New day, same energy. Welcome to the first-ever Tuesday edition of The Full Send. Some weekends are too big to wait until Friday.
Hayden WILDE ★ Tayler REID ★ Phoebe CARTER ★ Nicole VAN DER KAAY ★
THE DEBRIEF TEAM NZL
WTCS Quiberon wasn’t the first stop on the road to LA28 but it was the most important thus far with the first Mixed Relay in the qualification window and Nicole van der Kaay made it count.
The Taupo 30-year-old backed up the Kiwi best result — 25th — in Saturday’s individual sprints with the fastest third leg in Sunday’s Mixed Relay, reconfirming her status as New Zealand’s female No.1 — remarkable given a 2025 spent largely in mid-distance waters post-Paris.
NVDK’s partner Tayler Reid wasn’t far behind, the top-performing Kiwi male individually and with a relay leg within half a second of the field’s best.
Then there was Phoebe Carter, whose bonus WTCS debut produced a 42nd-place marker in the sand — less a verdict, more a first step.
One absence didn’t go unfelt. Hayden Wilde took to social media from afar to confirm he won’t chase the WTCS title in 2026 after the Middle East conflict and now a virus ruled him out of Abu Dhabi and Alghero and Quiberon respectively.
Before we delve into the weekend that was in western France, a Full Send shoutout to Auckland junior Caleb Wagener who placed 17th among the elite men at Europe Cup Kitzbühel. The result follows his Asia Cup Osaka Castle bronze in Japan and was notable for Wagener advancing to the semifinals by winning his heat. Cantab Benjamin Airey was 51st in Austria.
FROM THE SOURCE NICOLE VAN DER KAAY
“WTCS Quiberon. 🇫🇷 A spicy return to World Series racing [for the first time] since Torremolinos 2024!
The individual race was honestly a rusty one. Whether it was the drop from altitude or something else, my body just struggled to wake up. I felt disconnected and not fully present out there, despite throwing plenty of caffeine at the problem. Too many mistakes for this level of racing, P25.
Thankfully, the Mixed Team Relay the following day was a completely different story. I felt awake, alive, connected, and ready to race. Clocking the fastest 3rd leg of the day was a nice reminder that things were still there. It’s crazy how different the sensations can be within just 24 hours. Anyone else relate?
Really proud of every member of the team, including our reserves, and the fight we showed throughout the relay. To have the entire field come back together heading into the final run was absolutely wild. P9 for Team NZL, just 30 seconds separating 2nd through to 10th!” — @nicolevdkaay
THE DEBUT PHOEBE CARTER
Bonus call-up, media duties, shoe drama, 42nd in Quiberon. Phoebe Carter’s whirlwind week ends with the 22-year-old already in Austria and hungry for more.
THE CONTEXT TRAVIS WHITE
Kia ora koutou,
Quiberon 2026 was an important step forward for our Tri Blacks programme as we continue building toward LA 2028. From a performance perspective, it was encouraging to see our athletes competing with confidence, showing genuine depth, and demonstrating the resilience we know exists across our high-performance environment.
Across the individual races there were several positives for the New Zealand triathlon community to take confidence from. Eva Goodisson and Brea Roderick both showed front-pack capability, with Brea particularly sharp through transition and leading out of T2 for the opening 400 metres of the run.
Nicole’s run performance was also a strong marker. Her 17:09 split placed her just outside the very top runners, but importantly showed she is right in the contest and continuing to build against athletes at this level.
The Mixed Relay again highlighted both the opportunity and the fine margins in international racing. The team of Eva Goodisson, Tayler Reid, Nicole van der Kaay and Saxon Morgan finished 9th in 1:24:27, just 20 seconds off the podium in one of the tightest relays we have seen. Nicole produced the fastest third leg of the entire field, reinforcing her quality and importance within the relay format, while Tayler’s second leg kept New Zealand firmly in contention and again showed why he is regarded as one of the best Mixed Relay athletes in the world.
At this level, small differences in transition execution and run speed can quickly become decisive, and those are the details we will continue to target. As we look ahead, performances like Quiberon are valuable for both Olympic qualification and the ongoing development of our athletes.
Mixed Relay ranking points and individual consistency remain critical parts of the LA 2028 pathway, and this event showed that the Tri Blacks are within striking distance of the top tier. There is plenty still to sharpen, but there is also a lot for our wider triathlon community to be proud of. — Travis White
THE STOCKTAKE OLYMPIC RANKINGS
*Denotes New Entry
– Denotes No Change
MEN
1. Vasco Vilaça (POR) —
2. Dorian Coninx (FRA) ↑3
3. Richardo Batista (POR) ↑1
Also NZL
57. Saxon Morgan (NZL) ↓15
78. Tayler Reid (NZL) *
WOMEN
1. Jolien Vermeylen (BEL) ↑1
2. Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) ↑1
3. Jeanne Lehair (LUX) ↑3
Also NZL
47. Eva Goodisson (NZL) ↓4
67. Nicole van der Kaay (NZL) *
86. Brea Roderick (NZL) *
108. Phoebe Carter (NZL) *
NB: To be eligible for a max three individual mens and/or womens slots in LA, NZ would need all three athletes to be ranked inside the top 30.
MIXED RELAY Points
1. France — 800
2. Italy — 740
3. Spain — 684.50
4. Australia — 633.16
5. Portugal — 585.68
6. United States — 541.75
7. Great Britain — 501.12
8. Germany — 463.53
9. New Zealand — 428.77
10. Switzerland — 396.61
11. Belgium — 366.87
12. Luxembourg — 339.35
13. The Netherlands — 313.90
14. Japan — 290.36
15. Hungary — 268.58
QUOTE OF THE WEEK HAYDEN WILDE
“My WTCS series title chase is over for 2026 due to no Abu Dhabi, skipping Yokohama, DNS Alghero and now Quiberon.
I’ve run out of room to fit an extra WTCS [race required to meet the minimum requirement] due to 70.3 Worlds on the same date as another WTCS.
Gutted to not fight for the title but health comes first and it’s been a pretty bumpy three weeks since Olbia. I’ll still be lining up for Hamburg, London and the Grand Final for the WTCS [Pontevedra] just unfortunately I’ll be a race behind.
WHAT’S NEXT? The Full Send Friday
The road to LA28 (and Brisbane 32) doesn’t pause for breath.
Henry McMecking will hope to be passed fit after a sore throat cost him his WTCS debut in Quiberon. The Cantab’s on the start list for World Cup Tiszaujvaro (June 27-28) alongside Tayler Reid and Brea Roderick who are both chasing valuable Olympic ranking points. Junior Hayley Cornwall lines up in Hungary too in the European Junior Cup.
Phoebe Carter, meanwhile, returns to the level she’d actually planned on racing this trip, fronting up at European Cup Wels (June 27) in Austria alongside Gus Marfell, Robbie White and Finnley Oliver, with junior Sophie Webber also on the start list. Friday’s European Diary picks up from there. Till then, Full Send it SBR legend!
