Elite

Gwen Jorgensen, John Reed Both Record Season-Best Finishes to Lead USA TRI Elites at WTCS Weihai

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by USA Triathlon

WEIHAI, CHINA — USA TRI National Team athletes Gwen Jorgensen (Boulder, Colo.) and John Reed (Virginia Beach, Va.) led the U.S. women and men on Saturday, Aug. 29, at the 2026 World Triathlon Championship Series Weihai, placing fifth and seventh, respectively, for their best results of the 2026 season. 

Women's Race

2016 Olympic gold medalist Jorgensen crossed the line fifth in 1 hour, 50 minutes, 36 seconds, her best result of the 2026 WTCS season, eclipsing her previous high of seventh at WTCS Yokohama in May. Fellow USA TRI athletes Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) and Gina Sereno (Madison, Wis.) rounded out the U.S. women's finishers, placing 14th and 15th, respectively.

France's Cassandre Beaugrand won the women's race in 1:49:20, extending her unbeaten run to four wins this season after previously topping the podium at Alghero, Quiberon and London. She is the 2026 WTCS leader heading into WTCS Karlovy Vary on Sept. 13 and the Championship Finals Sept. 23-27 in Pontevedra. Beth Potter (GBR), last year's Weihai champion, held on for second, 6 seconds back, with 2025 World Champion Lisa Tertsch (GER) third.

Men's Race

Reed ran his way to cross seventh in 1:41:59, one year after taking bronze on this same Weihai course, a strong showing on a technical day, and his best finish of the 2026 WTCS season. After a strong swim and holding steady in the large, 28-member lead group on the bike, Reed made his move on the run, quickly passing more than 20 athletes after being the last athlete of the lead group of 28 on the bike to leave T2. He joined Portugal's João Nuno Batista to head a chase group that dropped defending World Champion Matt Hauser (AUS). 

Chase McQueen (Columbus, Ind.) and Blake Bullard (Southlake, Texas) put the U.S. at the front of the race from the gun, leading the 1.5-kilometer swim through choppy conditions. Reed came through the swim and onto the bike with the race's main pack of 28 riders — a group that included nearly every pre-race favorite and stayed together on slick, sodden roads through all eight bike laps, turning the 10-kilometer run into the day's decisive leg.

Switzerland's Max Studer battled a rain-soaked, chaos-strewn course to defend the WTCS Weihai title he won a year ago. Racing the men's standard-distance event over a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run, Studer crossed the line alone in 1:41:08 to claim his first WTCS win of the season. David Cantero Del Campo (ESP) recovered from a late stumble on the run to take second, and two-time Olympian Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN) rounded out the podium. 

After his strong swim, McQueen placed 29th. Fellow USA TRI athletes Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) placed 20th, while Zach Leachman (Mars, Pa.) placed 35th. Bullard did not finish after an issue with his bike shoe, which spoiled his race after a strong swim. 

Support USA TRI Through Elevate28

With the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon, fans can directly support USA TRI Elite athletes' journeys through Elevate28, the USA Triathlon Foundation's most ambitious campaign yet. Because USA Triathlon receives no direct government funding, philanthropy fuels the world-class coaching, training environments, sport science, and international competition U.S. athletes rely on to compete and win on home soil.

To join the movement, visit usatriathlon.org/foundation/elevate28.

2026 World Triathlon Championship Series Weihai

1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run

Complete Results

Elite Women 

Top 3

1. Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA), 1:49:20

2. Beth Potter (GBR), 1:49:26

3. Lisa Tertsch (GER), 1:49:44

U.S. Results 

5. Gwen Jorgensen (Boulder, Colo.), 1:50:36

14. Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.), 1:52:20

15. Gina Sereno (Madison, Wis.), 1:52:37

Elite Men

Top 3

1. Max Studer (SUI), 1:41:08

2. David Cantero Del Campo (ESP), 1:41:18

3. Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN), 1:41:25

U.S. Results

7. John Reed (Virginia Beach, Va.), 1:41:59

20. Darr Smith (Atlanta, Ga.), 1:43:18

29. Chase McQueen (Columbus, Ind.), 1:44:19

35. Zach Leachman (Mars, Pa.), 1:47:40

DNF. Blake Bullard (Southlake, Texas)

2026 World Triathlon Championship Series Schedule

WTCS Samarkand | April 26 | Results

WTCS Yokohama | May 16 | Results

WTCS Alghero | May 30 | Results

WTCS Quiberon | June 20-21 | Results

WTCS Hamburg | July 11-12 | Results

WTCS London | July 25 | Results

WTCS Weihai | Aug. 29

WTCS Karlovy Vary | Sept. 13

Championship Finals Pontevedra | Sept. 23-27

WTCS Abu Dhabi | Postponed to Nov. 13-14

(Photo by World Triathlon)

About USA Triathlon 

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon, paratriathlon, and indoor and virtual multisport events in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 3,500 events and races and connects with and supports more than 300,000 unique active members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Triathlon Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of World Triathlon and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).