Switzerland’s Alanis Siffert will be the main attraction on Saturday, October 24, at the inaugural edition of Challenge Shanghai. The recent winner of DATEV Challenge Roth and the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon, among others, appears not only to be the crowd-puller in China but also the favorite for victory.

Siffert has collected countless victories over the past few years: in 2024, she won the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon, Gérardmer XL, Challenge Peguera-Mallorca, and Challenge Xiamen, while also finishing second at Challenge Kaiserwinkl-Walchsee, Challenge Taiwan, and Challenge Almere-Amsterdam. In 2025, Siffert added another victory at Challenge Taiwan, won both the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon and Gérardmer XL again, finished third at DATEV Challenge Roth, and placed fifth at The Championship. Perhaps her biggest victory came in July, when she claimed the title at DATEV Challenge Roth.

The Swiss athlete will face competition from Australian triathletes Paige Cranage, Jasmine Brown, and Sarah Thomas, American competitors Amy VanTassel, Caroline Bridges, and Elizabeth Nyitray, and Canada’s Rachel Faulds.

In the men’s race, a battle between Oceania athletes is highly expected: Australians and particularly New Zealanders are making their way to Challenge Shanghai in large numbers. Representing Australia are Nathan Dortmann, Nicholas Free, Michael Boult, and Joel Wooldridge, among others, while New Zealand sends Ben Hamilton, Brett Clifford, Mike Phillips, and Xander Marsh.

However, one of the favorites on paper does not come from Oceania, but from Europe: Serbia’s Ognjen Stojanović is a familiar face in the Challenge Family circuit and will give everything on October 24 to claim yet another victory. Greece’s Louis Woodgate is also one to watch, alongside contenders like Dutch athlete Dorian Horsten, Spain’s Alejandro Rilo and Axel Becci, and Britain’s Jamie Philpott.

As a world-renowned triathlon event, Challenge Shanghai brings top-level racing experience to the heart of Shanghai’s coastal area, perfectly integrating competitive sports with ecological leisure.

Athletes from all over the world will compete on a course featuring extraordinary natural scenery: starting with a swim leg in tranquil waters, followed by a spectacular 25km cycling route along the north bank of Hangzhou Bay, and finishing with a run through the lush, oxygen-rich trails of Haiwan National Forest Park, Shanghai’s largest “green lung”.

For further information, visit www.challenge-shanghai.com