and the Brit blasted clear for a solo 10km to gold, leaving the Australian to finish 19th.
A major talking point in London was the continued rise of Spain’s Alberto Gonzalez, who was only denied a potential podium by a ten-second penalty just as he was starting to test the leaders’ mettle.
Now, the 28-year-old is back in the city where he scored a career-best fourth place in 2024 and, as a brilliant swimmer, bold cyclist and fearless runner, could yet be best placed to try an attack that might just catch Hauser off guard.
Good Weihai memories also belong to the USA’s John Reed, who scored his first Series podium here last year and will be ready to steady what has been a topsy-turvy year of mixed results.
Current standings
WTCS standings – Best four races of WTCS season to count plus the Grand Final in Pontevedra
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Events | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vasco Vilaca | POR | 4 | 3850.00 |
| 2 | Miguel Hidalgo | BRA | 4 | 3040.67 |
| 3 | Matthew Hauser | AUS | 3 | 3000.00 |
| 4 | Luke Willian | AUS | 4 | 2480.61 |
| 5 | Ricardo Batista | POR | 4 | 2470.62 |
| 6 | Csongor Lehmann | HUN | 4 | 2434.22 |
| 7 | Tom Richard | FRA | 4 | 2429.56 |
| 8 | Henry Graf | GER | 3 | 2407.03 |
| 9 | Charles Paquet | CAN | 3 | 2319.81 |
| 10 | Dorian Coninx | FRA | 3 | 2018.80 |
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Events | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beth Potter | GBR | 4 | 3641.45 |
| 2 | Tilda Månsson | SWE | 4 | 3636.26 |
| 3 | Lisa Tertsch | GER | 4 | 3497.08 |
| 4 | Leonie Periault | FRA | 4 | 3389.18 |
| 5 | Jeanne Lehair | LUX | 4 | 3234.80 |
| 6 | Cassandre Beaugrand | FRA | 3 | 3000.00 |
| 7 | Georgia Taylor-Brown | GBR | 4 | 2772.23 |
| 8 | Emma Lombardi | FRA | 4 | 2751.39 |
| 9 | Jolien Vermeylen | BEL | 4 | 2685.63 |
| 10 | Taylor Spivey | USA | 4 | 2682.38 |
