Katie Zaferes and Jason West were the top Team USA finishers at the inaugural World Triathlon Cup Brasilia this weekend, as the pair put in fine performances in the Brazilian capital.

Zaferes, continuing her comeback season after childbirth with a first podium in a World Triathlon Cup event, battled all the way to the line and just missed out on the win, finishing second behind Italian Alice Betto, who is also returning to racing having recently given birth.

For West, who returned to short-course racing last week having specialised over the middle distance in recent years, a fifth place finish behind home star Miguel Hidalgo was a positive step forward after coming home 39th at World Triathlon Cup in Rome.

Elite Women – Betto wins

Following a tough day of racing at the WTCS Finals in Pontevedra at the end of September, Zaferes was much more competitive over the Olympic distance in Brasilia this weekend, as she pushed eventual winner Betto all the way to the line.

Setting herself up well for the win, Zaferes was amongst the fastest swimmers in the race, coming out just behind home favourite Vittoria Lopes – who had a +0:15 lead out of the water in a big front pack that reached double figures.

Out on the bike, Lopes couldn’t make her early lead count, as the main pack all rolled into transition together on a hot day in Brazil, with the medals set to be decided on the 10km run.

Improving on her eighth-place finish at a home race last weekend in Rome, Betto outlasted Zaferes and Mexican star Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal to take the win by 10 seconds, as Zaferes outran Tapia Vidal with a great run split.

World Triathlon Cup Brasilia – Elite Women

• 1. Alice Betto (ITA) – 2:00:05
• 2. Katie Zaferes (USA) – 2:00:15
• 3. Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal (MEX) – 2:00:27
• 4. Petra Kurikova (CZE) – 2:00:46
• 5. Miriam Casillas Garcia (ESP) – 2:01:03

Elite Men – Home victory for Hidalgo

In the men’s race, the home favourite Miguel Hidalgo lived up to expectations, as the young Brazilian took the win by a big margin of victory following an outstanding race.

Leading from start to finish, the 23-year-old was out of the water in front, leading Spaniard David Castro Fajardo and 20 other men out of the water within +0:15 of the front, as West exited with a +0:18 deficit.

Controlling the race on the front, Hidalgo had the fastest bike split of the day and was joined in the lead group by the likes of Canadian Charles Paquet and Spaniard Sergio Baxter Cabrera, plus fellow countryman Manoel Messias.

Closing out the day with a killer run leg, Hidalgo quickly dispatched of the rest of the front pack out of transition and put some considerable distance between himself and second place finisher Antonio Serrat Seoane, winning by over 25 seconds. In third, Pacquet was rewarded for a good race across the board.

Further back than he would have liked on the bike, West lost time to the leaders and had a deficit to make up on the 10km run, which he did in trademark fashion, running the second fastest split behind winner Hidalgo to finish in fifth.

World Triathlon Cup Brasilia – Elite Men

• 1. Miguel Hidalgo (BRA) – 1:48:01
• 2. Antonio Serrat Seoane (ESP) – 1:48:27
• 3. Charles Pacquet (CAN) – 1:48:27
• 4. Crisanto Grajales (MEX) – 1:49:00
• 5. Jason West (USA) – 1:49:08