Samarkand opens the WTCS 2026 with very important absences
WTCS Samarkand 2026: Open start without Hauser, Yee or Wilde
The WTCS Samarkand 2026 will open the season on April 26 in Uzbekistan with a very open field in the elite races, marked by several significant absences in the men's category and by a very high level of female participation. Lisa Tertsch, Cassandre Beaugrand, Beth Potter and Georgia Taylor-Brown.
The Samarkand event will be the first stop of the 2026 World Triathlon Championship Series and appears in the official event program. April 26, within a competition weekend in Uzbekistan. World Triathlon also presents it as a new venue within the series.
A season premiere heavily impacted by absences in the men's game
The big news in the men's race is that they won't be at the starting line... reigning world champion Matthew Hauser, the Olympic champion Alex Yee nor T100 champion Hayden Wilde.
They are not included in this first meeting either. Leo Bergere ni Dorian Coninx, two very important names from the French bloc and from the recent history of the series.
That void puts the spotlight on a new generation that already made a strong push in 2025. World Triathlon places the Brazilian Miguel Hidalgoto Portuguese Basque Vilaca and the German Henry Graff as three of the strongest names to kick off the year.
Also appearing on the list are men such as Alessio Crociani, Csongor Lehmann, Max Studer or the French Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger, winner in Samarkand last year in the World Cup.
David Cantero leads the Spanish contingent
From a Spanish perspective, the most noteworthy news is the presence of David Cantero del Campo, which World Triathlon identifies as one of the real threats to fight for everything after its growth in 2025.
The man from Albacete will arrive in Samarkand after winning this year's Lanzarote World CupThis is a reference point that strengthens his candidacy at the start of the Series. Alongside him will be Roberto Sánchez Mantecón y Andres Prieto Villar.
In the women's race, a very high-level field from the very first race.
The women's race does indeed feature a field with enormous competitive density. The German Lisa TertschThe reigning world champion will be in Samarkand alongside a very strong German team made up of Tanja Neubert, Nina Eim, Annika Koch, Laura Lindemann, Franka Rust y Selina Klamt.
Facing them will be several of the absolute benchmarks of the circuit: Cassandre Beaugrand, Olympic champion and former world champion; Leonie Periault; Beth Potter, 2023 world champion; Kate Waugh; Olivia Mathias; Sian Rainsley; Tilly Anema; Jess Fullagar And, as one of the big comebacks of the weekend, Georgia Taylor-Brown.
Miriam Casillas and Marta Pintanel, the Spanish representatives
Spain will have Miriam Casillas y Marta Pintanel in the women's event. World Triathlon highlights that both athletes finished 2025 sharing the podium at the Florianópolis World Cup, a fact that gives value to their presence at an event with a much higher level of competition than a conventional World Cup.
There is also an important context here. Lisa Tertsch She arrives in Samarkand as the reigning WTCS world champion after winning the title in 2025, ahead of a group of rivals she'll face again from the very first race of the season. You can also check out the final ranking of the WTCS 2025.
See departure list.
A first WTCS with a lot at stake from the start
Samarkand could provide a very clear message for the rest of the season. In the men's competition, the absence of several heavyweights opens up a real opportunity for them to... Hidalgo, Vilaca, Graf or Cantero strike first.
In women, the interest lies in seeing how it starts Tertsch as world champion and at what point do they appear Beaugrand, Potter y Taylor-Brown in a race that has been reaching final level practically since April.
Furthermore, World Triathlon emphasizes that 2026 will be the last season in which the series formally retains the WTCS name, adding a small symbolic element to the season. To better understand the favorites, this article on the Women to watch at the WTCS 2026.
How to watch it live
The live broadcast is being advertised by World Triathlon through Triathlon Live for Saturday April 25 at the following times
- Female Elite: 10:00 p.m. in Spain
- Male Elite: 12:45 p.m. in Spain
