There may have been no Cassandre Beaugrand or Beth Potter, the last two WTCS world champions, but Lisa Tertsch – top ranked in their absence – could have done no more than beat the women in front of her at the season opener in Abu Dhabi.
The 26-year-old notched her first WTCS win in Weihai last year and replicated many of those aspects with her victory in the UAE.
She was decisive from the start in Abu Dhabi, choosing the left side on the beach start and putting herself to the fore from then on.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that if she’s in the mix after the bike then very few can match her on the run, especially at the ‘sprint’ 5k distance we had on Saturday.
A fantastic transition at T2 meant she led the run from the start and in what turned into a four-way battle it was Tertsch who had the decisive kick as she led home a German clean sweep ahead of Nina Eim and Laura Lindemann, with France’s Leonie Periault fourth.
‘Cat and mouse’ on the run
Speaking afterwards to World Triathlon’s Doug Gray, Tertsch said: “I knew I’d prepared really well and I’m happy with how I executed my race.
“It was a cat and mouse game over the last lap but that’s racing and everyone has to play their cards. I knew what I wanted to do at the end so I went with my plan.
“2024 was a very good year for me with many firsts but I learned a lot from it too and I’ve brought that into this year and I’m happy that it showed.”
Strength in depth
The performance also underlined just what a force Germany are in women’s short course triathlon.
Great Britain, France and the USA have been dominant at various times over the last three Olympic cycles but the strength in depth of the Germans is unmatched right now.
Both Tertsch and Lindemann were part of the gold medal-winning Mixed Relay team at the Olympics in Paris, with Lindemann outsprinting Taylor Knibb of the US and Britain’s Beth Potter in an unforgettable finish.
And Lindemann, now coached like Knibb by Dan Lorang, was more than happy with her season opener.
She said: “That was a really tough race. It was warm and very fast. It’s always a shock to the body after a season break but that was a lot of fun too.
“My T2 wasn’t the best but I just tried my best to get on the podium and I’m super happy it worked out.
“I think the whole run just smashed me in the end. There was not a much left for a sprint finish but I’m super happy to complete what was an historic all-German podium.
And just to underline their current dominance, Germany then went on to complete a remarkable last-to-first victory in Sunday’s Mixed Team Relay, despite Tertsch, Eim and Lindemann all sitting it out.
