New Zealand's Hayden Wilde has been crowned king of the T100 World Triathlon series after rounding out his season in perfect style.
Wilde won the final race in the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship final in sweltering conditions this morning (NZ time) capping his sixth victory of the season.
The victory in the grand final race secured Wilde the overall T100 Triathlon World Title for the 2026 season.
Morgan Pearson of the United States finished second, more than a minute behind the blazing Kiwi who clocked a winning time of of 3:06:08.
Wilde used his trademark speed on the run to pull clear and cruise to his near-perfect victory.
It has been a remarkable season campaign for Wilde, who won the first race in Singapore but suffered a horrific bike crash when he collided with a truck in Japan.
"I am proud of myself to get back to the start line and get back to the form," Wilde said.
"It is always the most daunting thing - can you get back to where you were? I was really happy to finish off here.
"It's big kudos to my team and my partners to help push me along through the process."
Wilde returned to racing less than 100 days after the Japan crash, marking a winning comeback securing victory at the T100 London race.
He won further titles in T100 meetings at the French Riviera, Spain and Wollongong.
In the lucrative circuit, Wilde's win in the grand final is paying dividends.
He pockets the season bonus of $350,000, with another $40,000 winner's cheque for the Qatar race win.
T100 races consist of a 2km swim, 80km bike ride and 18km run with the tour including eight global stops. An athlete's best four results plus their finish in the final determined the overall standings.
Triathlon is becoming an increasingly crowded landscape with World Triathlon, Challenge Ironman and the Professional Triathletes Organisation all running their own race series and world championships.
Dramatic win for Waugh
Britain's Kate Waugh delivered the performance she needed to claim victory in the T100 Triathlon World Championship Final in Qatar and seal her first-ever world title in the sport in dramatic fashion.
The 26-year-old entered the season-ending showdown in Lusail at the top of the T100 Race To Qatar rankings, knowing a victory would guarantee her the crown and $200,000 prize money.
She delivered in superb fashion, staggering across the finish line after slowing to a walk in the final straight and collapsing to her knees in exhaustion.
"Oh my gosh, that was the most dramatic way to win the world title," Waugh told tour organisers. "I've always been a bit of a drama queen, so perhaps that was the best way to win it I guess. I'm completely overwhelmed with emotion right now. I do not want to see those finish line photos."
Waugh held off challenges from title rivals Julie Derron of Switzerland and fellow Briton Lucy Charles-Barclay, who crossed third and fifth respectively.
Derron had started the day just six points behind Waugh, with Charles-Barclay a further three points back, but neither could match Waugh's pace in the closing stages. Derron finished second in the season standings, while Charles-Barclay was third.
Britain's Georgia Taylor-Brown came second in the race and seventh in the overall standings.
The victory capped a remarkable debut season at the 100-kilometre distance for Waugh, who won her first T100 race in Singapore and finished on the podium in all six of her appearances.
- additional reporting by Reuters
