Few if any of the 40 men and 38 women heading in to Friday evening’s repechage races would have wanted another crack at the frenetic and tight WTCS Hamburg super sprint course, but the top 5 from each of the four races will be riding high after making it through for a shot at the format’s first World Championships.

They include USA’s Gwen Jorgensen, who had a 20-second deficit to make up and only the 1.75km run to do it in out of T2, and in the fading light managed to summon a classic kick to sear past the unfortunate Ilaria Zane and take a hard-earned finals berth.

Summer Rappaport had taken control of the heat from the swim along with Natalie Van Coevorden, and both were able to pull away and stay safe as part of a 7-deep lead group from which Lena Meissner and Julia Hauser also progressed.

For Australia’s Emma Jackson it was also a case of leaving it late, 11 seconds off the front pack at the bell but able to dig into the reserves and pass the likes of Lotte Miller and Yuko Takahashi to reach the finals. Jolien Vermeylen had controlled the race after swimming the 300m a full 17 seconds quicker and powering the run, Selina Klamt, Nora Gmur and Lizeth Rueda Santos also finishing in the top 5 to qualify.

The men’s races weren’t without drama either, Seth Rider looking as surprised as anyone to see himself suddenly in fifth at the death after Shachar Sagiv had to take a 10 second penalty just before the finish chute.

Dylan McCullough’s brave solo bid faded over the closing stages as Henri Schoeman went through the gears to take his place in the finals just off the shoulder of Germany’s Valentin Wernz, Janus Staufenberg and Roberto Sanchez Mantecon also through.

It was another German, Lasse Nygaard Priester, who had finished on top of the day’s first repechage, redemption for his narrowest of disappointments in the morning race, likewise Bence Bicsak who had broken clear with Mark Devay and Jonas Schomburg on the bike, those two unable to match the pace of those arriving up to them out of T2, Jawad Abdelmoula and Lasse Luhrs joining them before Matthew McElroy’s late surge into the finals.

Full results can be found here.