From April 24-26, XTERRA Greece Vouliagmeni brought the 2026 XTERRA World Tour to the Athenian Riviera, returning to a coastal venue that first joined the XTERRA calendar in 2016 and previously hosted triathlon at the 2004 Olympic Games.
As Stop 2 of the 2026 XTERRA World Cup, the three-day weekend combined elite racing with trail runs, Full Distance and Sprint Triathlons, youth and kids races, relays, food, entertainment, and qualifying opportunities for the XTERRA Youth World Championship and the 30th XTERRA World Championship in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Athletes came from far and wide to be part of XTERRA Greece Vouliagmeni, with participants representing 29 countries from Singapore, Colombia, Panama, the United States, Australia, Sweden, Russia, and throughout Europe. The weekend reached well beyond the elite World Cup field, bringing together families, friends, age group athletes, and a strong next generation presence, with athletes aged 19 and under making up more than 20% of participation across all events.
The Main Event
It was a French sweep in the Full Distance race for maximum XTERRA World Cup points in Vouliagmeni, with Arthur Forissier and Emma Ducreux taking the men’s and women’s wins, while Noel Sterk of the Netherlands and Monika Dorfner of Austria were the fastest age group athletes across the line. The next generation also had a strong showing in the Sprint race, with Arthur Soukup of Germany fastest in Youth B and Chris Xygkakis of Greece leading the Junior category.
Air temperatures reached 25°C in Vouliagmeni, with 18°C water making it a wetsuit swim as Isla Hedleyof Great Britain led out of the water ahead of France’s Emma Ducreux. Ducreux took control on the bike and extended her lead on the run to win ahead of Italy’s Marta Menditto, with the UK’s Kerri-Ann Uphammoving into third to complete the podium.
Michele Bonacina of Italy led a big pack out of the swim in Vouliagmeni before back-to-back reigning World Cup champion Felix Forissier of France took control on the bike, only to drop out with a puncture as Italian Federico Spinazzè moved to the front. Felix’s older brother Arthur Forissier, the current World Cup leader, came through late on the run to win ahead of fellow Frenchman Nicolas Duré and Spinazzè.
Full results and fastest splits here.
World Cup leaderboard and updates here.
Stories from the Weekend
Joeri Deleebeeck of Belgium praised both the atmosphere and the course: “XTERRA Greece has a great atmosphere in the village, with a superb course that’s quite technical and hard, with excellent weather. It was good to have fun on the beach and in the sea, with the family here to relax as well.”
Jędrzej Kłos of Poland connected the weekend to the wider experience of visiting Greece: “Greek hospitality is the best. This was my fourth time and I always come here with my family because there are many places to visit, so we connect it all together.”
Sofia Gurria Hamdan from Mexico pointed to the setting and local welcome: “The view while running, the swimming, and everything else was amazing. Greece is one of my favorite places. I’ve been here a couple of times before, and every time, the people, the food, are just fantastic.”
Casper van der Kamp from the Netherlands described a weekend shared across generations: “The beautiful scenery here, the swim in the gorgeous sea, clear water, with lots of friends from the XTERRA family made it special. We just did the kids triathlon with my son. He did his first triathlon, so it’s an event for the whole family. And that belongs to XTERRA, it’s very important. Thank you to all the people here in Vouliagmeni.”
XTERRA thanks the City of Vari Voula Vouliagmeni, Trimore Sport Events, the Greek National Tourism Organization, the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Education and Sports, and all local partners, volunteers, athletes, families, and supporters who helped bring the 2026 edition to life.
Highlights, athlete moments, and stories from across the weekend are being shared on @xterraeurope, with a full look at the people, racing, and atmosphere that made Vouliagmeni one to remember.