Mexican athlete Anahi Alvarez Corral and Frenchman Benjamin Choquert claimed victory in the duathlon at the World Games 2025, held at Xinglong Lake in Chengdu. Alvarez won in a dramatic sprint finish against Spain’s Maria Varo Zubiri, while Choquert dominated the final stretch on the asphalt to leave behind Belgium’s Arnaud Dely and Vincent Bierinckx.
The women’s race featured 29 athletes covering 5 km of running, 30 km of cycling and a final 5 km run, while 34 competitors lined up in the men’s field. Heat and humidity played a major role in both events, which crowned two of the most recognized names on the international circuit.
Victory on the blue carpet
From the opening kilometers, Alvarez, Varo and Belgium’s Jeanne Dupont set the pace at the front, chased by a smaller group led by Lisa Isebaert (Belgium), Aline Kootstra (Netherlands) and Yayoi Fukushima (Japan). On the cycling segment, frequent lead changes allowed the chase group to close the gap before the second transition.
In the decisive run, Varo pulled ahead by a few seconds, but Alvarez responded strongly, rejoining the Spaniard and Dupont. With one kilometer to go, the Belgian was dropped, leaving Alvarez and Varo shoulder to shoulder until the finishing straight. On the blue carpet, the Mexican surged to secure victory by a narrow margin.
“Like a revenge”
After her triumph, Alvarez stated: “I’m very happy to be the winner. This is my first time at the World Games. At this year’s World Championships in June I couldn’t finish because of a flat tire, so this feels like a revenge. I came ready to fight until the end and I really enjoyed the course and the experience.”
Varo explained: “I had an injury after the World Championships and I didn’t know how my run would be today. I couldn’t train for five weeks, but I prepared well recently and felt confident. I gave everything and felt great, but in the end Anahi was faster.”
Choquert winner in Chengdu 2025
For her part, Dupont said: “I’m very happy with the result. Before the Games I expected to be in the Top 5. In the last run my legs were a little tired, so I couldn’t catch the two girls ahead, but I’m happy for myself and for Team Belgium.”
“The heat made it very hard”
In the men’s competition, Choquert, Dely and Bierinckx stayed at the front together with other favorites during the first run. On the bike segment, Ondrej Kubo (Slovakia) and Valentin van Wersch (Netherlands) attempted to break away but were controlled by the main group. The decisive moment came in the final run, when Germany’s Fabian Holbach started in the lead, only for Choquert to surge immediately and open a definitive gap.
The Frenchman reflected afterwards: “After Pontevedra I’m very happy with the result. I was second in Birmingham and winning here is great. This format suits me, although the heat made it very hard.” Dely added: “Our team’s goal was to push on the bike, but the circuit was so fast that it was difficult to break away. That effort took its toll and affected my final run, but I’m satisfied with my performance.” Bierinckx concluded: “This is my first podium after so many fourth places. It’s special to achieve it here at the World Games.”
In the women’s classification, Dupont secured bronze and Lisa Isebaert finished fourth, while in the men’s race Belgium completed the podium with silver for Dely and bronze for Bierinckx, alongside fourth place for Thibaut de Smet. Mohamed Nemsi (Morocco) claimed fifth, the best-ever result for his country in the World Games.
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