More Than 600 Age Group Team USA Athletes to Race at the 2026 World Triathlon Age Group Championships Pontevedra on Sept. 23-27
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by Kennedy Terry
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Over 600 Team USA athletes representing 48 states will race at the 2026 World Triathlon Age Group Championships, Sept. 23-27 in Pontevedra, Spain.
Made up of athletes who qualify at USA Triathlon National Championships, Age Group Team USA competes in the annual World Triathlon World Championships, which attracts the best age group athletes from over 60 countries across the globe.
The annual five-day event celebrates different multisport formats and features four Age Group World Championships including the Standard Distance Triathlon, Standard Aquabike, Sprint Distance Triathlon, and Mixed Relay. The event is hosted in conjunction with the World Triathlon Championship Finals, which encompasses Elite, Elite Para, Junior, and U23 racing. Events start on Wednesday, Sept. 23 with the Parade of Nations and Opening Ceremony.
Racing kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 24, with the Sprint Distance Triathlon World Championships, consisting of a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, and 5k run. Racing continues on Saturday, Sept. 26, for the Standard Triathlon World Championship and Aquabike World Championship. The Standard Triathlon consists of a 1,500m swim, 40k bike, and a 10k run. The Aquabike race consists of a 1,500m swim and a 40k bike. Racing concludes on Sunday, Sept. 27, with the Mixed Relay World Championships and the Closing Ceremony. In the Mixed Relay, groups of four consisting of two men and two women will each race a 250m swim, 6k bike, and 1.5k run.
All races will take place in the heart of Pontevedra, which lies on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, north of Portugal. Athletes will start at the Tirantes Bridge and swim through the Rio Lerez, bike through the hillside, and run through town, finishing at the Centro Galego de Tecnificacion Deportiva (CGTD) Stadium.
The oldest U.S. triathletes competing are 88-year-old John Charman (San Antonio, Texas) and 87-year-old Louise Easton (Westlake, Ohio), and the youngest triathletes are 16-year-old Isabella Camiro (The Woodlands, Texas) and 15-year-old Harrison Pestikas (Ellicott City, Md.).
Start lists for the World Championships are now live and you can find more information, including the official athlete guide, on the website.
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).
