WTCS 2026 Final: Cassandre Beaugrand rules the world for the second time in Pontevedra

The Paris 2024 Olympic champion could have settled for third place in this final round and still become 2026 world champion. Instead, she wanted to make a statement. Cassandre Beaugrand dominated the field, winning by more than a minute from her closest challengers.

She completed a perfect WTCS season, winning all five of the rounds she had circled on her calendar. It is the ideal launchpad for her bid to defend her Olympic title in Los Angeles in 2028.

© Wags.photo / Worldtriathlon

© Wags.photo / Worldtriathlon

© Wags.photo / Worldtriathlon

Cassandre Beaugrand avoided every danger in Pontevedra, unlike several of her rivals. 

© World Triathlon

© World Triathlon

She came out of the water in sixth, just under 30 seconds behind Britain’s Tilly Anema and Italy’s Bianca Seregni , who had opened a gap. Beaugrand then made it into the 17-woman breakaway that formed early on the bike. That group stayed together until Poland’s Roksana Slupek crashed, followed by Britain’s Sophie Evans. The two incidents split the field, affecting American Taylor Spivey and Germans Selina Klamt and Lisa Tertsch. They were eventually caught by the group containing Frenchwoman Léonie Périault, along with Germans Franka Rust and Tanja Neubert, and the third French athlete, Emma Lombardi, who had exited the water more than a minute off the pace.

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Halfway through the 40km bike leg, the lead group had been whittled down from 13 to seven. Beaugrand was still accompanied by her main title rival, Britain’s Beth Potter. The breakaway reached T2 with a 1:47 advantage, an ideal scenario for Beaugrand given her strength on the run.

Cassandre Beaugrand took control from the start of the final 10km run. No one could match the Olympic champion’s pace as she quickly built a substantial lead. The outcome was soon beyond doubt. Beaugrand covered the 10km in 32:35, cruising to her lucky 13th WTCS victory and a second world title after her 2024 triumph. A historic result for a French triathlete.

© World Triathlon

© World Triathlon

I’m emotional. Everyone sees the easy part. Winning is hard, and staying at the top is even harder. I want to thank my whole team. Today was my best race. The course was really tough and I still remember 2023, when I was constantly cramping. I’ve worked incredibly hard on the hills, but also on flatter courses. Now I feel strong, I can hold the pace and handle the pressure, and today everything came together.

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It took 1:05 for the runner-up, Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown, to arrive. Fresh from her victory in Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic), she still had enough in her legs to surge into second and claim a bronze medal in the 2026 Series standings, a result that had once looked unlikely. Lisa Tertsch finished ninth, however, while Tilda Mansson was 22nd after exiting the water at the back of the field.

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I was really determined to have a good swim. When I found myself out front and we opened a small gap, I thought that on a course like this, it would be difficult to make a breakaway stick. But I also knew that if it hurt me, it would hurt the girls behind too. So I pushed hard and managed to do it. I didn’t know what was happening behind me. I just focused on my effort and what was ahead. I didn’t know how my legs would respond on the run, but I ran with my heart rather than my head. Cass was incredible today and I’m so happy for her.

The other Brit, Kate Waugh, took bronze in Pontevedra, offering a glimpse of what she could produce next season after an injury-hit 2026.

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My only other WTCS podium came here three years ago. I only found out ten days before the race that I was on the start list, because I had been on the waiting list. Just getting to race here was already a bonus. It felt strange to start because my training volume is only half of what it normally is at this point in the season. I’ve had a really difficult year with my injury, so it’s incredible to be back. It shows that you should never give up and have to keep pushing. I’m back racing short-course and hard efforts now. It feels really good to be back, and results like this keep motivating me.

Her compatriot Beth Potter was clearly not at her best during the first half of the run, but she fought back to fourth and secured a remarkable fourth consecutive Series podium, earning silver in the 2026 season standings.

After a superb run, Léonie Périault made the top 10 in eighth, just ahead of defending champion Lisa Tertsch of Germany. Emma Lombardi, who also finished strongly, took 14th in the final.

© World Triathlon

© World Triathlon

With points doubled at the final, the 2026 WTCS podium is led by Cassandre Beaugrand, followed by Britain’s Beth Potter and Georgia Taylor-Brown. Two more French women finished in the circuit’s final top 10: Léonie Périault in fifth and Emma Lombardi in ninth.