Jack Willis is relishing a rare opportunity to race in front of home fans as the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) returns to London on 25 July for the first time in 11 years. The event is part of the T100 weekend, described as the triathlon equivalent of the London Marathon, and will feature 5,300 amateur participants of all ages and abilities.
Building Momentum Towards LA 2028
Willis, who currently sits 20th in the World Triathlon rankings, sees this as a crucial step towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. He said: “My family and friends come to watch but racing in general in the UK, we don't really have the opportunity to do that that much at the moment. Whenever there is, it's one of the best places for crowds that you can really get, especially in London. So, it's something that I'm really excited for.”
He added: “Even though the Olympics still seems quite far away, everything kind of from now starts to count. So, yeah, if you're starting to kind of hit a bit of an upwards trajectory, now's a good time to do it for sure.”
Recent Performance and Ambitions
The 29-year-old achieved his career-best WTCS finish of ninth in 2024, and improved to eighth in Yokohama in May 2026. He aims to match or better that result in London. “To be able to match eighth would be really good. And to be at the front of the race in the mix for as long as you can as well, just to be competitive in the field in the day,” he said.
British Triathlon Legacy
Willis drew inspiration from the Brownlee brothers, who rose to fame at the 2012 London Olympics. He moved to Leeds to train at the university and high-performance hub, and missed the 2022 WTCS London event but earned his first WTCS spot in Sunderland in 2023. “I was quite new to racing on the circuit and then having one so close to home was quite special. Having a lot of people come up and watch and do a 20-minute drive to get across was quite good,” he recalled.
Amateur Participation and Celebrities
Alongside the elite races, the weekend includes participation events with 5,300 amateurs, including former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw, Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer Julian Caillon, and McFly drummer Harry Judd. The elite women start at 1430, men at 1615, with live coverage on Triathlonlive.tv in the UK.
