Morning endurance fans…

All eyes turn to the English capital this weekend, as London welcomes the World Triathlon Championship Series with an all-star cast of Olympic heroes, world champions and future stars of the sport.

With the battle for world titles entering its decisive mid-summer phase, there will be no hiding place around London’s Docklands on Saturday; every second counts as these stars of triathlon go head-to-head seeking crucial points on the road to September’s final in Pontevedra.

So go grab your protein shake, treat yourself to an apple, and dig into this week’s edition of the Daily Split. 🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Here’s what we have lined up for you today…

❌ MISSING: Kiwi superstar Hayden Wilde has pulled out of this weekend’s WTCS in London due to suffering from ongoing health issues. Read HERE.

📆 ARRANGED: A new date has been set for the WTCS Abu Dhabi race, which was postponed due to the American conflict with Iran. Read HERE.

🙌 RETIRED: Triathlon legend Flora Duffy has decided to bring her incredible career to a close after appearing in five Olympics. Read HERE.

🏰 DATES: The postponed IRONMAN 70.3 Versailles will now take place in October after city officials agreed a date with race organisers. Read HERE.

🥾 SPEEDY: François D’Haene has reclaimed the record for the Fastest Known Time to complete the legendary GR20 in Corsica. Read HERE.

Paula Findlay scored a stunning debut victory in her very first full-distance IRONMAN, while Marten Van Riel proved he could be a real threat at Kona this year by taking the tape in a dominant display at Lake Placid.

Canadian Findlay had never even run the full marathon distance before Sunday but showed her undoubted class by striding away from Spaniard Marta Sanchez to take the win and secure her spot for the Big Island.

Having won the 70.3 Pennsylvania earlier in the season, this was something altogether more impressive as she joined Sanchez at the head of the race midway through the bike and then powered on to the end – only showing any signs of fatigue once she had crossed the finish line.

While she had said before the race that it was not about securing passage to Kona and a shot at the World Championships in October, the very fact that she now heads off for a showdown with the best of the best at this distance is just reward for her incredible display.

American Rachel Zilinskas just about held on to take third despite some late challenges from Austria’s Lisa Perterer and Canadian Tamara Jewitt.

IRONMAN Lake Placid women’s results:
(Swim: 3.8km - Bike: 180km - Run: 42.2km)
🥇 Paula Findlay (CAN) 55:43 - 4:50:26 - 2:55:49 = 8:47:43
🥈 Marta Sanchez (ESP) 53:28 - 4:52:26 - 2:59:33 = 8:51:30
🥉 Rachel Zilinskas (USA) 53:19 - 4:56:52 - 3:07:51 = 9:04:13

Van Riel secured a stunning start-to-finish victory at IRONMAN Lake Placid as he served notice on his rivals that he will be a major threat when Kona comes later this year.

After setting the pace in the swim and powering ahead on the bike, he started the marathon alongside American Matthew Marquardt knowing it would be a straight shoot-out between the two of them for the win.

While Marquardt did briefly threaten to cause him difficulty, in truth, there was never any real doubt that Van Riel would go on and take the tape as he eased through the final stages to win his first-ever long-distance race by more than four minutes.

His win in 7:41:57 set a new course record, while his marathon also set a new best in New York’s Adirondack Mountains.

Third place was a real battle, with Americans Trevor Foley, Ben Kanute and Jason West all having an opportunity to grab the final podium spot, but it was Kanute who managed to dig the deepest and come home 16 minutes behind the winning Belgian.

IRONMAN Lake Placid men’s results:
(Swim: 3.8km - Bike: 180km - Run: 42.2km)
🥇 Marten Van Riel (BEL) 47:05 - 4:14:46 - 2:34:49 = 7:41:57
🥈 Matthew Marquardt (USA) 49:49 - 4:13:56 - 2:37:24 = 7:46:11
🥉 Ben Kanute (USA) 48:05 - 4:21:44 - 2:43:48 = 7:58:23

Women’s race: Taylor Knibb reminded the world what she is capable of over the short course as the American powered to victory at the 2026 World Triathlon Cup Edmonton for her first World Triathlon gold in two years.

Hungary’s Márta Kropkó took silver for her first-ever World Cup podium, while Italy’s Paola Sacchi claimed bronze on her own World Cup podium debut, out-sprinting teammate Beatrice Mallozzi on the line.

“I’m kind of shocked today. The first time I raced here was in 2016, ten years ago. All these years my goal was to win a World Cup, and I never did, until today,” said Knibb. “It is my first World Cup win, and it is very special. Thanks to everyone who got me here. It feels great to race and have fun; that’s what it is all about.”

World Triathlon Cup Edmonton women’s results:
(Swim: 750m - Bike: 20.4km - Run: 5km)
🥇 Taylor Knibb (USA) 9:54 - 29:47 - 17:24 = 58:35
🥈 Márta Kropkó (HUN) 9:53 - 29:50 - 18:33 = 59:39
🥉 Paola Sacchi (ITA) 9:59 - 31:29 - 17:20 = 1:00:16

Men’s race: Great Britain’s Solomon Okrafo-Smart claimed the first World Cup podium of his career in the most dramatic fashion on Saturday, out-sprinting home favourite Tyler Mislawchuk by mere inches to win the men’s race at the 2026 World Triathlon Cup Edmonton.

Reese Vannerson (USA) completed the podium in third, with France’s Nathan Grayel narrowly missing out in fourth after a four-way drag race down the finish straight.

The result marked a fitting return to the world stage for Hawrelak Park, which had not hosted an elite World Cup since sprint racing last visited the venue, though it remains a familiar home for the sport as long-time host of the World Triathlon Championship Series and the 2021 Grand Final.

World Triathlon Cup Edmonton men’s results:
(Swim: 750m - Bike: 20.4km - Run: 5km)
🥇 Solomon Okrafo-Smart (GBR) 9:09 - 27:08 - 14:44 = 52:20
🥈 Tyler Mislawchuk (CAN) 9:05 - 27:11 - 14:46 = 52:20
🥉 Reese Vannerson (USA) 9:14 - 27:04 - 14:45 = 52:20

Mixed Relay: The Italian quartet of Paola Sacchi, Miguel Espuna, Beatrice Mallozzi and Euan De Nigro scored a famous Mixed Relay win on Sunday to close out the Edmonton World Cup weekend.

They beat Team Canada by just seven seconds, with Team France coming home in third to complete the podium.

The last time a WTCS race was held in London, it was Alistair Brownlee and Gwen Jorgensen who took the victories, a year out from their gold medals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Brownlee may have retired, but Jorgensen is back as the event makes a welcome return to the UK capital – as does pretty much every other short-course big hitter, bar one significant absentee.

And that’s Olympic silver medallist and T100 champion Hayden Wilde, who had intended to race but explained on Monday he will be sitting this one out due to ongoing issues with his fitness.

The likes of the current Olympic champions Alex Yee (GBR) and Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) do join the fray, and there’s great news for home fans who can’t line the streets of London to support as the BBC has stepped in late to provide free-to-air coverage.

Here is all you need to know ahead of a big weekend in London…

⏰ START TIME: The action gets underway on Saturday (July 25) at 14:30 BST with the elite women. That’s 15:30 CEST, 09:30 Eastern and 06:30 Western. The elite men then go off at 16:15 local time.

📺 HOW TO WATCH: It was a major boost when confirmation finally came through last week that this event will have live coverage on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app in the UK.

The races feature the strongest fields of the WTCS season so far, and with them being held over the sprint distance (750m / 20km / 5km), this is pretty much the perfect shop window for the sport.

For those outside of the UK, you can watch both races as normal live on TriathlonLive.tv. A subscription is required, which is currently at £10.99 a month or £37.99 a year.

🙋‍♀️ ELITE WOMEN: Bar one person, every single WTCS race winner since the start of 2023 is scheduled to race in London, with Germany’s Laura Lindemann the exception.

The French lineup boasts Olympic champ Beaugrand, who returns to the fray after her recent Diamond League heroics on the track.

Her record in the UK could hardly be better – she won at both WTCS Leeds and WTCS Sunderland as well as numerous Super League / Supertri / Arena Games events in London.

She is also looking for a third WTCS win of the year following her triumphs at Alghero and Quiberon, and she’s joined by Hamburg winner Leonie Periault and Emma Lombardi, the two of whom also combined to win the Mixed Relay events in both Quiberon and Hamburg for France.

Moving on to the Brits, they are now six-strong, headed by 2023 World Champion Beth Potter and the most decorated Olympic female triathlete Georgia Taylor-Brown, a winner in Leeds back in 2019.

Sophie Evans continues her impressive return, while Jess Fullagar again went well as she helped GB onto the podium in the Mixed Relay in Hamburg, and Tilly Anema and Sian Rainsley complete the six.

Matching the Brits numerically are the USA. Together with Jorgensen, they also boast such talent as Taylor Knibb, who heads here in great form after a dominant World Cup victory in Edmonton at the weekend.

Namesake Taylor Spivey is also in form, and the American sextet is completed by Erica Ackerlund, Gina Sereno and Naomi Ruff.

Reigning World Champion Lisa Tertsch spearheads a German trio along with Tanja Neubert and Therese Feuersinger.

And other WTCS gold medal winners racing are Jeanne Lehair (LUX) and Tilda Månsson (SWE), while that title is surely something Hungarian phenom Fanni Szalai will achieve one day, and she heads here fresh from a brilliant WTCS debut in Hamburg.

🙋‍♂️ ELITE MEN: There’s similar strength in depth on the men’s side, but we’ll have to wait a little while longer for the first ‘big foe' battle of 2026 between Yee, Matt Hauser (AUS) and Wilde.

Hauser gave himself every chance of retaining his world title when he outsprinted series leader Vasco Vilaca once again in Hamburg a fortnight ago, and the big Aussie has to be the favourite here as Yee works his way back towards prime form at this distance.

Vilaca tops what is again a super-strong Portuguese contingent of Ricardo Batista, João Nuno Batista and Miguel Tiago Silva.

Another WTCS winner lining up is Morgan Pearson, who tops a five-strong USA team and possibly has a point to prove after a frustrating anchor leg last time out in the Mixed Relay in Hamburg.

Numerically it’s no surprise that GB are the biggest team – and they have strength in depth to match. As well as Yee, Oliver Conway looks to be a future superstar, while Connor Bentley and Jack Willis have both cracked the top 10 at WTCS level recently. Max Stapley is on an upward trajectory, and Michael Gar and Harry Leleu can be factors too.

Miguel Hidalgo (BRA) and Csongor Lehmann (RSA) are others for the short list.

With all eyes on London this weekend for the latest WTCS showdown, the guys at British Triathlon decided to have a bit of fun on social media, with a Friends-themed meme titled ‘The one where the World Series comes back to London 🇬🇧’.

And who better to get you in the mood for what promises to be a thrilling weekend of triathlon action than Joey and Chandler?

The British Triathlon post urges visitors to check out their website and Instagram pages for route maps, news on dedicated ‘Cheer Zones’, and guidance on how to share pictures and tags with the team.

“We want everyone to enjoy their race day, whether you are an athlete, supporter or just fancy a day out watching good sport,” their post reads.

And with good friends around, you are sure to have a great time.

Jonas Vingegaard said he was lucky to only break his collarbone in the crash that took him out of the Tour de France, as he abandoned the race for the first time.

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider, a two-time winner of the race, crashed on an innocuous bend on stage 15 of the race on Sunday, depriving the Tour of the man in second place.

He was taken away in an ambulance for an X-ray, which confirmed that he had fractured his collarbone and that he would need surgery.

“It’s, of course, very disappointing for us to end up like this and for the Tour to end like this. But that’s how cycling is. Luckily, it’s only a broken collarbone,” he said.

Vingegaard had been sitting second overall, but stage 15 winner Remco Evenepoel has now taken over that spot. He is joined on the provisional Tour podium by Isaac del Toro, with yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogačar still out in front with six stages remaining.

For more news on the Tour de France, read Cycling Weekly HERE.

Swimming is often considered the most technical discipline in triathlon.

Unlike cycling and running, where fitness can sometimes compensate for poor form, swimming efficiency depends heavily on technique. Small improvements in body position, stroke mechanics, and breathing can produce significant gains in speed while reducing energy expenditure.

WHY SWIM DRILLS MATTER: Many triathletes spend most of their swim sessions simply accumulating laps. While fitness is important, repeating poor technique thousands of times often reinforces bad habits.

Drills help athletes to improve body awareness, refine stroke mechanics, increase efficiency, develop better balance in the water and reduce unnecessary energy expenditure.

CATCH-UP DRILL: The catch-up drill is one of the most popular swim drills for triathletes; it encourages patience during the stroke and helps swimmers avoid rushing.

FINGERTIP DRAG DRILL: This drill helps improve recovery mechanics.

SINGLE-ARM DRILL: Single-arm swimming isolates each side of the stroke. Swim with one arm while the other remains extended or resting at your side. Many triathletes quickly discover asymmetries they never noticed during full-stroke swimming. This also helps to improve the following:

SIDE-KICK DRILL: The side-kick drill develops body position and balance. Efficient swimmers spend less energy fighting the water and more energy moving through it.

SCULLING DRILL: Sculling focuses on developing feel for the water. This drill teaches athletes how to apply pressure effectively throughout the stroke. Small hand movements improve catch awareness, increase water sensitivity and develop propulsion efficiency.

6-1-6 DRILL: This drill combines kicking and rotation. The pattern involves:

The benefits here include improved balance, better rotation timing and enhanced body control.

CLOSED-FIST DRILL: Swimming with closed fists removes much of the hand’s surface area and forces swimmers to engage the forearms, improve catch mechanics and develop better water feel. When normal swimming resumes, many athletes notice improved awareness of their pull.

TARZAN DRILL: The Tarzan drill involves swimming freestyle while keeping the head above the water. This drill is particularly valuable for open-water triathletes who need to sight regularly during races.

Benefits include improved sighting ability, stronger kick engagement and better race-specific preparation.

BREATHING PATTERN DRILL: Many triathletes struggle with breathing efficiency. Confidence in the water often begins with effective breathing. Structured breathing drills can include:

KICKBOARD DRILLS: Although triathlon swimming relies less heavily on kicking than pool sprint events, kickboard drills still provide benefits, such as improving leg endurance, enhancing body awareness and strengthening the kick. A balanced kick contributes to better overall body position.

HOW TO INCORPORATE DRILLS INTO TRAINING: A simple approach is to include drills during the warm-up portion of swim sessions. For example:

This structure allows athletes to reinforce proper mechanics before higher-intensity work begins.

Let’s hope that this weekend’s WTCS London provides us with as much excitement as the recent Diamond League athletics meeting did when Josh Kerr (GBR) smashed the men’s mile world record.

A truly historic run saw him better Hicham El Guerrouj’s previous best of 3:43:13 from 1999, crossing the finish line in a staggering 3:42:66.

His splits, listed below, are mind-boggling… an incredible performance.

Together, we go the distance. — @247_endurance 🏃‍♂️🚴‍♀️🏊‍♂️