Bernier-Michaud steals the show from Blummenfelt and Iden at Challenge Xiamen

Challenge Xiamen was making headlines this weekend after announcing that triathlon superstars Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt would line up for its 2026 edition. Fresh off their second and eighth places respectively at the 2026 IRONMAN World Championship, the Norwegians had come to China to rediscover the taste of victory. It has been eluding Iden in particular since July 2024, when he last won at Challenge Turku.

A month after leaving everything out on the Hawaiian lava fields, the two Norwegians couldn't get the win they were after and ended up in supporting roles at Challenge Xiamen.

Zachary Bernier-Michaud pulls off the upset

Spain's Alejandro Rodríguez Rilo was first out of the water, with Greece's Louis Woodgate and the Netherlands' Dorian Horsten just 12 and 14 seconds back. Kristian Blummenfelt was in the chase group, 18 seconds off the lead, while Gustav Iden was already 1:45 down.

On the 90 km bike leg, Horsten and Woodgate set the pace. The two traded the lead, and by the third lap the Dutchman was back in front. The chasing group, with Blummenfelt in it, was about three minutes behind.

Horsten started the closing 21 km run with a 23-second lead on Woodgate. Canada's Zachary Bernier-Michaud was nearly five minutes down coming out of T2, with a half marathon to close the gap. And close it he did, catching Horsten in the final kilometer and dropping him in the last metres to take his first professional win over the distance.

Reigning Australian champion Kieran Storch rounded out the men's podium. Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden finished 13th and 16th. France's Antony Costes cracked the top 10 in ninth, and his compatriot Thomas Navarro took 14th.

Sara Pérez Sala defends her title

The women's race played out very differently, with Sara Pérez Sala in total control from start to finish. The Spaniard took the lead straight out of the water and put on an outstanding ride, covering the bike course in 2:02. For perspective, she gave up only 17 seconds to Kristian Blummenfelt on the bike and rode two minutes faster than Gustav Iden. Her lead off the bike was big enough to manage her pace on the half marathon and cruise to the win, fifteen minutes clear of Australia's Jasmine Brown in second and South Africa's Magda Nieuwoudt in third. France's Justine Guérard had to abandon mid-race.