“Before our leg started, I was joking to Dorian (Coninx)… the first time back in 2017 when I raced the mixed team relay, I remembered getting out of the swim just behind him and Ben Kanute I think, as an inexperienced 19-year-old… I hopped on the bike and they were gone with the click of a finger…”
“And then my girlfriend Georgia mentioned that in the post-race interview that him and Henry Graf were conspiring against me or just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t in that pack… and I thought that was quite funny that they didn’t take that opportunity and I was able to get on.”
Letting Hauser get on was what would cost them this year’s title. If 2017 was the last time a soaring Australia were the Mixed Team Relay World Champions, then 13 July 2025 represented a new high watermark as they returned to the top of the relay podium for the first time in eight long years.
This time it was Matt Hauser hoovering up the gap to the leaders after three strong legs from Sophie Linn, Luke Willian and Emma Jeffcoat. The only member of that mighty 2017 team in Hamburg, the 27-year-old was able to follow up his individual gold with an explosive swim, bike and run that closed a 20-second gap at its start, then took the tape with a 3-second gap at its end.
All-in-all, it was another exceptional weekend in Hamburg for the man who stands on top of the men’s World Triathlon Championship Series rankings with two golds and two silvers so far in 2025.
But only three WTCS scores (max 1,000 points to the leader) plus the Championship Finals (max 1,250 points) will count to the overall standings. With less than 300 points currently between him and second-place Miguel Hidalgo, Vasco Vilaça in third, Hauser will be taking nothing for granted as the calendar flips ever closer to a huge October weekend in Wollongong that could see an Aussie male crowned World Champion for the first time in 20 years.
“I think the longer we can stop Vasco from winning the better it’s gonna be for everyone, to be honest. He is a fantastic athlete, and the win will come one day, I have no doubt about that. But yeah, if we can hold on a little bit longer, that’d be good for everyone.”
“I think everyone will be going back to their home environments and training really hard in preparation for those last few races. I’m gonna be doing the same, and yeah, hopefully everything goes well and it’s smooth sailing towards Wollongong.
Can the Hauser high watermark get even higher in 2025? Listen to the full interview on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and wherever you get your podcasts.
Powered by RedCircle