Team Ireland at the 2026 World Triathlon Championship Finals Pontevedra
The World Triathlon Championship Finals 2026 took place in Pontevedra, Spain 23-27 September with Elite triathletes from across the world competing including Team Ireland’s Hannah Kennedy, Chloe MacCombe and guide Jemma Speers, Judith MacCombe and guide Eimear Nicholls and newest Team Ireland triathlete – James Corbett.
James Corbett makes Irish Debut
James Corbett made his debut for Ireland and World Championship debut in the Elite Men’s race at Pontevedra.
The Pontevedra course provided a demanding test, with the men tackling a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run in front of packed crowds.
Corbett exited the water in 17:07, having escaped some of the chaos of the swim exit on lap 1 and was well positioned within the main field. Initially travelling in one of the chase packs, Corbett then joined with GB’s Max Stapely for the remainder of the bike leg and putting in a solid 10k run.
Crossing the line in 38th place, Corbett finished ahead of his position at the start line of 45th and marked his debut on the World Championship stage with a determined performance.
Australia’s Matthew Hauser and Portugal’s Vasco Vilaça produced an extraordinary finish, both recording 1:39:31, with Hauser taking the race win. GB’s Alex Yee completed the podium.
For Ireland, the focus was on Corbett and a milestone day as he pulled on the green tri suit for his first Elite World Championship appearance.
Hannah Kennedy makes her mark on the world stage
Thursday saw the first Irish athlete into World Championship action, with Hannah Kennedy making her Junior Women’s World Championship debut.
In warm and sunny conditions, the junior women tackled a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run around Pontevedra.
Kennedy emerged from the swim in a strong position and quickly settled into the chase pack on the bike. Working with the athletes around her, she helped close the gap to the group ahead as the race moved through the technical four-lap bike course.
Kennedy then produced one of the fastest runs off the bike to finish 40th in 1:03:50, moving up from her start ranking of 51st.
For Kennedy, it was a significant milestone: her first World Championship race and an opportunity to test herself against the best junior athletes in the world.
Hungary’s Fanni Szalai claimed the Junior Women’s World Championship title after finishing runner-up in each of the previous two years. Switzerland’s Anouk Danna took silver, with Kimey Casanova completing the podium.
Top tens for Team Ireland in the ParaTriathlon world champs
Friday brought the Para Triathlon World Championships, with Team Ireland represented by Judith MacCombe, guided by Eimear Nicholls, and Chloe MacCombe, guided by Jemma Speers.
The first race of the day – the PTVI women’s race featured a competitive field and began with the VI categories setting off in sequence from the pontoon.
Spain’s defending world champion Susana Rodriguez established an early advantage, recording the fastest swim split of the field before extending her lead through the bike and run.
Behind her, the Irish pair produced solid performances.
Judith MacCombe and Eimear Nicholls finished sixth in 1:10:37, recording the fastest bike split of the entire field in 32:03 before completing the 5km run in 19:10.
Chloe MacCombe and Jemma Speers followed in seventh place in 1:12:29, with a strong and consistent performance across all three disciplines.
Rodriguez took gold for Spain, with Italy’s Francesca Tarantello taking silver and Germany’s Anja Renner bronze.
Find out more
Tri-Team Ireland Age Group team were also in action ofver the course of the week, with Sprint, Standard, Aquabike and Miked Team Relay. Find out more in our article.
