Will Draper won Challenge Salou-Costa Daurada on Sunday, May 10 in 3:36:11 — his first title at this race and one of the most commanding performances on the Challenge Family circuit this season. In the women’s race, Elisabetta Curridori successfully defended her 2025 crown in 4:04:02, holding off a hard-charging Milan Agnew by just 40 seconds in one of the closest women’s finishes of the European middle-distance season.
The race was held in Salou on Spain’s Costa Daurada. More than 1,200 triathletes from 50 nations entered across amateur and professional fields, with more than 60 professionals toeing the line across the 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike, and 21 km run course. Start time was 7:15 a.m. local CEST, with the swim beginning at Platja de Llevant.
Men’s Race — Draper Hammers Clear on the Bike
A large group emerged from the water within striking distance of each other — Jack Hutchens, Harry Palmer, Arthur Berland, Thomas Davis (the defending champion), Enzo Bourdon, and Rostislav Pevtsov all in contention. Palmer and Hutchens immediately lit up the first lap of the three-lap, 90 km bike course along the Salou–Tarragona dual carriageway, pushing speeds of around 60 kph to force an early selection.
Draper responded most decisively. He closed the gap after one lap, latched on, then blew past both Palmer and Hutchens and rode clear of the field entirely. By the halfway point on the bike, his lead was 40 seconds. With 20 km remaining, it had ballooned to over two minutes. He came into T2 with a 2:25 advantage over Hutchens, while Finn Grosse-Freese (GER) sat just 20 seconds behind the British pair in fourth.
Hutchens ran his way to second in 3:37:47 — 1:36 back. The final podium spot went to Berland (FRA) in 3:38:23 after he was unable to hold off Hutchens in the closing kilometres. Defending champion Davis did not feature on the podium.
Draper came into Salou ranked 27th in the world, but his form over the past two seasons has been markedly stronger than that number suggests. Podiums at Challenge Wales, Challenge Xiamen, and Challenge St Pölten preceded outright wins at Challenge Mogán-Gran Canaria, Challenge Samarkand, and Challenge Almere-Amsterdam in 2025 — where he took the European long-distance title in a sprint finish on debut at the distance.
Women’s Race — Curridori Controls When It Counts
Marta Sánchez gave the home crowd early reason to cheer, leading out of the water with a 42-second margin over Jasmine Holmes (GBR) and extending that to a minute and a half on the bike. But Curridori, Agnew, and French debutant Juliette Lucet — racing her first professional event — reeled Sánchez in through the second half of the 90 km bike leg and arrived at T2 with the lead erased entirely.
Lucet made a bold move at the start of the 21 km run, hitting the front out of T2. Curridori reclaimed the lead quickly and never relinquished it. Agnew was the only athlete who could stay in contact, but the gap grew steadily — 40 seconds at the halfway mark of the run, a full minute clear after three of four laps. The Italian crossed in 4:04:02. Agnew (AUS) held on for second in 4:04:42, a 40-second deficit after 112.9 km of racing. Sánchez, who had faded mid-race, found a second wind to overtake Lucet in the closing metres and claim third in 4:08:23.
Curridori arrives in Salou each year following the same template. She won at Peñíscola Infinitri the week before last year’s victory and repeated that result again in the week prior to Sunday’s race. Ranked 49th in the world, her back-to-back titles here underline how well this course suits her strengths. Sánchez, ranked 26th globally, was gracious in defeat despite the disappointment of finishing third on home soil.
“The atmosphere in Salou is spectacular. It’s a very fast race, but competing here is very enjoyable. It’s a shame that in a home race there is so little local presence on the podium. Even so, I am happy because it shows this is an international event of the highest level. It’s a pride to share the podium with rivals of this calibre.” — Marta Sánchez, 3rd place
What’s Next
The Challenge Family calendar turns immediately to The Championship on May 24 — the circuit’s flagship, qualification-only event held at the x-bionic sphere sports resort in Šamorín, Slovakia. Draper is already listed among the contenders, arriving as reigning European long-distance champion with a dominant Salou ride just two weeks behind him. The Championship field of more than 80 leading professionals will be one of the deepest of the season.
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