After the excitement of Pontevedra last week, racing remains in Spain as athletes travel to Ceuta for the next Europe Triathlon Cup. The race also marks the beginning of a busy month of racing in Spain.
Elite Men
Eloy Canales Escribano leads the 65-athlete Elite Men’s field, with the Spanish athlete wearing bib number one. Having not raced in a Europe Triathlon Cup since Torremolinos, the lack of recent racing could be a factor for the Spaniard as he returns to the calendar.
Starting directly behind him in bib number two is Mexico’s Erik Yamir Ramos Croda. The Mexican will compete in his third Europe Cup, having previously raced in Quarteira and, more recently, Coimbra. He will be hoping to improve on his previous results on European soil this weekend.
Jan Scheffold narrowly missed out on a top-ten finish in the U23 race in Pontevedra last weekend and will be hoping to carry that experience into Ceuta. The German has enjoyed a busy 2026 season, recording top-ten finishes in Tata and Wels, but is still searching for his first Europe Triathlon Cup podium.
Fellow German Till Kramp starts just behind him in bib number four. Kramp has also produced some strong performances this season, including sixth place in Coimbra and fifth in Olsztyn. Yet to stand on the top step of a Europe Triathlon Cup podium, he will be hoping that this is the weekend he can break through.
A significant 25 of the 65 athletes in the Elite Men’s field are Spanish, giving the home crowd plenty to cheer about and creating the potential for a strong domestic result. Jarno Pousada Troitiño, Esteban Basanta Fouz and Kevin Tarek Viñuela Gonzalez all feature among the top ten seeds, with Troitiño starting in bib number five. Born in 2005, he will be hoping his youth can work in his favour as he looks to add another medal to his collection.
Another 2005-born athlete in the field is Germany’s Jan Semmler. He last raced in Tipaza at the Africa Triathlon Cup, where he narrowly missed out on a medal after finishing fourth.
Romania’s Sébastien Pascal is another athlete with recent experience on the Africa Triathlon Cup circuit, having finished inside the top ten in Monastir a few weeks ago.
Davide Menichelli also raced in Monastir but was unable to replicate the top-ten performances he recorded earlier in the season in City of Derry and Tata, where he picked up valuable ranking points.
With such a large Spanish contingent in the field, Ceuta also provides an important opportunity for younger athletes to gain experience racing at elite level. Xavi Cabanilles Añó is one of those athletes. Having already made his elite debut in Wels this year, the Spanish youngster will have another opportunity to learn and develop against a strong field.
Belgium’s Rube Claus will make his elite debut this weekend. The 2008-born athlete has shown plenty of promise in the junior ranks and narrowly missed out on a medal last weekend in Bled, finishing fourth in the final. With Ceuta using a sprint format, the shorter race could suit the young Belgian.
Elite Women
A smaller field of 30 athletes will line up for the Elite Women’s race, with Germany’s Jule Behrens leading the field in bib number two following her sixth-place finish in Pontevedra last weekend.
The U23 athlete was unable to claim a medal at the World Championships, but will now turn her attention back to the Europe Triathlon Cup. Behrens is still searching for her first podium since taking silver at the Africa Triathlon Cup in Mossel Bay in March and will be looking to challenge for the medals in Ceuta.
Behrens is one of three Germans among the first four athletes on the start list, with Josephine Seerig wearing bib number three and Lilly-Marie Overberg starting in four.
Overberg has enjoyed a consistent season in the Europe Triathlon Cup, finishing inside the top ten in all four of her races. Her best result came in Wels, where she finished fifth. However, she is still searching for her first medal of the year and, with only a handful of races remaining on the calendar, will be hoping to change that in Ceuta.
Spain’s Marina Muñoz Hernando raced in Coimbra two weeks ago, finishing 16th. Ceuta will be her first race on home soil since she won bronze at the Aquathlon Championships in Banyoles, adding to the gold medal she claimed in the Cross Triathlon Championships during the same week.
American Annie Fuller arrives in Ceuta with plenty of confidence after winning her most recent Europe Cup race in Coimbra. Fuller took gold in a thrilling sprint finish and has also collected medals on the Americas Triathlon Cup circuit this season, including bronze in Mogog and gold in Montreal.
Six Spanish athletes will line up in the Elite Women’s field, with three 2007-born athletes given the opportunity to gain valuable experience against a more seasoned international field.
Candela Sánchez Touza, María Tenorio Albo and Julia Tenorio Albo are the youngest Spanish athletes on the start list, with only Belgium’s Lucie Philippe, born in 2008, younger.
Philippe will make her elite debut in Ceuta. Having recently raced in Pontevedra against some of the world’s best athletes, she will be hoping to build on that experience and produce a strong performance this weekend.
The British contingent features Jasmine Cooper, Sam McInnes and Anna Hedley. All three are still searching for their first Europe Triathlon Cup medal, with the trio starting in bib numbers 17, 21 and 24 respectively. They will be hoping to break that duck and step onto the podium in Ceuta.
Switzerland’s Amélie Gorka, who last raced in Derry, leads the Swiss contingent and will be joined by Ann Grossenbacher and Francesca Zenklusen.
Gorka has had a busy summer, racing in Derry, Kitzbühel and twice in Poland. After a demanding run of racing, she will be hoping to finish the season strongly with a good result in Spain.
Full start lists can be found here.