On the road toward the $800,000 grand final in September, it came down to the run in the new Supertri Pro Series opener, where Germany’s Tim Hellwig and American Gwen Jorgensen displayed their dominance.

(Photo: Supertri)

Updated May 25, 2026 04:52PM

The first race of the newly reformed Supertri Pro Series featured a return to the sprint-distance format and was largely composed of U.S. athletes. However, it was Germany’s Tim Hellwig who conquered the men’s field after a bike breakaway with American Seth Rider, while USA’s Gwen Jorgensen comfortably outran the women’s field with a blistering 16:11 5K split to win by more than 20 seconds.

In the men’s race, Olympians Seth Rider (USA) and Tim Hellwig (GER) created separation on the bike despite a large front pack entering T1 following a unique deep-water start – unusual for a short-course race. Hellwig explained afterward that the bike leg was “full gas” with Rider, and he was elated by his 14:45 5K run, which earned him an impressive victory amid his journey back to full form after knee surgery last year.

(Photo: Supertri)

Charging hard behind him was Aurelien Jem (FRA), whose 14:32 run split earned second place, as he gunned for the qualifying spot for the grand final. In his rearview mirror was a battle between two Americans, as Rider relinquished the podium to fellow American Matthew McGoey (USA), who delivered arguably the best result of his career to finish third despite serving a 10-second T1 penalty, reportedly incurred after checking his bike late due to a pre-race flat tire.

On the women’s side, Gwen Jorgensen (USA) started well out of the water in third place, but after the ride, there was still work to do, exiting T2 still among a group of hungry young athletes hoping to earn a spot in the series final. However, unsurprisingly, in a relatively inexperienced field, the 40-year-old Rio gold medalist still showed the speed she has on the run, separating herself early to win her first race in over a year.

Behind her, Eleanor Beveridge (USA) and Zuzana Michaliková (SVK) produced the highlight of the day with a dramatic sprint finish that required a double-checking of the official timing mats. Beveridge edged Michaliková by just 0.23 seconds to claim second place, and because Michaliková had already qualified for the Grand Final, Joy Gill (USA) secured the final qualification spot to Jersey.

(Photo: Supertri)

In outlining the vision for this newly revamped series in a LinkedIn post, Supertri CEO Michael D’hulst pointed to the fragmented nature of professional triathlon and argued that a simplified structure centered around one major championship event gives fans the best opportunity to see the sport’s top athletes race head-to-head in a unique format. “…we made a deliberate choice: simplify, and build for sustainability first. For our pros and our mass-participation athletes.”

Because of that, prize money was considerably low for this race and for the remaining two qualifier races (just a $17,500 purse per event), as athletes fight to qualify for the real prize – the lucrative prize purse of  $800,000 at the Grand Final. This will be the largest single-day purse in the sport, surpassing the Ironman World Championship purse of $750,000.

Athletes from each race fight for the top three qualification positions, while members of Supertri’s “central roster” – athletes contracted to the organization and, according to D’hulst, “who commit to being genuinely present and accessible within the Supertri community” are granted automatic entries. Spots are also offered to reigning Olympic, WTCS, Ironman 70.3 World Championship, T100, and Supertri champions.

The automatically qualified field recently announced for the final on September 9th in Jersey is eye-catching: featuring Paris Olympic gold medalists Alex Yee (GBR) and Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA), alongside Matt Hauser (AUS), Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), Csongor Lehmann (HUN), Jeanne Lehair (LUX), and Jolien Vermeylen (BEL).

There is little time before the next positions are on offer, as the next stop of the series heads to Blenheim Palace in the UK on June 6, where a much larger field of reportedly 65 men and women are set to start. Notable additions include American Chase McQueen (USA) and Dutch athlete Mitch Kolkman (NED), while the women’s field features recent Gold Coast T100 runner-up Jessica Fullagar (GBR) and Belgian Jolien Vermeylen.

At the same time as that event, keep an eye out for three-time Olympic medalist Jonny Brownlee (GBR), as he will be undertaking a massive “personal challenge” during the weekend. Brownlee will attempt to complete 10 sprint triathlons in 48 hours – totaling approximately 7.5 kilometers of swimming, 200 kilometers of cycling, and 50 kilometers of running.

2026 Supertri Austin women’s results
2026 Supertri Austin men’s results