The Road to Wollongong officially kicks off this weekend for the world’s top elite triathletes as they line up for the World Triathlon Championship Series opener in Abu Dhabi.
The sprint distance race will once again serve as the curtain-raiser for the seven-stop series, culminating in the World Triathlon Championship Finals in Wollongong from October 15-19. In between the series will travel to Yokohama (JPN), Sardinia (ITA), Hamburg (GER), Karlovy Vary (CZE), and Weihai (CHN).
Australia’s Matt Hauser leads the line for the green and gold, ranked second on the start list behind New Zealand’s Olympic silver medallist Hayden Wilde.
Now, a proven contender on the World Triathlon Championship Series circuit with five medals to his name in the past three seasons – including two standout golds – the Queenslander is ready to carry that momentum forward into a year that builds toward a home World Championships.
The 26-year-old’s stellar 2024 season was highlighted by a gold medal in Hamburg, a silver in Yokohama, and a seventh-place finish at the Paris Olympics – marking Australia’s best men’s Games result in two decades.
Performances that placed him firmly in the fight for the world title heading into the Championship Finals in Torremolinos.
Ranked fourth leading into the season finale, within striking distance of the World Championship podium, Hauser saw his bid end prematurely after a crash on the bike leg forced him to withdraw from the race.
No stranger to setbacks, he has dusted himself off, left last season’s disappointment behind, and is now fully focused for the new year, with the chance to contend in Wollongong further fuelling his drive for another world title tilt.
“I want to be in a position where I’m fighting for the world title in my home country,” Hauser said.
“I’ve experienced a major games in Australia, I know the next level you can push to when you’ve got your home crowd behind you, so it’s a really exciting opportunity that I’m doubling down on.
“Last season ended on a bit of a sour note having that crash at the World Championships, so I didn’t really want to take too much time to dwell on that away from the sport – rather it drive my motivation for this next block of training knowing Abu Dhabi was going to be here before we knew it.”
With his focus now on the season opener, Hauser is determined to hit the ground running, knowing 2025 will be a year with fewer races but with a sharper focus on quality performances.
“I really want to get on the front foot and put a solid performance down early in the season. I think I’ve had a decent block of training and I’m looking forward to seeing how I shape up,” he said.
“This year will be contrasting to last year, I’ll be racing fewer times and spending more time at home with friends and family.
“I’d say quality over quantity is my main target for the year and success will be executing good performances whenever the opportunity arises. This year is also the start of the four-year cycle towards LA, so there’ll be experiments I’ll implement throughout the year regarding training and timing that will look to shape my next few years building towards the Olympics.”
Brandon Copeland and Callum McClusky will line up alongside Hauser for Australia in Abu Dhabi, both just as eager to start their seasons on a high.
Copeland’s 2024 campaign saw him secure a trio of top-ten finishes at World Triathlon Cup level and featured a season-best 16th place finish at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Weihai.
McClusky earned the most World Triathlon Cup podium finishes of any Australian last season, claiming three medals – including gold in Napier, New Zealand.
WTCS Abu Dhabi – Elite Men
Saturday, February 15 – 11pm AEST
TriathlonLive
Matt Hauser
Brandon Copeland
Callum McClusky
