For the first time since April, the Europe Triathlon Cup returns to Portugal, with Coimbra returning to the calendar. The city last hosted European racing in 2024 as part of the Multisport Championships.
Coimbra has also previously hosted Europe Cup events, with the 2022 Elite Men’s race producing home success through João Pereira. With this weekend being the final Europe Cup event before the World Championships, athletes will have one last opportunity to test themselves before taking on the world’s elite.
Elite Men
One of those athletes accustomed to racing on the world stage is Frenchman Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger, who most recently competed in the WTCS in London after racing in Quiberon the month before. Starting with bib number one, the Frenchman will be looking to improve on his last appearance in Portugal, when he finished outside the top 40 in Monte Gordo.
Just behind him will be compatriot Baptiste Passemard, who claimed a bronze medal in the Mixed Relay at the World Triathlon Cup in Edmonton in July. Passemard has also been in consistent form on the Europe Cup circuit, finishing inside the top ten at his previous two events with ninth in Holten and eighth in Carole.
American Carter Stuhlmacher returns to the European circuit after a successful previous visit, where he claimed bronze in Kitzbühel before following it up with a top-ten finish in Holten a couple of weeks later. Since then, the American has claimed gold at the Americas Triathlon Cup in Callao, Lima. He will be looking to build further momentum this weekend ahead of racing in the U23 event in Pontevedra next weekend.
It is a busy few weeks for Spaniard Jarno Pousada Troitiño, who will race in Portugal this weekend before heading to Ceuta and Tenerife in an attempt to round out his season with a string of strong results before the winter break. He starts with bib number five, having narrowly missed out on a medal in Torremolinos at the start of the season. Having raced across the calendar, including at the Sprint Championships in Elbląg, he will be hoping to produce another strong performance this weekend.
German Jan Diener starts with bib number nine after racing two weeks ago in the modified duathlon at the City of Derry. Fellow German Till Kramp starts just ahead of him with bib number seven. With neither athlete racing next week in Pontevedra, Coimbra provides them with an opportunity to give everything, before both are scheduled to race in Ceuta.
Tristan Douche is part of the large French contingent making the trip to Coimbra, with nine French athletes set to take to the start line in the Elite Men’s race. Douche has claimed two silver medals this year, most recently in Wels in June. However, he is yet to stand on the top step of the podium this season and will be hoping the Coimbra course suits him as he looks to claim gold.
The host nation will have ten athletes on the start line, giving the home fans plenty to cheer for. Tomás Figueiredo will start with the highest bib number of 39. The Portuguese athlete, born in 2006, finished just outside the top 30 the last time he raced in Portugal at the start of the season in Monte Gordo. Since then, he has gained further experience across the calendar, including a World Cup appearance in Chengdu and, more recently, the City of Derry race.
A home race also provides opportunities for younger athletes to step onto the Elite start line. Francisco Carvalho and Rodrigo Neves, both born in 2007, will compete in an elite race for the first time outside of national competitions. Ricardo Pissarra is the youngest athlete in the Elite Men’s field, with the 2008-born athlete making his first start since Elbląg in July.
Spain will also bring a strong contingent to Coimbra, with nine athletes set to race. European Champion in Cross Triathlon Eneko De Castro Cativiela will compete for only the second time since his championship-winning performance in Banyoles. His most recent race came in Derry, where he finished 15th in the Duathlon.
Jesús Vela Vela is also familiar with racing in Portugal, with his second-most recent race coming in Monte Gordo in April, where he finished 15th. However, a lack of racing could be a factor for the Spaniard, whose most recent appearance came in Torremolinos, also in April, where the event was adapted to a duathlon.
Ben Cumberland finished fifth in the City of Derry race two weeks ago and will be looking to go one better in Coimbra, as he targets his first podium of the season.
With a full start list and more than 20 athletes on the waiting list for the Elite Men’s race, competition is expected to be fierce, with every athlete on the start line having earned their place in the field.
Elite Women
An almost full start list for the Elite Women also points towards a highly competitive race.
Natalia Castro Santos will lead the field away wearing bib number one. The Spaniard most recently claimed a medal at the Mediterranean Games in the Mixed Relay, while her last individual medal came at the Africa Triathlon Cup Larache, where she took silver.
Sophie Gießmann won bronze last weekend at the Africa Triathlon Cup Monastir, with fellow German Felipa Herrmann taking gold. Both athletes will line up again in Coimbra, with Gießmann starting with bib number two and Herrmann with bib number seven. They are two of 11 German athletes competing this weekend, while Spain will have an even larger contingent with 12 athletes on the start line.
Lara Thekla Ungewickell is another German athlete who raced in Monastir last weekend. She narrowly missed out on making the podium an all-German affair, finishing fourth, and will be hoping to use that experience to convert it into a medal in Coimbra.
Holten gold medallist Manon Laporte starts with bib number five, with the Frenchwoman having last raced at the Sprint Championships in Elbląg. Just ahead of her with bib number four is compatriot Candice Denizot, who most recently claimed bronze in the Mixed Relay at the World Triathlon Cup in Edmonton.
Annie Fuller is the only American athlete in the Elite Women’s field. With a bronze in Magog and gold in Montreal already on her record this season, she will be hoping to continue adding to her medal haul in Coimbra.
Lizzy Edge is the first of eight Great Britain athletes on the start list, with the entire British contingent born between 2001 and 2005. Edge has raced only a handful of times this year, with her best result coming in Holten, where she finished sixth.
Home hopes will rest partly on Matilde Silva Santos, who starts with bib number 16. She and eight other Portuguese athletes will be looking to take advantage of racing in front of a home crowd.
As with the men’s race, the home event provides an opportunity for younger athletes to step onto the Elite start line. On the women’s side, 2010-born Sofia Duarte will make her first appearance in an elite race. She is also the youngest athlete in the field in Coimbra.
Hungary has enjoyed success in recent weeks, with Korinna Katona claiming gold at the Junior Cup in the City of Derry before taking silver in Zagreb last week. The Hungarian will now look to carry that form into the Elite race as she targets another medal.
Micah Gay makes the long journey across the Atlantic from Canada to race in Coimbra, which is one of three Europe Cup events she has entered on the calendar. The Canadian is also scheduled to race in Tenerife and Ceuta. She will be joined in Coimbra by compatriot Ava Snyder, who will make her first appearance in Europe.
With both fields packed with international experience, emerging talent and athletes looking to build momentum before the World Championships, Coimbra promises to provide a competitive final Europe Cup opportunity before the season’s biggest races.
Full start lists can be found here.