Hellwig Secures Commanding Win At Ascension Seton Supertri Austin

Olympic gold medallist Tim Hellwig proved his injury comeback is almost complete as he produced a stellar display to take the win in the inaugural Supertri Pro Series event at Ascension Seton Supertri Austin.

Hellwig, who collected gold as part of the Germany mixed relay team in Paris in 2024, had to sit out almost an entire year through injury, but proved his class and his fitness in hot conditions.

A deep water start was a curveball for many athletes, but Hellwig took it in his stride. He worked with another experienced Supertri star, Seth Rider, on the bike as the pair broke clear, and then ran away with it on the run.

Aurelien Jem of France produced a stellar run split to finish second, with the first USA athlete, Matthew McGoey, rounding off the podium and Rider having to settle for fourth. McGoey’s achievements were all the more spectacular given he had to serve a 10 second penalty in T1 due to checking his bike late, which occurred after a flat tire.

Tim Hellwig said: “It’s always a little bit difficult with a deep water start because it is always about the reaction. It was a good start and as a light guy it suited me and I got stronger through the race. I am pretty happy with the overall race and especially the run. It was very hard and with Seth we shared the bike together and it was full gas. To back that up with a solid run is great.”

Supertri Austin was the first race of the revamped Supertri Pro Series, which sees athletes - from elite to first timers - race under a new unified race format. The pros competed over a sprint distance, draft-legal format. Supertri partnered with USA Triathlon for the event to ensure young elite athletes have the chance to race at the highest level, and pays 10 deep. Three athletes per gender also qualified for the Supertri Pro Series Final in Jersey on September 6, with its $800,000 prize pool.

Aurelien Jem said: “I am not a swimming guy so a deep water start was very different but it was fine. At the beginning of the race I don’t know if it was the jet lag but it was very hard. I really was motivated to qualify myself for the Pro Series Final so I really pushed myself to try and secure the podium and I did that with my run so I am very happy. The course was an amazing place to do a triathlon.”

Matthew McGoey said: “Going into this race I had a couple of things stacked against me. A 10 second penalty in T1 was not fun but I made it through and once I caught the pack I had the confidence knowing I could bridge up. I was comfortable with the race and a deep water start as a swimmer for 20 years. It was an exciting course that played to the strength of the strong guys and having good technical aspects. I think it broke up the legs not putting out consistent power and that helped my run.”

With Hellwig and Rider already central Supertri star athletes, the three who earned qualification for the Pro Series final were Aurelien Jem, Matthew McGoey and Carter Stuhlmacher.

Results:

1. Tim Hellwig (GER): 52:00

2. Aurelien Jem (FRA): 52:19

3. Matthew McGoey (USA): 52:28

4. Seth Rider (USA): 52:41

5. Carter Stuhlmacher (USA): 53:03

6. Cole Jamieson (USA): 53:34

7. Nathanael Hamilton (USA): 53:50

8. Elliot Hamilton (USA): 55:05

9. Graham Hummel (USA): 55:48

10. Foster Wilfong (USA): 56:03