Inside the Season: Donnacha McCarthy & Sean Husband on 2026 Season Opener
World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama, Japan
On 16th May the 2026 season got underway for Donnacha McCarthy and guide Sean Husband at the opening round of the 2026 World Triathlon Para Series in Yokohama, Japan. Held around the iconic Yamashita Park, the World Triathlon Championship Series venue provided a fast, flat and technical course.
Yokohama Benchmark
Returning to international competition after a winter block of training, Yokohama was always going to be an important benchmark to see where months had placed them heading into a busy summer season.
With a strong 5th place finish in the PTV1 Men’s Category to open the season, Yokohama offered plenty of encouragement and laid a solid foundation for what’s ahead in 2026.
McCarthy Reflects on the Season Opener
Donnacha McCarthy reflects on the season opener, the challenges of the Yokohama course, and what comes next as the season builds towards European Championships, Hamburg and the World Championships later this year.
“Over the winter, our expectations coming into Yokohama were to build a solid starting point for the season and get a clear picture of where we currently stand against international competition. Preparation went relatively well overall.
As we are both dual career athletes, balancing training alongside work did create a few added challenges in the lead-in in terms of finding the sweet spot between the correct training stimulus and recovery.
As it had been quite a while since our last race, there were naturally a few nerves beforehand, but more than anything we were excited for the opportunity to test ourselves and see where our fitness was at against the rest of the field. Despite everything, we were happy to arrive healthy and ready to compete.”
“Yokohama is a fast, flat and technical course which presents its own unique challenges, particularly with positioning and maintaining momentum throughout the race.
The race itself gave us a strong benchmark for the season ahead and highlighted a lot of positives, while also identifying a few key areas we can continue to work on over the coming months. Overall, it felt like a valuable first race of the season and a good platform to build from.”
“Looking ahead, our focus now shifts towards the key races for the remainder of the summer, including the European Championships in June, the World Triathlon Para Series race in Hamburg in July, and the World Championships in September.
The aim is to continue building consistency, take confidence from the positives in Yokohama, and keep progressing towards stronger performances as the season develops.”
Race Gallery
Take a look at the Yokohama Para Triathlon Race Gallery on the World Triathlon Official Facebook page here.
Follow the Journey
- Follow Donnacha McCarthy & Sean Husband’s Journey ‘ All the Way to LA’ on Instagram here.
