After a fierce competition, Portugal's Joao Silva claimed victory in the elite men's group during the 2019 Weihai ITU Triathlon World Cup at a time of 01:54:47, while Switzerland's Julie Derron won the gold medal in the elite women's group with a time of 02:08:03, marking the first World Cup victory of her career.

The world triathlon series event was held on Sept 21 along the coastline of Halfmoon Bay, located in the northeastern corner of Weihai, Shandong province.

It was an Olympic qualifying competition, during which athletes competed in a 51.5-kilometer series, encompassing a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride, and a 10-kilometer run. 

Sponsored by the China Triathlon Sports Association, the Shandong provincial sports bureau, and the Weihai organizing committee for major sports events, the event attracted 103 participants from 36 countries and regions. 

The Weihai Extreme Triathlon Series was held a day later, attended by 817 athletes from 10 countries and regions.

Weihai has been holding triathlon events since 2008. It is the first city in Asia to hold the long-distance triathlon world championship. It has set the record for the number of participants in the domestic single track triathlon for many years in a row.

The Weihai triathlon course has also been designated as a special course by the China Triathlon Sports Association. It has been praised as "the most beautiful and challenging course in the world" by the International Triathlon Union.

In 2016, Weihai won the right to host the standard distance triathlon World Cup from 2017 to 2019.

In 2017, Weihai launched its own triathlon brand, the Weihai Extreme Triathlon Series, which highlights the city's beautiful scenery, difficult course, and high prize money.

According to local officials, the triathlon event has become a calling card of the city and an important platform for increasing the city's international profile.

At present, the number of people who regularly participate in the triathlon in Weihai has exceeded 3,000, leading to more than 50,000 people to participate in individual sports related to swimming, running, and cycling, which has aroused the public's enthusiasm for fitness and activated the sports consumption market.

According to a report by the Institute of Sport Industry Development of Shanghai University of Sport, the economic benefit generated by the triathlon events in Weihai in 2010 reached 24.45 million yuan ($3.44 million), while in 2017 it has increased nearly 10 times compared with 2010, totaling 235 million yuan.

A field of 49 competitors in the elite men's category line up along the coastline of Halfmoon Bay, located in the northeastern corner of Weihai, to compete for World Cup glory on Sept 21. [Photo/cnr.cn]

Participants cycle 40 km during the 2019 Weihai ITU Triathlon World Cup. [Photo/cnr.cn]