Jack Willis says residence crowds can encourage him forward of WTCS London

Jack Willis is relishing a rare opportunity to race in front of home fans as the World Triathlon Championship Series returns to London, with the Brit hoping to build momentum towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

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After a fairytale run next door to his triathlon beginnings in Sunderland three years ago, Jack Willis will finally get another crack at a World Triathlon Championship Series race in the UK this summer.

The event returns to London on 25 July for the first time in 11 years, as part of the T100 weekend, seen as the triathlon equivalent of the London Marathon, as celebrities line up on the start line.

But Willis knows this is his opportunity to get ahead on home soil, with the Los Angeles Olympics looming in two years.

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.

“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.”

Participation races of various distances are also being held across the weekend, with 5,300 amateurs of all ages and abilities set to take part, including former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw, Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer Julian Caillon and McFly drummer Harry Judd.

Currently sitting at 20th in the World Triathlon rankings, Willis put together an encouraging race in Yokohama in May, finishing eighth and surpassing his previous career-best finish of ninth back in 2024.

The 29-year-old said: “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.

“There’s a lot of history in kind of with British athletes performing well in London. So, yeah, it’d be nice for the group of us that’d be racing there to try and carry on that success that they’ve had there in the past.”

The Brownlee brothers’ legacy continues to be felt keenly 14 years on from their propulsion into the public eye at the 2012 London Olympics, while Alex Yee is the current big name on the men’s side of competition.

Inspired by the Brownlees, Willis took up the sport and moved to Leeds’ university and high-performance hub, missing out on the WTCS event in 2022 but earning his first WTCS spot a year later in Sunderland.

He said: “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.

“And it showcased the North East – I think it’s an underrated part of the country. There’s some good support and good crowds, which made it better as well and I really enjoyed that experience.”

Watch British stars, including Alex Yee, race the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) London on Saturday 25 July. As part of the third London T100 Triathlon weekend that will also see 5,300 amateurs swim, bike and run around the capital. The elite women start at 1430, the men go at 1615, with live coverage on Triathlonlive.tv in the UK.