In a dramatic and fiercely competitive showdown at the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships in Hamburg, Team Australia emerged victorious in spectacular fashion. The quartet of Sophie Linn, Luke Willian, Emma Jeffcoat, and Matthew Hauser delivered a brilliant team performance, with Hauser sealing the title in a nail-biting final leg.
Heat 1: Early Battles and Tight Gaps
The race kicked off with high intensity, as the first significant selection formed on the bike. A leading group featuring Belgium, USA, Great Britain, Germany, France, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Hungary, Brazil, Mexico, and Spain broke away from the rest of the field. Belgium’s Hanne Vermeylen made a brief attempt to escape solo on the bike, but the move was short-lived.
Meanwhile, a determined chase group including The Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland, Ireland, Czechia, Portugal, Italy, and Denmark managed to reduce a 30-second deficit to just 12 seconds by T2. However, during the run, France and Belgium ramped up the pace, stringing out the field and tagging their second athletes in the lead, closely followed by Germany, Great Britain, Mexico, and Spain.
Heat 2: The Field Comes Together
As Heat 2 unfolded, the front of the race featured Belgium, the USA, Great Britain, France, and Germany, with Hungary bridging the gap shortly after the bike leg began. The pursuit from behind never let up, resulting in a large lead pack as most of the main contenders regrouped.
Portugal’s Vasco Vilaca briefly took control on the run, before Germany’s Lasse Nygaard Priester surged ahead, igniting yet another shake-up in the field.
Heat 3: Beaugrand Breaks Free for France
By the third leg, eleven teams were still locked in a tight contest. France’s Cassandre Beaugrand, the Olympic Champion, delivered a stunning performance on the run. She broke away with undeniable strength, creating a gap that no one could close. As she handed off to Dorian Coninx for the final leg, France had a seven-second lead over Great Britain, with Germany, USA, Switzerland, and Hungary close behind.
Heat 4: Hauser Delivers the Knockout Blow
France’s Coninx couldn’t maintain the narrow lead in the swim, allowing the final leg to reset with a new lead group: Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Great Britain, and France.
In the final showdown, it was a brutal two-kilometer run where Coninx and Australia’s Matthew Hauser – who had won the individual race just a day prior – went head-to-head in a tense battle for gold. Germany’s Henry Graf clawed his way back into contention with a late surge, but just as he rejoined the leaders, Hauser launched a devastating kick that broke his rivals and secured the win.
Australia took the world title in 1:16:52, with France three seconds behind for silver, and Germany claiming bronze, seven seconds off the pace.
