🥇 Promising Auckland teen Caleb Wagener added a sensational exclamation mark to a golden day for New Zealand triathlon in Japan on Sunday as Brea Roderick and Dylan McCullough ran away with the elite titles at Asia Triathlon Cup Osaka Castle.
For McCullough, it was his second win in as many weeks after victory at Asia Cup Lianyungang in China, sealing about as perfect a comeback from 18 months on the sidelines as the Paris Olympian could have hoped for.
Roderick’s emphatic win — sparked by an unplanned breakaway on the bike — was a first elite victory since her Africa Triathlon Premium Cup triumph in Larache in 2023, and sends her to WTCS races in Quiberon and Hamburg with a renewed spring in her step.
For Wagener, it was a breakout moment as the Auckland 18-year-old outkicked Germany’s Jonas Osterholt in a sprint finish for bronze that had him celebrating like a man who’d just won. And why not. A kid still in the junior (U19) ranks on the podium at an elite Continental Cup is an exciting glimpse into the future for Tri NZ.
Each of the Kiwi medallists had reason to celebrate, but the biggest story, arguably, belonged to Roderick.
The Cantabrian has done it tough with injury and illness since serving as the official female reserve for New Zealand at the Paris Olympics, but this victory will do her confidence wonders. It was her first elite victory since Morocco more than two years ago, and rekindled the winning feeling she last tasted after securing the U23 title at the 2024 Oceania Sprint Championships in Devonport.
Sunday’s win was sealed in runaway style — not that she planned it that way. A strong swim had her on the leader’s feet, a group of six formed on the bike, and then, mid-lap two, a gap appeared. Ten metres, out of nowhere. Roderick kept riding.
“I didn’t really plan to break away,” she said, “but yeah, my lead just kept extending and I just felt stronger and stronger with each lap. And yeah, I just kept telling myself, believe you can do it.”
By T2, the lead was close to a minute. On the run, with the Japanese crowd carrying her through, she found her rhythm and never let it go.
“It’s been a wee while between drinks. I think my last elite win was in 2023, but I knew I still had it in me. I’ve had a great time the last few months, just been loving life, and I think it’s really showing.”
It was, by some distance, her best result of 2026 and a performance that could hardly have come at a better time, with a long European campaign ahead: the Banyoles training camp, a sprint and mixed relay focus at WTCS Quiberon and Hamburg, then an altitude stint in Andorra. She leaves Japan healthy, happy, and with something to build on.
“I just showed the shape I’m in, and it’s given me the confidence going into Europe that, yeah, I’m fit and I’m healthy and happy, so I’m just ready to rip into it.”
Roderick will admit she had a little help finding her groove.
“A little bit inspired by Dylan’s performance last week in China,” she said. “I’ve been staying with him for the week, so I was kind of embracing the solo breakaway out there today.”
McCullough, as if on cue, went and did exactly the same thing again.
“Hard, very hard…but the crowd was amazing, it was a pretty cool race to do,” McCullough told the podium emcee. “It was a pretty cool course doing the swim in the moat of the castle and I’d love to come back next year hopefully.”
His next race won’t come until July, with an altitude camp in America first on the agenda.
“No racing till July now so we’ll go into an altitude camp in America for six weeks or so and then back into some racing in July and August.”
Wagener’s bronze was the story no one saw coming.
The 18-year-old Aucklander went stride for stride with Osterholt in the closing metres and kicked at the death to claim his first Conti elite podium. The celebration that followed was pure, unfiltered joy from a young man who had shown the world his junior duathlon title in Pontevedra last year was just the beginning.
For the record, McCullough won Saturday’s sprint in 52:19 with Wagener clocking 52:49. Henry McMecking (53:27), Ben Airey (54:30) and Gus Marfell (54.44) were 8th, 18th and 20th respectively.
Roderick won in 59:43 by 26 seconds from Japan’s Mako Hiraizumi (JPN) with Matilda Offord (AUS) rounding out the podium. Amara Rae (1:01:14), Sophie Webb (1:03:39) and Charlotte Brown (1:05:38) were 8th, 23rd and 30th respectively.
On Saturday in China, Robbie White topped the Kiwi results at Asia Cup Taizhou with 8th in the men’s race. William Taylor was 15th, Christian Davey 35th while Joel Lange recorded a DNF, as did Phoebe Carter in the women’s race.
