Gold Coast Sets Epic Stage For First T100 Triathlon World Tour Event Of 2026

March 19, 2026

Gold Coast, Australia /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The inaugural Gold Coast T100 Triathlon will provide an epic stage for the first weekend of the new T100 season when the racing gets under way tomorrow [Saturday 21 March] in Australia.

The professional women’s race over the Professional Triathletes Organisation’s signature T100 distance (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) will start at 1335 local time with an ocean swim off the iconic Surfers Paradise and be beamed around the world on the PTO’s global broadcast network.

Some of the world’s best triathletes took a break from training earlier this week to meet some of the region’s most famous residents.

Germany’s Daniela Kleiser, France’s Justine Guerard and Australian Natalie van Coevorden paid a special visit to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland to get up close with Koalas during a special feeding experience before the T100’s opening round. You can see how they got on in our Behind-The-Scenes build up here.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Koala Specialist Sarah Eccleston said welcoming international guests to meet Koalas for the first time was always a special moment.

“Seeing someone experience a Koala up close for the first time is incredibly special,” Ms Eccleston said.

“For many international guests, Koalas are the animal they most associate with Australia, so moments like this help create a genuine emotional connection to our wildlife.

“At Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, we care for Koalas every day, and opportunities like this allow us to share their story while also highlighting the conservation challenges they face in the wild.”

The athletes were also welcomed by Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, highlighting the global spotlight the T100 series is bringing to the Gold Coast while showcasing one of the city’s most beloved attractions.

“Securing events of this calibre underscores our commitment to boosting the coast’s reputation as one of the premier sporting destinations anywhere in the world,” said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.

“As mayor, I’m confident this inaugural T100 event will pave the way for more global triathlon competitions for the coast, including the new Brisbane 2032 Olympic triathlon races which we’ll be proud to host on the Gold Coast.”

New South Wales born Natalie van Coevorden is one of five Australians hoping to make the most of their home advantage alongside the likes of top ranked Ellie Salthouse and wildcard Danielle De Francesco.

“I really think there’s a podium chance here for me,” said the 33-year-old Van Coevorden, who represented Australia in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“I’ve had a really good block of training, and I’ve worked with my coach on different things this season, to spice things up on areas that we think were my weaknesses from last year. So coming into this race, I really want to showcase where I’m at and where I think I can be in the world rankings and put my best foot forward on home soil.”

Women To Take Centre Stage

“It’s exciting because it feels a little bit like a home race as there will be so many people I know,” said Belgium’s Hanne De Vet, who will start this race as the fourth best ranked athlete on the 20-strong start list behind Taylor Knibb (USA), Ellie Salthouse (AUS) and Sara Perez Sala (ESP).

“I’ve been out in New South Wales for a week for training and had a lot of women saying they were all super excited just to see the women race. You don’t really hear that often, that they get excited for the women’s race. So I think that’s really nice to hear they’re actually getting excited for women racing. So it definitely pushes us a bit harder to make a good race to watch for them.”

The PTO announced changes to this season’s T100 format last year, adapting to four individual female and male race weekends during the T100 Race To Qatar, before they come together for the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final on 11-12 December, 2026.

Potential dark horse, Britain’s Jessica Fullagar, who won the prestigious Noosa triathlon in Australia at the end of last year as part of her decision to try stepping up from short-course racing, is looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m really excited for my first T100 race,” said the 26-year-old who’s Noosa win confirmed her status as a rising talent in the sport. “It’s daunting, but I’m really excited as well, and everyone’s been so friendly so far, so I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”

“I love the sensation of speed that a TT bike gives you. I enjoyed Noosa so much. It was such a new experience, and I hope to just do the same this weekend. To go out and learn as much as possible and enjoy it. I hope that I’ve got a future in this distance, but we’ll see.”

As well as the professional T100 race, the weekend will also see thousands of amateurs also taking part in an equivalent 100km triathlon over a similar course to the pros as well as an Olympic distance triathlon and a 10km run.

“We sold out the amateur T100 in just nine days which was very encouraging for a first time event in a new market for us – and evidence of the swift recognition of the T100 brand by the triathlon community,” said PTO CEO Sam Renouf.

“Across the full weekend festival, we’re expecting more than 5,000 amateur athletes, including participants from around the world and as far afield as the UK, France and Germany, with ages ranging from 18 to 80 years-old and from all walks of life and backgrounds. From Australian Olympians like boxer Harry Garside and mogul skier Britt Cox to pro Supercar driver Will Davison to single mums doing it to inspire their kids.”

To sign up for the last remaining places in the Gold Coast 10km run visit https://t100triathlon.com/gold-coast/participate/

The PTO is working on the Gold Coast T100 with Events Management Queensland (EMQ), a major event management company wholly owned by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland. The race is part of EMQ’s expanding portfolio of major sporting events, which includes the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon, the Toowoomba Running Festival and the Pan Pacific Masters Games. The event is also supported by Experience Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Tourism & Events Queensland.

Notes To Editors:

How To Watch

The race starts at 1335 local time on Saturday 21 March (0335 UK) and fans can watch live in Europe through the PTO’s exclusive partnership with Warner Bros Discovery on channels such as Eurosport, TNT Sport in the UK, Max or Discovery+, or through a network of other international, regional and local broadcasters including beIN Sports in MENA and North America, Huya in China, Fox Sports in Australia and ITV in the UK. Which ensures the 2026 T100 races will be shown around the world. Fans can also watch free of charge globally on TriathlonLive.tv. Outside of Europe the T100 Tour will remain available free to watch on YouTube. For a full breakdown of where to watch, please visit: https://t100triathlon.com/how-to-watch/

How the 2026 T100 Triathlon World Tour works:

• Athletes score 35 points for first place to 1 pt for 20th place at each of the races; 2nd – 29 points; and 3rd – 26 points
• The Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final has increased points to up the ante (55 pts down to 4 pts)
• Each athlete’s best three T100 race scores plus the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will count towards the women’s and men’s T100 World Championship titles
• $275,000 USD prize fund at each T100, totalling $2,750,000 across the nine races (1st place – $50,000k; 2nd – $40,000; 3rd – $30,000 at each race)
• The series winners following the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will be crowned T100 Triathlon World Champion and collect $100,000 USD from an additional total prize pool of $1,450,000 (2nd – $80,000; 3rd – 75,000)
• Between the T100 race prize fund and T100 Triathlon World Tour pool, the series provides $4,200,000 in athlete compensation, and is distributed in a way that not only rewards the winners, but also recognises the significant achievement of racing at this level
• For more details, visit https://t100triathlon.com/pro-racing/

For Further Information:

PTO – Anthony Scammell E: Anthony.Scammell@protriathletes.org

Events Management Queensland – Adam Gardini E: media@emqevents.com.au

About Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO)

The PTO is a sports body that is co-owned by its professional athletes, seeking to elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level. Its T100 Triathlon World Tour was introduced in January 2024 and is designated by World Triathlon as the ‘official World Championship for long distance triathlon’. This is part of a 12-year strategic partnership with the sport’s international governing body to develop the sport and it will grow further in 2027 with the launch of the new Triathlon World Tour. The T100 Triathlon World Tour is a season-long schedule of World Championship level races competed over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run), where the world’s best triathletes go head-to-head in iconic locations. In 2026, the T100 Tour will deliver its 9-stop T100 Race To Qatar to: the Gold Coast (21-22 March), Singapore (25-26 April), Spain (23-24 May), San Francisco (6-7 June), Vancouver (15-16 August), French Riviera (19-20 September), Dubai (12-15 November), Saudi Arabia (November) & Qatar (11-12 December). T100 weekends are ‘festivals of multisport’ and feature a range of opportunities for amateur athletes of all levels to get involved. From experienced amateurs tackling the 100km distance to first-time swim, bike and run participants taking on single discipline, untimed events. For more information visit www.t100triathlon.com

World Triathlon

World Triathlon is the international governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon, cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the programme at Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic programme at Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development of the sport worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and transparency at our core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the sport to be extraordinary.

About Events Management Queensland

Events Management Queensland (EMQ) is a major event management company wholly owned by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.

Managers of the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon, the Toowoomba Running Festival and the Pan Pacific Masters Games, Events Management Queensland produces high profile, mass participation sporting events that maximise economic and tourism impact to the region.

The events provide an enjoyable and memorable event experience that showcases Queensland whilst maintaining world class event management standards.