The roots of Mixed Relay Triathlon go back to 2003, when the ITU held a pair of Team Relay Championships in Hungary – one for men and one for women. Every team would have three members who would each complete one leg each of a swim, a bike, and a run. In 2009 the event was reorganized into a Mixed Relay combining four-person teams – two women and two men – who each completed a full 300-meter swim, 6.8 kilometer bike and a 2 kilometer run. This new format debuted in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, a significant step in hopefully adding team triathlon into the 2016 Olympic Games. However, it was not until the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 that Mixed Team Relay debuted on the Olympic stage.

In the giddy excitement of the first Olympic Mixed Team Relay in Tokyo, the leading teams attracted star-filled rosters which made for exciting and competitive clashes. Great Britain featured Jessica Learmonth, multiple Olympic medalist Jonny Brownlee, world champion Georgia Taylor-Brown and cleanup hitter Alex Yee. The U.S. heavy hitters roster included 2021 individual Olympic bronze medalist Katie Zaferes, Kevin McDowell, rising star and killer cyclist Taylor Knibb and a surprising newcomer Morgan Pearson, who sported a startlingly swift run. The 2021 Olympic Mixed Relay duel came down to Alex Yee clinching victory for Great Britain by 14 seconds over the Americans, with France 9 seconds further back for the bronze.

Three years later, the contending teams have shuffled the deck significantly. In a World Championship Mixed Relay Team event in Hamburg held three weeks before the Olympics (a virtual Olympic Test Event), the German squad dominated for a second straight year. The German team of Henry Graf, Lisa Tertsch, Lasse Luhrs and Annika Koch finished first at Worlds in 1:19:53, leading the runner-up Swiss team – Max Studer, Julie Derron, Simon Westermann and Cathia Schär – by 8 seconds. Team New Zealand, led by Hayden Wilde, took the bronze, three seconds behind the Swiss.

Illustrating how much the leading teams have changed in 2024, the leading Mixed Relay teams at the Tokyo Olympics fell varying degrees of backward. In the qualifying races in July of 2024. Great Britain maintained respectability but not up to their 2021 gold standard. The Brits took 4th three weeks ago, with a team of Sam Dickinson, Beth Potter, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee. But what makes Mixed Relay so delightfully unpredictable is that team members are subject to recent magic – to inspire or to depress – of their most recent Olympic individual performances.

Will oddsmakers trying their best base their picks on historic or recent form be simply confused? There is another approach. How much might the very recent results of the Individual Olympic triathlon affect the actual results? One key factor – did a winning or medal effort leave the Mixed Relay performer on a high, or exhausted? Has a disappointing Individual performance left a Mixed Relay performer depressed or raring to avenge? Will the very sprint format be so unique that guessing how they will fare in Mixed Relay be like comparing an NFL Combine 4.25 seconds 40-yard sprinter to a 400-meter Olympian?

There are sixteen teams competing for the Paris 2024 Mixed Team Relay. The final names and race order of the two men and two women selected to represent those 16 countries may only be decided at the last moment, with only a few countries having confirmed their rosters for the event. That leads to our speculation. Will Alex Yee’s come-from-behind victory, rather than exhausting him, elevate rather than enervate him? Bronze medal winner Beth Potter, after some post-race restorative rest, may have been equally inspired to contribute her great talent in Super League sprint format wins, into a high prestige Olympic sprint contest. Similarly, Georgia Taylor-Brown’s 6th place finish in Paris may leave her reinvigorated with team spirit. So, I predict the Brits will win.

France, whose super-talented members were concentrating on Individual prep and did not participate in the Hamburg event, might just have enough home country inspiration to unleash their all-star roster: Paris gold medalist Cassandre Beaugrand and fourth place Emma Lombardi, and on the men’s side, Olympic bronze medallist and 2022 World Champion Leo Bergere and fourth-placed Pierre Le Corre provide an extremely strong duo. On paper, they look unstoppable. In terms of potential order, Lombardi took the anchor leg when the hosts claimed silver at the Test Event last year. But might they wish to provide Beaugrand another opportunity to claim victory on Pont Alexandre III? Still, they are my silver pick.

Will the United States, after sorely disappointing Olympic finishes by their two stars, Taylor Knibb (19th) and Morgan Pearson (31st – two places behind Seth Rider), be eager for revenge? Will an out-for-blood Taylor Spivey after her 10th place finish inspire the U.S. to be closer to their Tokyo Mixed Relay podium finish than their 9th place three weeks ago? Or will the team rely on Kirsten Kasper, who had a great swim in the individual race but crashed out of contention? This time around the U.S. has a long shot and, in my opinion, enough firepower for bronze.

Other Teams to Watch

Prior to the Individual Olympics, the German Mixed Relay Team had been on a red-hot winning streak with a high chemistry team of lads and lasses but lacking star power, might well come back to earth and take 4th. Switzerland also had excellent form in Pre-Olympic Mixed Relay contests (second at the Mixed Relay World Championship three weeks before the Olympics). Their roster includes Julie Derron, coming off a dark horse silver medal at the Paris Individual contest, Cathi Schär (43rd), Max Studer (40th) and Adrien Briffod (49th). Derron ought to inspire all of them – but not enough to podium.

After finishing 12th at the 2021 Olympic Mixed Team Relay in Tokyo, New Zealand made the most sweeping improvement with a 3rd place at the 2024 Mixed Team Relay World Championship in July. But given the renewed strength of many teams, the Kiwis should be happy with a top five finish Monday in Paris. This year’s Olympic squad is quite similar to its 2024 World Championship team including Hayden Wilde, Ainsley Thorpe and Nicole Van der Kaay. However, Dylan McCullough replaces Tayler Reid here.

This puzzling topsy turvy state of affairs in the Mixed Relay Triathlon world just illustrates the unique skills rewarding the non-stop, slam-bang sprint pace that makes fans go crazy for a high adrenaline spectacle that draws a whole new set of fans.

Image Courtesy of World Triathlon

The post Olympic Mixed Team Relay Preview: Can Anyone Beat Great Britain? first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Women's Race Contenders

The women's event is scheduled for July 31st.

Cassandre Beaugrand FRA, 27
Home country darling Cassandre Beaugrand is riding on the wave of momentum propelling her to Olympic favorite status over the likes of 2023 World Champion Beth Potter and defending Olympic gold medalist Flora Duffy, just now recovering from injuries that left her 500 days away from racing.

Beaugrand started her Olympic campaign in 2023 with a 2nd place at the Paris test event and 3rd at the World Championship in Ponte Vedra. While Potter won those races, Beaugrand soldiered through cramping episodes in both.

This year the Frenchwoman turned the tables on her British rival. Beaugrand won her first WTCS Olympic distance victory at Cagliari, then decisively outran the British Rio Olympics 10,000-meter star in a duel to the finish at the sprint distance WTCS at Hamburg.

With Parisian race time temps forecasted to be not excessively hot, Beaugrand might be free of more cramping issues and should be in top form.

Beth Potter GBR, 33
Potter has earned the triathlon spotlight with an impeccable 2023 with wins at the World Championship at Ponte Vedra and at the Paris test event, plus WTCS wins at Abu Dhabi and Montreal. This year many bookies (mostly English) had Potter the Olympic favorite despite finishing third to Beaugrand and Lisa Tertsch of Germany at two WTCS races this year.

Potter’s ace in the hole may well be coach Jack Maitland, who guided the Brownlee brothers to their extensive Olympic successes. No coach has better experience keeping his athletes on form and free of severe Olympic pressure.

Flora Duffy BER, 37
Duffy is the Defending Olympic Champion, has four World Triathlon Championships and two Commonwealth Games golds, But leg injuries sidelined Duffy’s momentum for a total of 500 days. Her stellar record has given her the title of Greatest of All Time in short course triathlon So, on her return to competition this year, Duffy tip toed through a 7th place at Yokohama and 8th at Cagliari. Still, Duffy gave a heads up to anyone doubting the seriousness of her comeback with examination of her race at Cagliari. Duffy went on a walkabout for the first 5k of the run. But with another 5k to go, Duffy found her old form, zoomed past 9 competitors on the final 5k with her pace just a few seconds slower than the leading trio.

There remains a big question mark on Duffy’s chances for a medal. But if she can catch the lead pack after the swim, Duffy’s renowned bike prowess will give her a shot. After all, if she has anything left of her 2021 Tokyo 33:00 10k run speed – 52 seconds better than nearest pursuer Georgia Taylor-Brown – anything is possible for the GOAT short course legend.

At the start of 2023 doctors found a partial patella tear and cartilage damage which was treated with platelet-rich plasma injections and a hydro dissection process to clean out scar tissue. Perhaps summer workouts with fellow Boulder summer resident Taylor Knibb will bear fruit and Duffy will be the threat once again.

Taylor Knibb USA, 26
Knibb is a 2-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion, a 2-time Oceanside 70.3 winner, winner of San Francisco T100, second at 2024 WTCS Yokohama, and placed 5th at the 2023 Paris Test Event.

Her coach Dan Lorang says Knibb has “amazing bike power” in her arsenal. Can she use it on the flat and fast roads of Paris? “It’s not a big secret that Taylor will not wait for something to happen,” says Lorang.
Knibb will compete in both cycling and triathlon in the Paris Olympics. A national champion in US Time Trial, the Cycling TT takes place several days before her first individual triathlon The schedule is Women's Cycling TT on July 27th, Women's Individual Triathlon on July 31st, and Mixed Team Relay on August 5th.

Having trained in swimming in high school and running cross country and track in college, Knibb is a long shot with a real chance for gold who can keep up on the swim, push the pace on the bike and hang with the leaders on the run.

Taylor Spivey USA, 33
Her recent form on the eve of her first Olympics: 4th at Yokohama, which earned her Olympic qualification. 10th at the Paris Olympic Test Event. And 3rd at 2023 WTCS Abu Dhabi.

For Taylor Spivey, the 33-year-old is nearing the end of a long-held dream. On July 31 she hopes to convert the incredible consistency she has displayed over a decade of top rankings.

Spivey spent early years surf life-saving at home in Redondo Beach California and starting a triathlon career. Her breakthrough came early in 2019 when she placed 4th in the ITU World Triathlon Series behind Katie Zaferes, Jess Learmonth and Georgia Taylor Brown.

Spivey has earned 14 World Triathlon podiums during her career and has been a key member of the U.S. team that won silver at the 2020 Mixed Relay World Championships.

USA Triathlon calls her "one of the most consistent elite triathletes in the world," ranked in the top four in the world for the past five years consecutively.

But this Olympic joy didn’t come easy. "After being first in the World Triathlon Series ranking going into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and missing out on being selected for the USA Olympic team, made my selection for the Paris Olympic Team that much sweeter," said Spivey.
She likes to joke that she finished an Ironman triathlon before she was even born. But it was a fact, not a joke. Her mom Bonnie Spivey competed at Kona during her first few months of pregnancy with Taylor on board.

Kirsten Kasper USA, 33
After a long quest to make the Olympic team, Kristen Kasper fulfilled her dream with a 5th place at the 2024 WTCS Yokohama that qualified her for the Olympic squad.

The long road to Paris began with a WTS Podium in 2017, followed by stops in 2018 – a 4th at World Tri Abu Dhabi, a win at the New Plymouth World Cup, a 4th at World Tri Bermuda, and stints at the USA Mixed Relay Team in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Georgia Taylor-Brown, GBR, 30
In difficult conditions in the 2021 Olympics and despite suffering a flat tire on the last cycle lap, Taylor-Brown closed the resulting gap on the lead group ahead to win silver. A few days later Georgia won a gold medal in the Triathlon Mixed Relay at the Tokyo Olympics. She also won the 2021 Super League Triathlon Championship series, having finished 2nd in all four Championship series races.

Taylor-Brown ended her 2023 season with a calf tear. By Cagliari this year, she returned to action with a 6th place finish – not up to her Cagliari wins in 2022 and 2023 – but on target. Taylor-Brown’s career highlights also included 2020 World Triathlon Championships Gold, 2022 silver and 2018 and 2019 Bronze – and silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Leonie Periault FRA, 29
Periault has high highlights and unpredictable lows and there is no sure idea where she will finish at Paris. Her win in Yokohama this year was red hot. Periault won with a second-best 33:02 10k, which gave her a 36 seconds margin over runner-up Taylor Knibb.

Yet, two weeks later she missed the lead pack in Italy, eventually finishing a distant 26th nearly four minutes back in Cagliari. In the 2023 Paris Test Event, Periault finished 23rd. In the 2020 Olympic Games Periault finished 5th.

If she falters on the swim or in the bike in Paris, she has no prayer. But at the same time, if there’s a lead group starting the 10k run together, Periault will be one of the athletes to beat.

Lisa Tertsch GER, 25
Harvard graduate Lisa Tertsch (GER) flipped the usual script, splitting Cassandre Beaugrand and Beth Potter when taking silver in both WTCS Cagliari and Hamburg this season.

Tertsch did it on the runs. At Cagliari she posted the fastest 10k at 33:08 and at Hamburg she recorded the 4th-best 5k at 15:36. She currently stands at 4th on the World Triathlon rankings and 2nd at the WTCS rankings.

Laura Lindemann GER, 28
While Lisa Tertsch’s impressive silvers at Hamburg and Cagliari made a big impression over long-time German star Laura Lindemann, Lindemann’s steady excellence kept on coming. In 2021 she took 1st at the Hamburg World Championship Series. in 2022, she took 5th at WTCS Leeds, 4th at WTCS Bermuda and in 2023 she scored 3rd at the Paris Test Event.

Emma Lombardi FRA, 23
France’s Emma Lombardi made a big impact at the 2021 Edmonton World Triathlon Championship Finals, becoming U23 World Champion by winning her first ever Olympic-distance race. In 2022, Emma hit her first WTCS podium, winning the silver in Cagliari before scoring a top 10 finish at the Championship Final in Abu Dhabi. In 2023 she took 4th at the Paris Test Event and 6th at the Championship Finals. Lombardi remains powerfully consistent. In 2024, she took 5th at Hamburg, 4th at Caligari, and 3rd at Yokohama.

Lombardi is the current 2024 WTCS Number 1 and Number 2 in World Triathlon rankings.

Jeanne Lehair LUX, 28
There’s a fine line between reading recent results versus trying to see how athletes are peaking on the big days. In 2024 Lehair was 5th at Cagliari and 4th at Hamburg, seemingly building up to performances she displayed during 2023. That included a European Championship duathlon title and victory at Super League Triathlon London.
Lehair left the competition within the French team for the solo focus she receives in Luxemberg. Her momentum tapered off in 2023 when she took 13th at the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Final in Ponte Vedra and 11th at the Olympic Test Event in Paris.

Now, she’s aiming to put herself back contention on the run and roll the dice. Maybe not enough for an Olympic podium – but Lehair might be in contention into the late stages.

Kate Waugh GBR, 25
If the stress of the incredibly competitive Great Britain selection process hasn’t left too much damage, then Kate Waugh is one of those athletes who will be calling on all her abilities to get it right on the biggest days. In 2023, Waugh took a step in the serious direction with a 2nd in Pontevedra at the Championship Finals – the best result of her career. She will need that level of performance again given the form others have shown, plus the return of Duffy and GTB who had been absent that day.

Waugh’s encouraging 2023 performance at Ponte Vedra were followed by ordinary 2024 marks – 7th at WTCS Hamburg, 10th at WTCS Cagliari and 10th at WTCS Yokohama. After making the Great Britain Olympic team, there will be no more time to take it easy. The time for simply solid is over.

Men's Race Contenders

The men's race is scheduled for July 30th.

Alex Yee GBR, 26
The Tokyo 2020 silver medalist will be many people’s picks to upgrade that to gold this time around. He won the 2023 Test Event in impressive style, walking across the finish line with time to spare, a class above. Worth remembering that biggest rival Hayden Wilde was forced out of the race on the run.

A look at the story of Yee’s Test Event looks like an impressive preview of his Olympic chances. Yee began with a 18th-best swim that left him 21 seconds down, closed to within 5 seconds after the bike, and burst into a 2 seconds lead after the first lap of the run. Never looking back, Yee created a 27 seconds lead after the third lap of the run, then cruised to the finish, surrendering 14 seconds of his lead on his way to a race–best 29-minute 10k that was 14 seconds faster than his nearest rivals.

Yee’s includes form includes another memorable winning battle with Hayden Wilde at WTCS Cagliari. He also posted wins at 2023 WTCS Abu Dhabi, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and 2022 WTCS Yokohama.

Kristian Blummenfelt NOR, 30
The Tokyo Olympic champion produced the greatest 18 months in the history of professional triathlon in which he won the Olympic Games, World Triathlon Championship, IRONMAN World Championship and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. Blummenfelt topped the Olympic triumph off by making several surges that wounded his rivals like a picador, then outrunning the sport’s greatest 10k runner, Alex Yee – by a 29:34 to 29:44 margin – on his way to an 11-seconds margin of victory.

In the past year, Blummenfelt has been in a well-deserved rest / slump. In 2023 Kristian placed 8th at Yokohama, 15th at Cagliari, 9th at Hamburg, 9th at the Paris Test Event, and 18th at the Ponte Vedra Finals. Things were not better in 2024 where Bib Blu was 10th at Yokohama and 31st at Cagliari.

It’s been almost three years since Kristian was won the Edmonton Championship Final – one month after the Olympics. After all, Yee and Wilde are stronger while Blummenfelt has been relatively resting and in a understandable slump after his Herculean explosion of winning in 2021. And so Blummenfelt says he is ready to launch an all-out comeback. He says he is going for the gold. Anything short of that, let it be damned.

Hayden Wilde NZL, 27
Wilde has entertained triathlon fans worldwide with his red-hot duels with Alex Yee, highlighted by his 2021 Tokyo Olympic tussle with Yee who bested the Kiwi by 8 seconds to grab the silver. In 2022 Wilde won Hamburg, took 2nd at Yokohama, won Leeds, and took 2nd at the Commonwealth Games. In 2023 he won Yokohama, took 2nd at Caligari, won Hamburg, and DNF at the Test Event. This year Wilde placed 2nd by 2 seconds behind Alex Yee at with Caligari.

Matt Hauser AUS, 26
Matt Hauser is on a mission to become4 the first Australian man to make an Olympic triathlon podium – if not the gold. Since a dispiriting 24th at the Tokyo Olympics, Hauser may be the most improved triathlete in the Paris field. In a 2022 interview, Hauser made a very revealing declaration: I really went away from that and knew that I had to work really hard to try and get up to Alex and Hayden. I didn’t want to miss the boat; they are starting to change the guard of triathlon and I really didn’t want to miss that.

Recent form provides evidence he has put his heart into that quest. This year he won WTCS Hamburg and finished 2nd behind Morgan Pearson at WTCS Yokohama. In 2023 covid took him out of the Test Event. But he was 2nd at Yokohama behind Hayden Wilde. In 2022 he was 3rd at the Commonwealth Games, and in 2022 he finished 5th at the World Triathlon Championship Final.

Hauser’s ace in the hole is his closing speed, which ought to instill fer in any rivals down the stretch.

Luke Willian AUS, 28
On the heels of fellow Aussie Matt Hauser, Luke Willian seems ready to follow in Hauser’s wake. Although lacking big wins, Willian is gradually building a promising resume in select WTCS races and second tier events. He took 3rd at 2024 WTCS Yokohama, won World Cups at Wollongong and Busselton, only slipping with a DNF at the Paris Test Event.

Morgan Pearson USA, 31
Pearson emerged as a serious international contender in 2021 when he placed 3rd at WTCS Yokohama and thus qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. That bright shining moment was dimmed when he placed 42ND at his Olympic debut, a performance he deemed “embarrassing.” He regained some respect soon thereafter when he earned a silver medal as part of the U.S. Mixed Relay Olympic squad. Pearson thus set a pattern of alternate highs and lows. And alerted fans and coaches to be ready for anything.

Proving that he belonged with Yee and Wilde in discussions about long shots with a real chance of Olympic gold are his 2022, 2023 and 2024 performances. In 2022 Pearson placed 2nd at the World Championship Finals at Abu Dhabi. In 2023 he placed a solid 6th at the Paris Olympic Test Event. In 2024, he posted an impressive win at WTCS Yokohama which qualified him for his second Olympic team. Underlining his potential, his by-far race-best 29:11 closing run at Yokohama was 18 seconds faster than runner-up Aussie Matthew Hauser, 24 seconds better than 3rd place Luke Willian of Australia, and 32 seconds better than 4th-place Leo Bergere of France.

Seth Rider USA, 27
USA Triathlon officials chose Rider primarily because of his value to the Mixed Relay team – noting his participation on the USA team Mixed Relay Results – 1st in 2021 Montreal, 3rd in 2022 Montreal, 9th in 2023 Paris, and 9th in the 2024 World Championship in Hamburg. Some of his best individual marks include 6th in the 2024 World Cup Vina del Mar, and 6th in the 2023 World Cup New Plymouth.

Vasco Vilaca POR, 24
Fast rising young Portuguese star, Vilaca now is 3rd in World Triathlon ranking, His most prestigious splash came with a second place at the Paris Test Event. Other notable finishes Include 2nd at 2024 WTCS Hamburg. In 2023 he was 2nd at Abu Dhabi and 3rd at Yokohama.

The French Triad
Dorian Coninx, Leo Bergere and Pierre Le Corre have home country advantage, and the last two World Triathlon champions. Current World Triathlon ranked #1 and #2. Very consistent – finished 3rd, 4th and 5th at the Paris Test Event.

Leo Bergere FRA, 28
Bergere leads the way (slightly) of the Frenchmen with consistent excellence topped by a win at the 2022 World Championship Finals at Abu Dhabi. Other notable finishes include a 3rd at the 2021 Championship Finals in Edmonton, 4th at the 2023 Ponte Vedra Championship Finals, and a 5th at the 2023 Paris Olympic Test Event. Only blemish was his 21st at the Tokyo Olympics. But Bergere also has a rich set of WTCS podiums including a 2nd at the 2023 WTCS Sunderland, 3rd at 2023 Caligari, 2nd at 2022 Leeds and 3rd at WTCS Yokohama.

Dorian Coninx FRA, 30
Coninx posted the most recent French World Championship win at the Ponte Vedra Grand Final in 2023. His most significant, recent mark was his 3rd place at the 2023 Paris Test Event. Coninx will also be eager to avenge his disappointing 17th at the Tokyo Olympics. Most recent 2023 WTCS results include 4th places at Yokohama and Caligari.

Pierre Le Corre FRA, 34
Le Corre’s most notable recent performance was a 3rd at the 2023 World Championship final at Ponte Vedra, followed by a raft of podiums at regular WTCS events – 3rd at 2024 Hamburg, 4th at the 2023 Paris Test Event, and 4th at the 2021 WTCS at Abu Dhabi.

Tim Hellwig GER, 25
Hellwig’s strongest race was 2nd place at the 2023 Triathlon Championship Finals in Ponte Vedra. Next in star power was two 2023 World Cup wins in Tongyeong and Chengdu. Also notable was his win at 2021 WTCS Hamburg and an U23 2nd place finish at the 2021 Championship finals in Edmonton.

Jelle Geens BEL, 31
If he can survive the swim and latch on to the fast- disappearing leading bike train, the Belgian has a chance to put his fast feet to work for a chance at the medals. He has but two WCTS wins on the sprint distance – Montreal 2019 and Abu Dhabi in 2021. He must also survive constant injuries and as well as a bout with covid that cost him an appearance at the Tokyo Olympics. One sign that his luck is on the rise is his performance at the 2022 World Triathlon Championships Finals in Abu Dhabi, where his sizzling-fast, 3rd-best 29:28 run brought him home in 3rd place, just 20 seconds behind winner Leo Bergere and 9 seconds back of runner-up Morgan Pearson.

Marten Van Riel BEL, 32
Van Riel really loves the high pressure, glittering prestige events as witnessed by his 4th place at the 2021 Tokyo Gams. Van Riel’s most impressive recent result was a win at the 2024 T100 Triathlon World Tour in San Francisco. In 2021, Van Riel also scored a 2nd at the 2021 World Championship Finals in Edmonton, and a 3rd at the 2021 WTCS in Leeds.

The post Beaugrand, Yee favored at Olympic Triathlon first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Casandre Beaugrand of Frace and Matt Hauser of Australia dominated the sprint distance WTCS Hamburg with race-best runs providing their margins of victory.

Beaugrand made a statement that she was a favorite to take a home country Olympic gold medal in Paris three weeks hence with a dominating 11-seconds win at Hamburg. Beaugrand’s momentum is strong as she also took WTCS Cagliari last month.

Beaugrand emerged from a traffic jam at T2 with an immediate blast onto the run, opening a 14-seconds lead at the halfway point. Beaugrand then held on to finish in 55:19 with a 15:20 5k run split that was 12 seconds faster than Beth Potter of Great Britain. Lisa Tertsch of Germany prevailed with a back and forth, barn burner of a battle with Potter to the finish in 55:30 to Potter’s 55:31. However, Beaugrand will face strong resistance as co-favorites Taylor Knibb of the U.S., Geogia Taylor-Brown of Great Britain, Flora Duffy of Bermuda and Yokohama winner Leonie Periault of France skipped Hamburg to rest up for Paris.

Australian Matt Hauser increased his Olympic momentum with a win at Hamburg, backing up his runner-up finish at WTCS Yokohama to start his 2024 season. While Hauser has reason to be optimistic to become the first Australian Olympic gold medalist, he must face several Hamburg no-shows including Hayden Wilde of New Zealand, Leo Bergere and Dorian Coninx of France, Alex Yee of Great Britain and defending Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway (albeit off-form so far this season).

“That was tough out there but I am really happy with the win,” Hauser told World Triathlon media. “I feel good now. Going into Tokyo was a different story, I was praying to Hail Mary to get a good result there, but this year I want to enjoy the experience. I am in some of the best form that I’ve ever been. I I can’t fear anyone. We are best friends on and off the course, but at a race you gotta keep the blinders on and just go.”

The Women

Up the ramp after the swim, Great Britain’s Olivia Mathias and Switzerland’s Therese Feuersinger led the way over Germany’s Lisa Tertsch and Luxemberg’s Jeanne Lehair while Beth Potter, Beaugrand and Tertsch chased 9 seconds back. Emma Lombardi, Maya Kingma and Katie Zaferes were further off the pace.

A foursome of Feuersinger, Tertsch, Mathias and Lehair began to pull away before Britain’s Kate Waugh pulled the chasers up the pace. Potter and Waugh led the front pack through lap two, while Cathia Schär and Emma Lombardi led the chasers as the packs merged. At the bell 26 athletes arrived at T2 together.

At T2 Tertsch, Lena Meissner of Germany and Brea Roderick of New Zealand hit the run first. Beaugrand quickly joined the front along with Annika Koch of Germany and Lombardi, Waugh, Potter and Schär.
Beaugrand immediately carved out a lead that was never threatened, while Waugh fell out of contention when she stopped briefly to fix a loose shoe.

At the bell Beaugrand finished her big Olympic statement two weeks out from a home Games. Just when Potter had the silver in her grasp, Tertsch found another gear onto the blue carpet and took silver, Potter with bronze, Lehair in fourth and Emma Lombardi 5th.

Elite Women Results

July 13, 2024
Hamburg, Germany
S 750m / B 20k/ R 5k

1. Cassandre Beaugrand FRA S 10:02 T1 00:30 B 29:05 T2 00:23 R 15:20 TOT 55:19
2. Lisa Tertsch GER S 10:00 T1 00:29 B 29:04 T2 00:22 R 15:36 TOT 55:30
3. Beth Potter GBR S 10:03 T1 00:32 B q29:02 T2 00:24 R 15:32 TOT 55:31
4. Jeanne Lehair LUX S 9:53 T1 00:32 B 29:15 T2 00:24 R 15:32 TOT 55:33
5. Emma Lombardi FRA S 10:09 T1 00:31 B 28:55 T2 00:23 R 15:39 TOT 55:35
6. Anika Koch GER S 10:03 T1 00:31 B 29:00 T2 00:24 R 15:48 TOT 55:45
7. Kate Waugh GBR ZS 10:05 T1 009:32 B 28:58 T2 00:27 R 15:48 TOT 55:48
8. Cathia Schair SUI S 10:25 T1 00:32 B 28:38 T2 00:24 R 16:03 TOT 56:00
9. Rachel Klamer NED S 10:14 T1 00:33 B 28:51 T2 00:254 R 16:11 TOT 56:12
10. Marlene Gomez-Goggel GER S 10:08 T1 00:31 B 28:57 T2 00:25 R 16:18 TOT 56:17
14. Erika Ackerlund USA S 10:05 T1 00:32 B 29:00 T2 00:22 R 16:30 TOT 56:27
24. Katie Zaferes USA S 10:12 T1 00:38 B 28:53 T2 00:27 R 16:52 TOT 57:00
33. Gwen Jorgensen USA S 10:08 T1 00:36 B e30:49 T2 00:29 R 15:50
41. Gina Sereno USA S 10:11 T1 00:34 B 32:01 T2 00:29 R 16:24 TOT 59:37

The Men

Hauser started his day in a crowded swim, 3 seconds back of swim co-leaders Mark Devay of Hungary, Alessio Crociani of Italy and Vincent Luis of France. Hauser fell 20 seconds back of the bike leaders on the run, then ran past Crociani and Casper Stornes of Norway, reaching the shoulder of race leader Vasco Vilaca of Portugal at the halfway point.

Pierre Le Corre moved into third with Vincent Luis on his shoulder but as the pace continued to rise, Luis had no answer. Hauser dropping the hammer decisively on the way to a 13:40 run to the gold leaving Vilaca with silver and Le Corre with bronze.

“The biggest goal today was to get a good race and not to crash, getting myself confident again when I’m riding on a big group, ” Vilaca told Triathlon World media. “I am very happy with the result today. Matt was really the best one out there… I had a bad swim and quite a lot of work to do on the bike but I am happy with my form right now and looking forward to Paris.”

“I am really happy because we have the Olympics is in two weeks and I wanted to check that all the work has been done,” Le Corre told World Triathlon media. “I think I am pretty fit, so now it is only rest until the Olympics.”

Elite Men Results

1. Matthew Hauser AUS S 9:04 T1 00:30 B 26:31 T2 00:20 R 13:40 TOT 50:03
2. Vasco Vilaca POR S 9:17 T1 00:32 B 26:11 T2 00:21 R 13:49 TOT 50:09
3. Pierre Le Corre FRA S 9:05 T1 00:29 B 26:27 T2 00:22 R 13:50 TOT 50:10
4. Jelle Geens BEL S 9:19 T1 00:29 B 26:11 T2 00:23 R 13:58 TOIT 50:18
5. Casper Stornes NOR S 9:10 T1 00:30 B 26:22 T2 00:21 R 13:59 TOT 50:19
6. Vincent Luis FRA S 9:01 T1 00:30 B 26:29 T2 00:21 R 14:03 TOT 50:23
7. Alessio Crociani ITA S 9:01 T1 00:29 B 26:28 T2 00:20 R 14:12 TOT 50:28
8. Alberto Gonzalez Garcia ESP S 9:12 T1 00:28 B 26:23 T2 00:23 R 14:14 TOT 50:38
9. Max Stapley GBR S 9:03 T1 00:32 B 216:27 T2 00:24 R 14:15 TOT 50:39
10. Luke Willian AUS S 9:08 T1 00:28 B 26:29 T2 00:22 R 14:23 TOT 50:49
27. Chase Mc Queen USA S 9:02 T1 00:30 B 26:30 T2 00:21 R 15:15 TOT 51:36
43. Darr Smith USA S 9:12 T1 00:31 B 27:26 T2 00:23 R 15:32 TOT 53:02

The post Cassandre Beaugrand, Matt Hauser take WTCS Hamburg first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Women's Race

Cassandre Beaugrand of France set herself up as a home country favorite for Olympic gold with a decisive move down the home stretch to fend off final challenger Lisa Tertsch of Germany by three seconds in a nail biting finale to the 10km run at WTCS Cagliari.

The race for the gold whittled down to four women atop an all-star field, including Beaugrand, Tertsch, Beth Potter of Great Britain and Emma Lombardi of France. Defending world titlist Potter looked in charge until the final 500 meters when Beaugrand dug in for a decisive final push at the conclusion of her 33:09 run.

Beaugrand started with an 11th-best swim that put her 10 seconds behind swim leader Maya Kingma of Netherlands. Beaugrand held a smooth pace on the bike, finishing 12th-best just 2 seconds from the front. After the first lap of the run, Beaugrand settled into the leader of the front pack. On the third lap, Potter tucked in third behind Potter and Emma Lombardi. Then Beaugrand made her winning surge in the final meters.

It was Beaugrand’s first World Triathlon Series gold at the Olympic distance and comes at a perfect time to peak two months away from a home role at the Paris Olympic Games. Tertsch, who posted a race-best 33:08 run, settled for silver while Potter, closing with a third-fastest 33:17 run, held on for the bronze.

RESULTS

1. Cassandre Beaugrand FRA S 19:03 T1 00:47 B 54:04 T2 00:24 R 33:09 TOT 1:47:25
2. Lisa Tertsch GER S 19:07 T1 00:48 B 53:59 T2 00:27 R 33:08 TOT 1:47:28
3. Beth Potter GBR S 19:00 T1 00:49 B 54:05 T2 00:22 R 33:17 TOT 1:47:31
4. Emma Lombardi FRA S 18:59 T1 00:43 B 54:11 T2 00:21 R 33:20 TOT 1:47:32
5. Jeanne Lehair LUX S 19:10 T1 00:47 B 53:57 T2 00:22 R 33:36 TOT 1:47:51
6. Georgia Taylor Brown GB S 19:10 T1 00:50 B 53:554 T2 00:24 R 33:47 TOT 1:48:03
7. Sophie Coldwell GBR S 19:08 T1 00:46 B 54:01 T2 00:24 R 33:48 TOT 1:48:06
8. Flora Duffy BER S 18:58 T1 00:47 B 54:08 T2 00:23 R 33:54 TOT 1:48:08
9. Nina Eim GER S 19:11 T1 00:44 B 53:58 T2 00:24 R 33:58 TOT 1:48:13
10. Kate Waugh GBR S 19:08 T1 00:45 B 54:00 T2 00:23 R 34:05 TOT 1:48:19
11. Taylor Knibb UASA S 19:023 T1 00:47 B 54:04 T2 00:28 R 34:07 TOT 1:48:26
12. Katie Zaferes USAA S 19:10 T1 00:48 B 53:57 T2 00:22 R 34:18 TOT 1:48:33
15. Taylor Spivey UASA S18:57 T1 00:48 B 54:08 T2 00:25 R 34:27 TOT 1:48:44
21. Kirsten Kasper USA S 19:02 T1 00:44 B 54:07 T2 00:30 R 35:29 TOT 1:49:50
DNF Summer Rappaport S 19:07 T1 00:53

Men's Race

The Men’s race of the Cagliari World Triathlon Championship Series looked like the 2023 edition as Alex Yee of Great Britain and Hayden Wilde of New Zealand once again dominated the field and delivered another battle for the ages. The Briton found extra gear a few meters from the finish and broke the finish tape with a margin of two seconds ahead of the Kiwi. It was exactly as it happened last year.

It was also a breakthrough performance by Csongor Lehmann of Hungary who took third and earned the first WTCS podium of his career.

Yee started with a 16th place, 14 seconds deficit after the swim. Super runner Yee quickly moved to the front after a 50:49 bike split. Yee then battled elbow to elbow with perennial rival Hayden Wilde of New Zealand before prevailing in a last lap surge. Yee finished with a race–best 29:12 10 run which was just one second faster than Wilde’s final 10k.

Defending Olympic champions were differing levels off their 2021 form. Kristian Blummenfelt took 31st place, 4:46 off Yee’s finish. By contrast, Flora Duffy has made a good return to form, taking 8th place, 43 seconds behind Beaugrand’s winning form.

RESULTS

1. Alex Yee GBR S 18:42 T1 00:35 B 50:549 T2 00:19 R 29:12 TOT 1:39:44
2. Hayden Wilde NZL S 18:43 T1 00:35 B 50:58 T2 00:19 R 29:13 TOT 1:39:46
3. Csongor Lehmann HUN S 1u8:35 T1 33s B 51:08 T2 00:18 R 29:55 TOT 1:40:27
4. Vetle Bergsvik Thorn NOR S 18:38 T1 00:34 B 51:04 T2 0:22 R 29:59 TOT 1:40:36
5. Ricardo Batista POR S 18:46 T1 00:34 B 50:57 T2 00:21 R 30:02 TOT 1:40:27
6. Pierre Le Corre FRA S 18:31 T1 00:36 B 51:10 T2 00:24 R 30:00 TOT 1:40:39
7. Charles Paquet CAN S 18:43 T1 090:35 B 50:59 T2 00:27 R 30:02 TOT 1:40:43
8. Luke Willian AUS S 18:52 T1 00:32 B 50:53 T2 00:20 R 30:13 TOT 1:40:50
9. Vincent Luis FRA S 18:36 T1 00:34 B 51:06 T2 090:20 R 30:22 TOT 1:40:57
10. Jonas Schomburg GER S 18:33 t1 00:36 B 51:07 T2 00:23 R 30:29 TOT 1:41:07
16. Leo Bergere FRA S 18:35 T1 00:34 B 51:06 T2 00:21 R 31:55 TOT 1:42:30
17. Matthew McElroy USA S 18:56 T1 00:32 B 52:47 T2 00:19 R 30:07 TOT 1:4239
20. Seth Rider USA S 18:43 T1 00:36 B 50:57 T2 00:23 R 32:19 TOT 1:42:56
38. Darr Smith USA S 18:45 T1 00:36 B 52:55 T2 00:23 R 33:07 TOT 1:45:43
40. Morgan Pearson USA S 18:33 T1 00:33 B 52:59 T2 00:24 R 33:51 TOT 1:46:17

The post Cassandre Beaugrand and Alex Yee Win WTCS Cagliari first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

With the high pressure 2024 World Triathlon Championship Season put on hold by a bad weather cancellation in Abu Dhabj in March, the high stakes opening of this pre-Olympic season rewarded tri-fans with thrills, chills and one messy spill.

With just one French women’s Olympic triathlon slot available since Cassandre Beaugrand and Emma Lombardi locked up their tickets to Paris, Leonie Periault left no doubt who would fill out the French tri roster. When the day was over, Periault crossed the line with a whopping 36-seconds margin over runner-up Taylor Knibb of the U.S. and 40 seconds over her countrywoman Lombardi. Periault stamped her identity over the gold with a blazing fast 33:02 10k run that left her pursuers an area code in arrears.

Running up against a murderer’s row of French World Champions and up and coming Aussie stars, Morgan Pearson unleashed a scintillating 29:11 split – 17 seconds better than his best pursuer – for the concluding 10k. When he clutched the tape after his 1:42:05 performance, he held a 7 seconds advantage over runner-up Matthew Hauser and 15 seconds over third-place finisher and fellow Australian Luke Willian. Further back were French superstars Leo Bergere (4th), Vincent Luis (9th), and Tom Richard (DNF).

There was much anxiety among American women for the remaining two Olympic slots. With Taylor Knibb owning the first Olympic slot of three for the mighty U.S. gals, Knibb’s well-earned slot ironically got in the way of her teammates dreams of scoring the only sure shot available – a finish on the podium. Instead, Emma Lombardi of France to the bronze. Thus Taylor Spivey’s 4th place finish, and Kirsten Kasper’s 5th place, left them at the mercy of U.S. captain’s choice.

The Women

With a precious Olympic start on the line, it was the third most favored Frenchwoman who rose to the occasion. Pushed to the spotlight by her wicked fast run, Leonie Periault thus won her second WTCS gold, albeit the most important of her career.

After a 15th-best 18:35 swim that left her 17 seconds behind swim leader Maya Kingma and 16 seconds behind Knibb, Periault started the bike in 21st place. Over the mount line it was Lombardi first onto the bike, Vittoria Lopes, Kingma, Kasper and Summer Rappaport at plus 15 seconds while Jorgensen was 44 seconds arrears. Kingma tried to pull away early on lap two but the pack covered it.

On the first lap of the run, Periault seized the lead, 4 seconds ahead of Lombardi, 6 seconds ahead of Knibb, 7 seconds ahead of Kasper and Kate Waugh and 15 seconds ahead of Taylor Spivey and Laura Lindemann. Halfway through the 10k run, Periault smashed all resistance, putting Knibb 14 seconds adrift, Lombardi 15 seconds down, Kasper 22 seconds behind, and Spivey 30 seconds in her wake. Duffy, showing signs of exhaustion after 18 months lost in recuperation from a leg injury. By the end, Periault 33:02 run left all her nearest rivals 36 seconds behind. The only woman to top Periault’s run was Gwen Jorgensen, who fell to near the bottom of the field after the bike, but rose to 15th on a race-best 32:56 run.

Periault’s teammate Emma Lombardi was able to stay closest to Periault but the results never looked in doubt. Periault taking the gold by over 30 seconds from Knibb, Lombardi with the bronze. Spivey and Kasper finished tantalizingly close to their podium goal in fourth and fifth.

RESULTS

Yokohama Women

1. Leonie Periault FRA S 18:35 T1 1:05 B 59:23 T2 00:25 R 33:02 TOT 1:52:28
2. Taylor Knibb USA S 18:19 T1 1:13 B 59:31 T2 00:32 R 33:31 TOT 1:53:04
3. Emma Lombardi FRA S 18:20 T1 1:05 B 59:37 T2 00:23 R 33:45 TOT 1:53:08
4. Taylor Spivey USA S 18:21 T1 1:07 B 59:35 T2 00:23 R 34:00 TOT 1:53:25
5. Kirsten Kasper USA S 18:20 T1 1:09 B 59:34 T2 00:29 R 34:04 TOT 1:53:34
6. Anna Godoy Contreras ESP S 18:27 T1 1:08 B 59:30 T2 00:25 R 34:08
7. Flora Duffy BER S 18:21 T1 1:08 B 59:35 T2 00:25 R 34:12 TOT 1:53:38
8. Djenyfer Arnold BRA S 18:24 T1 1:09 B 59:31 T2 00:26 R 34:15 TOT 1:53:43
9. Laura Lindemann GER S 18:23 T1 1:10 B 59:30 T2 00:27 R 34:46 TOT 1:54:00
10. Kate Waugh GBR S 18:26 T1 1:03 B 59:33 T2 00:24 R 34:46 TOT 1:54:11

Yokohama Men

Like the WTCS Yokohama women’s race, the men’s win came down to who had the hottest hand on the run. After a sizzling, race-best 29:11 10k split to the finish, Morgan Pearson won the men’s WTCS Yokohama and thus became the second American male to ever earn a gold medal in a top tier series event. Pearson thus finished in 1:42:05 and earned a 7 seconds margin of victory over Matthew Hauser of Australia and 15 seconds over third place finisher and fellow Australian Luke Willian.

On a sunny day that encouraged the riders to join in a massive pack that did not allow for breakaways, NASCAR-style crashes became inevitable. The smaller incidents shuffled the deck and were climaxed by a last lap smasher that took out Dorian Coninx, Vasco Vilaca and Tom Richard, while Morgan Pearson and Luke Willian escaped out the front. Pearson and Willian jetted out front of the field ostensibly to duel for the gold. But Aussie Matt Hauser broke up the party near the end, passing Willian for the silver, and freeing Pearson to escape with the gold,

Unfazed with his demotion to bronze, Willian delighted in his first ever WTCS podium and news that his qualification for the Paris Olympics was confirmed.
“I knew I could win one of these, but these guys are beasts and training just as hard as me,” Pearson told Triathlon Media. “Everyone wants to win. You can be in the shape of your life and still have things go wrong or someone be fitter. You just have to show up and give it your best and today my best was good enough.”

Pearson took extra satisfaction that he had left lingering injuries behind. “Last year I had some back problems and I did Miami to do an Olympic distance and test my health rather than Abu Dhabi. This is a nice way to start the season but of course we all know who is missing today and it’s still a long way to Paris.”

As a sign of crowded conditions to come on the bike, things started to get crowded on the swim. Altogether 33 men clotted together on a long train coming into transition including David Castro Fajardo, and Antonio Serrat Seoane 45 seconds back and joining Jelle Geens and Matthew McElroy. As the crowd increased to 50, Canadan Tyler Mislawchuk and Henry Schoeman of South Africa collided and fell down in a heap.

When Paquet dropped, the lead increased to 15 seconds to the lead duo. two, but cue the rise of Matt Hauser, reeling in his teammate with a fourth lap as Pearson found another gear to find daylight out front. Nearing the end Pearson pulled clear to the tape, Hauser moved to silver. He and Willian making it two Australian men on a Series podium for the first time.

“Really proud of myself over the past couple of years after struggling with the consistency coming up from Junior and U23 so,” Hauser told World Triathlon. “So, it’s great to have these results.” “I heard a lot of noise at the crash and wanted to stay out the front but I hope everyone is okay. There’s so much at stake and people’s Olympic spots and dreams are on the line, but days like these make it all worthwhile.”

WTCS Yokohama Men’s Results

1. Morgan Pearson USA S 17:51 T1 00:52 B 53:47 T2 00:27 R 29:11 TOT 1:42:05
2. Matthew Hauser AUS S 17:42 T1 00:54 B 53:49 T2 00:21 R 29:29 TOT 1:42:12
3. Luke Willian AUS S 17:53 T1 00:55 B 53:37 T2 00:21 R 29:35 TOT 1:42:20
4. Leo Bergere FRA S 17:49 T1 00:55 B 53:40 T2 00:21 R 29:43 TOT 1:42:26
5. Charles Paquet CAN S 17:55 T1 00:54 B 53:34 T2 00:26 R 29:43 TOT 1:42:30
6. Marten Van Riel BELG S 17:52 T1 1:00 B 53:31 T2 00:24 R 29:49 TOT 1:42:34
7. Kenji Nener JPN S 17:44 T1 00:54 B 53:46 T2 00:22 R 29:53 TOT 1:42:36
8. Miguel Hidalgo BRA S 17:46 T1 00:55 B 54:09 T2 00:21 R 29:28 TOT 1:42:38
9. Vincent Luis FRA S 17:39 T1 00:58 B 53:45 T2 oo:21 R 29:58 TOT 1:42:40
10. Kristian Blummenfelt NOR S 17:55 T1 00:56 B 53:31 T2 00:25 R 30:02 TOT 1:42:46

The post Periault, Pearson Dominate WTCS Yokohama first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

World Triathlon Photo of 2023 World Championship Grand Finale

All World Triathlon events in Abu Dhabi this weekend, including the debut race of the 2024 World Championship Triathlon Series, have been cancelled.

The decision to cancel was made jointly by World Triathlon and the local race organizers, citing extreme weather that would “jeopardize the safety of the event.” Organizers added, “We do not, at any stage, wish to put our athletes in danger. The safety of our athletes is of paramount importance and this decision has not been taken lightly.”

In addition to the highly anticipated season opener that would have offered a first look at the main contenders for the Paris Olympics, the Para Cup and Mixed Relay events were also scratched.

The decision was made jointly by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Abu Dhabi Sports Council and World Triathlon, comes after the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority of Abu Dhabi announced that all activities outdoors from Friday, 8 March until Sunday, 10 March, are to be cancelled, due to the severe rainfall and thunderstorms forecasted.

The Local Organizing Committee, Abu Dhabi Sports Council and World Triathlon tried “all possible avenues to host at least the events scheduled for Friday, March 8, in a secured and closed venue, but unfortunately this option was also not possible given the need of the region to prepare for the adverse weather circumstances.”

Athletes on site in Abu Dhabi had posted pictures of sunny and warm conditions to social media during the time period when the elite races were scheduled to take place.

The loaded women’s was set to include all but two of the top 20 who finished the 2023 season in Pontevedra last October, where Britain’s Beth Potter secured her first world title, and Cassandre Beaugrand and Emma Lombardi became the first French women to finish on the Series podium.

The planned men’s field was equally stellar, headed by 2023 World Champion Dorian Coninx of France and top contenders Alex Yee, Hayden Wilde and Vincent Luis. Only Pierre Le Corre of France and Jelle Geens of Belgium were missing from the 2023 top 20.

The post Abu Dhabi WTCS 2024 Series Opener Cancelled first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Ashleigh Gentle came from 1:30 back after the swim, arrived at T2 in close company of Hannah de Vet and Richelle Hill, and took command of the race quickly on the run, building a 1:30 lead by the 5k mark. Gentle finished in her best Noosa time ever – 1:55:14 – with a 1:35 lead over Sofie Malowiecki and 2 minutes over third place Richelle Hill. Gentle earned $15,600 Australian dollars for her decade-long domination of the 40th annual classic Noosa Elite race. The only Noosa prize beyond her grasp was Emma Carney’s 1997 course record of 1:54:22.

The men’s race offered a much closer contest and a course record. Like Gentle, pre-race favorite Hayden Wilde of New Zealand left the swim 42 seconds down. Wilde entered the bike-to-run transition with a small gap on home town favorite Matt Hauser. Wilde gradually built a 15 seconds lead halfway through the run, then held off the Aussie star to finish with a 13 seconds margin over Hauser and 2:24 over third place Henri Schoeman of South Africa.

Wilde finished in 1:41:56, 1:12 faster than the 2022 record setter Charlie Quin.

Noosa, has staked a claim as the world’s largest Olympic distance race fiesta with 7,500 pros and age groupers contending on Sunday and 6,000 more on various events from Wednesday – Saturday. Previous winners include World Champion Miles Stewart and Olympic champion Emma Snowsill as well as the Queen of Noosa herself – Ashleigh Gentle – who admitted to a case of nerves as the overwhelming favorite for this year’s crown.

Women’s Race Recap

Australian Mikayla Messer was the surprise leader by 1:00 over Lotte Wilms of Netherlands and 1:15 over Naralie Van Coevorden of Australia. One minute and 30 seconds back were Gentle, Fenella Langridge of Great Britain, and short course athletes Hanna de Vet of Belgium and Jaz Hedgeland of Australia, Sadly, Messer soon suffered a puncture and fell out of the chase. Thereupon, five triathletes formed a front pack including Gentle, Langridge, de Vet, Wilms, and Richelle Hill. Unfortunately Van Coevorden suffered a puncture and f ell out just before T2.

Gentle led into T2, chased by Wilms, de Vet, Richelle Hill and Sophie Malowiecki. Beginning a long slide out of the front back, Langridge eventually fell from 6th to 9th.

Storming out of T2, Gentle put her foot on the gas and erased all doubt – leading Malowiecki by 1:35 at the finish and 2 minutes ahead of Richelle Hill in third.

Men’s Race Recap

Australian Matt Hauser led the swim, with South Africans Jamie Riddle and Henri Schoeman quick on his heels, with Brandon Copeland was next in fourth. Normally a quick swimmer, Hayden Wilde had an off day in the water 42 seconds behind Hauser and equal to last year’s Noosa winner Charlie Quin and Aussie Jake Birtwhistle.

Wilde soon caught up to Hauser, Riddle, Schoeman and Copeland. When he took over the lead, Wilde found reason to complain to a referee that Hauser was riding closer than the allowed 12 meters draft zone. Reaching the 35th kilometer mark, Wilde finally managed to put some ground between him and the chase pack. Upon arriving at T2, Wilde had a small lead on Hauser and a minor gap ahead of Schoeman.
One quarter of the way through the 10k run, Wilde carved out a six seconds lead on Hauser and more than a minute ahead of Schoeman. In 4th and 5th, former Noosa Champion Jake Birtwhistle and fellow Aussie Kurt McDonald lagged 3 minutes aft. By 5k, Wilde expanded his lead to 15 seconds over Hauser while Schoeman, Birtwhistle and McDonald held their places.

The Kiwi closed hard, breaking the previous record with a 1:41:56 performance with Hauser 13 seconds back in second place and Schoeman 2:24 in arrears in 3rd.

40th Noosa Triathlon

Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia
November 4, 2023
S 1.5k / B 40k / R 10k

Women's Podium

1. Ashleigh Gentle AUS 1:55:14
2. Sofie Malowiecki AUS 1:56:49
3. Richelle Hill AUS 1:57:14

Men's Podium

1. Hayden Wilde NZL 1:41:56 – New Course Record
2. Matt Hauser AUS 1:42:09
3. Henri Schoeman RSA 1:44:20

The post Gentle Wins 10th Noosa Title, Wilde Sets Course Record in Victory first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Thanks to the unique Super League Triathlon Short Chute rule – and a decision by Scorpions Team Boss Michael Gilliam – Leo Bergere topped last year’s SLT champion Hayden Wilde for the 2023 Grand Final in Neom and the Series Title.

Early in Saturday’s SLT contest, Wilde earned a Short Chute but Team Captain Michael Gilliam awarded the Short Chute benefit to Wilde’s teammate Henri Schoeman. This decision tipped the scales for the day and the Series Championship decisively in favor of Bergere. Bergere, last year’s WTCS World Champion, was allocated his Eagles’ team Short Chute for the run, which allowed him to open a decisive gap. By the finish of the final run, Bergere led Wilde by 9 seconds which gave the Frenchman the NEOM win and 49 to 45 points lead over Wilde for the Series Championship.

In the women’s contest, Casandre Beaugrand dominated the field for her second win of her two races in the SLT season. But the overall season win went to Britain’s Kate Waugh, who finished second on the day. Waugh’s 44 season points totaled over 4 races was tied with Jeanne Lehair but was awarded the Championship by a tiebreaker – a superior most recent result. Emma Lombardi of France took 4th on the day but took third in the Championship Series with 41 points, six points ahead of Beaugrand’s 4th place in the series.

Men’s Race Recap

Stage 1
Max Stapley was expected to lead the swim but suffered a 5-seconds penalty for a false start, giving the swim lead to last year’s NEOM winner Matt Hauser of Australia, who consequently took the Short Chute benefit for his Eagles team. Bergere, Wilde and Jonny Brownlee were in place to earn a Championship Series title with a win on the day, But Wilde earned the bike Short Chute while Bergere fell on the bike.

Stage 2
On the bike section, Wilde, Bergere and Seth Rider of the U.S. led a breakaway over a a six-man chase pack which included Jonny Brownlee. The trio hammered asway to a decisive lead, which put Brownlee out of contention for the day and the Championship Series title.

At the point Gilliam. perhaps in sight of the Team Prize chose to give the Scorpions Short Chute to Henri Schoeman instead of Wilde. A similar choice paid off with a win last year. But last year’s brilliant move was to flub this time around.

By contract, Eagles Team Captain Tim Don went with Bergere. Thereupon Bergere and Wilde blasted to a 23-seconds lead at the end of the second run.

Stage 3
There were no changes on the Stage 3 final swim and bike. So it all came down to the final 1.6km run between Toulouse winner Bergere and Malibu victor Wilde battling for all the marbles. The Short Chute made an immediate difference as Bergere took an early lead. While Wilde made a charge leading up to the run turnaround, but the New Zealander ran out of gas as Bergere and Wilde hit the tape 1-2. Yee took 3rd, Hauser 4th and Olympic champ Kristian Blummenfelt took 5th.

Thanks to his Short Chute, Schoeman took 6th followed by Tayler Reid.

The Eagles took the $120,000 team prize with 425 points, 18 points ahead of the Scorpions and 35 points ahead of the Sharks.

Super League Triathlon Neom 2023 Men's results

Race Results
1. Leo Bergere
2. Hayden Wilde +9s
3. Alex Yee +31s
4. Matt Hauser +34s
5. Kristian Blummenfelt +45s

Final Championship standings
1. Leo Bergere 49pts
2. Hayden Wilde 45pts
3. Alex Yee 41pts
4. Henri Schoeman 36pts
5. Jonny Brownlee 36pts

Final Team Standings
1. Santara Tech Eagles – 425pts
2. Bahrain Victorious Scorpions – 407pts
3. RTP Sharks – 390pts
4. RTS Warriors – 220pts

Super League Triathlon NEOM Women’s Race Recap

Stage 1
Olivia Mathias led the way with a power-packed swim to win the Sharks the first short chute and early on the bike she was joined in the leading group of eight by Sharks teammates Waugh, Sophie Coldwell and Jess Fullagar.

In the pack of eight were Championship contenders Jeanne Lehair and Emma Lombardi of the Eagles, , plus Sharks teammates Waugh and Coldwell, as well as Malibu winner Beaugrand and Taylor Spivey, just recovered from an illness that kept her out of Malibu.

Waugh won the second Short Chute. By the end of the first run the leading eight had been shaved to four – Lehair, Lombardi, Waugh and Beaugrand – with an 18 seconds lead on the chasers.

Lehair sped away for a win on the run, earning a Short Chute for the Eagles.

Stage 2
On the Stage 2 swim. Beaugrand surged to a lead. On the bike, Spivey and Mathias bridged up to join the what became a leading six-pack. The six stayed together on the run, setting up a battled for the Stage 3 finale.

Stage 3
At the swim start, Frenchwomen Beaugrand and Lombardi broke to the front. After a super swift transition, Lombardi broke into a 50-meter lead on the bike on the other five. Thanks to a leveling wind, all six started the final run in a close pack. Lehair lost time in transition, wiping out her Short Chute advantage while Waugh and Beaugrand surged ahead.

Beaugrand, as she had at Malibu, had the power to maintain the lead. But Waugh proceeded with confidence to take second place, which would guarantee her the Championship Series victory.

At the tape, it was a race win for Beaugrand, a Series title for Waugh, and third for Lehair.

Emma Lombardi took 4th and Olivia Mathias ran 5th.

Super League Triathlon Neom 2023 women's results

Race Results
1. Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA)
2. Kate Waugh (GBR)
3. Jeanne Lehair (LUX)
4. Emma Lombardi (FRA)
5. Olivia Mathias (GBR)

Final Championship Series standings
1. Kate Waugh (GBR) – 44pts
2. Jeanne Lehair (LUX) – 44pts
3. Emma Lombardi (FRA) – 41pts
4. Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) – 35pts
5. Olivia Mathias (GBR) – 34pts

The post Waugh, Bergere Clinch Series Titles at Super League Neom first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Men's Race Recap

Hayden Wilde of New Zealand powered away from Leo Bergere of France by a few seconds on the final run lap of the third Stage of the Super League Triathlon at Malibu.

The win was redemption for Wilde who blew his lead at SLT Toulouse a few weeks ago by riding an unnecessary extra lap on the bike, losing three seconds on his series total.

Wilde this earned another SLT individual race by a 3.3 seconds margin over runner-up Leo Bergere of France and with it a 15-point total at Malibu, Aussie Matt Hauser took the bronze, 7.6 seconds arrears, followed by Henri Schoeman of South Africa in fourth, Vasco Vilaca of Portugal (+12.7 seconds) in fifth, Alex Yee of Great Britain (+16.2 seconds) in sixth and reigning Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway (+17.6 seconds) in 7th.

After a win at Toulouse and a second place at Malibu, Leo Berger took the lead in the SLT series points standings with 29. Jonny Brownlee stands second in the series with second places at Toulouse and Malibu for 28. Wilde stands third in the series with a 4th at Toulouse and a win at Malibu.

“Since [the Olympic test event in] Paris, I’ve been on a downward slope with unfortunate mishaps and mistakes on my behalf as well,” Wilde told Super League Triathlon media. “It was really nice to put together a race that I know I’m capable of and I’m stoked to do it here in Malibu. It was great to work with Henri [Schoeman] on the bike and try to secure some points for the Scorpions.”

As close as they are in points, there are many permutations which offer a chance for the series crown available at the final race of the season at NEOM on October 21. In order they are Bergere with 29 points, Brownlee with 28, Wilde with 27, Yee with 26 and Schoeman with 25.

Stage 1

Henri Schoeman won the Stage 1 swim, who rode a wave to secure the first place and a a Short Chute advantage later in the race. On the 3-lap, 3.6-mile bile leg, Frenchman Leo Bergere came from behind to enter T2 first and procure a Short Chute. On the two lap, 1.6-mile run, Hayden Wilde won the top place, followed by Jonny Brownlee in second, and Kristian Blummenfelt in third. Sadly Ben Kanuter of the U.S. fell behind and was an Eliminator victim.

Stage 2

Once again, swim master Schoeman led the swim thanks to a wave that swept him firs5t man to the beach. On the tight and technical bike course, Wilde led early and late, followed 9 seconds later by Schoeman, with Brownlee, Yee and Blummenfelt in mid-pack. On the run, Wilde and Schoeman broke to the lead, ahead of Yee and Brownlee 20 seconds to the back.

Stage 3

The Pursuit start took an early lead by Wilde, but Schoeman passed him at the first buoy. Once again, the South African exited the water first, in front of Wilde and Bergere, with Yee and Blummenfelt 19 seconds adrift. On the final bike leg, Schoeman, Wilde and Bergere formed a lead pack, with Schoeman barely avoiding a crash In the same spot that Summer Rappaport went down hard in the women’s race. With the crash, Schoeman lost five seconds and the opportunity to benefit by the leaders’ slipstream.

The final run came down to a duel between Wilde and Bergere. Wilde made a surgeon the first lap that gapped the Frenchman. Wilde’s lead was 2 seconds at the bell lap and 3 seconds at the finish. Hauser moved into third leaving Schoeman and Vilaca at four and five.

Final Malibu Men’s Results
1 Hayden Wilde NZL 14:31
2 Leo Bergere FRA +3.3s
3 Matt Hauser AUS +7.6s
4 Henri Schoeman RSA +12.7s
5 Vasco Vilaca POR +16.1s
6 Alex Yee GBR +16.2s
7 Kristian Blummenfelt NOR +17.6s

Women's Race Recap

Cassandre Beaugrand made her Super League Triathlon debut by an 8.7 seconds margin over fellow Frenchwoman Emma Lombardi with a strong final run. Beaugrand broke Lombardi on the final run leg, with Jeanne Lehair 12.5 seconds arears in third place. Perhaps tired by her recent great effort to win the WTCS World Championship in Ponte Vedra. Beth Potter took 4th with U.S.A. comeback kid Katie Zaferes in 5th.

“I’m not used to swimming in these waves and I was sick during the first choppy swim of the day,” Beaugrand told World Triathlon media. “It was also a technical bike leg, but it was good work today and I’m happy to bring the points for my Scorpions team.”

Beaugrand’s win was her first at the SLT Championship Series. But third place finisher Lehair moved to the top of the series points chase.

Stage 1

While Beaugrand led the field from the right side of the beach, Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair caught a wave and led the whole field into T1. On the three lap bike course, Lehair and Lombardi took a quick lead. Soon thereafter, true Brits Sophie Coldwell, Beth Potter and Kate Waugh joined the front group. Potter led into T2, earning a Short Chute advantage.

The WTCS’s leading runners, Beaugrand and Potter took an early lead with Lehair and Lombardi close on their heels. It was Beaugrand who took the Stage 1 winning the Short Chute advantage.

Stage 2

After the second four-minute break between Stages, Beaugrand led to the first buoy, but Summer Rappaport and Sophie Coldwell led the field into T1 for a record 3:28 Malibu swim time. Coldwell put the power to the metal, on the second 3.6km three-lap bike leg. Brit’s lead was 5.6 seconds lap, but Zaferes reduced it to 4 seconds by the bell, Zaferes and Lombardi fell just 2 seconds back by the end of the bike leg.
Starting the run, Lehair took the lead, followed closely behind Coldwell, Zaferes and Lombardi at the front, 15 seconds ahead of Potter, Beaugrand and Lombardi. Finally, Lombardi led Coldwell and Zaferes to a T2 win with Lehair 3 seconds back with Potter and Beaugrand 9 seconds arrears.

Stage 3

The Pursuit-style start saw Lombardi lead away, 3 seconds ahead of Lehair, 6 seconds clear of Beaugrand, 7 seconds ahead of Potter, and 10 seconds ahead of Coldwell. Lombardi led the swim by 2.4 seconds over Beaugrand, and 11 seconds over Potter and Lehair. On the 3.6k bike, Lombardi and Beaugrand formed a breakaway to make a 12 second gap on the chasers. Unfortunately, Summer Rappaport crashed heavily to end her race.

The final run became a fuel between Lombardi and Beaugrand, each with a Short Chute. Beaugrand soon broke Lombardi and took the Malibu 2023 title with Lehair out sprinting Potter to secure third.

Malibu Women’s Results

1 Casandre Beaugrand FRA 15:53
2 Emma Lombardi FRA +8.7s
3 Jeanne Lehair LUX +12.5s
4 Beth Potter GBR +19.6s
5 Kirsten Kasper USA +25.4s
6 Sophie Coldwell GBR +48.5s
7 Katie Zaferes USA +53.6

The post Wilde, Beaugrand Top Fields at Super League Malibu first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

It took her until the age of 31, but Beth Potter combined her proven international run prowess with a recent, hard-won mastery of swimming and cycling to ascend to the pinnacle of triathlon’s prestigious Olympic distance. Potter already proved she belonged to vie at the top of her sport thanks to her wins in this season’s World Triathlon WTCS contests in Abu Dhabi and Montreal and the Paris Olympic Test Event. But there was one more hurdle she had to surmount – she had to beat her strongest rival Cassandre Beaugrand at the 2023 season Grand Final in Ponte Vedra Spain.

A razor slim points margin behind Beaugrand, Potter would ensure a world title if she beat French rival this Sunday afternoon. Unleashing her fearsome run with a race-best 33:26 split, Potter became the first British World Champion at this classic distance since Vicky Holland in 2018.

The hard job involved staying with the front pack in the swim with a third-best 19:58 swim split, and a tied-for 5th best 39.8-kilometer bike split that brought her to the run in 15th place. With a speedy transition, Potter carved out a lead over Beaugrand that the Frenchwoman never regained. In fact Potter teamed up with fellow Brit Kate Waugh to take the gold with a 1:53:19 time, 18 seconds ahead of Waugh and 37 seconds ahead of Beaugrand, who fought through a building hamstring pain issue to earn the bronze.

With the victory, Beth Potter won $18,000 for the Grand Final and $70,000 for winning the season-long World Triathlon Series Crown. Potter prevailed in that chase with 4,559 points to Beaugrand’s 4,410 for the runner-up slot. Emma Lombardi of France scored 3,792 points for third place. Taylor Spivey, hampered by a disappointing 16th place finish Sunday, took home 4th place in the yearlong Series.

“This has been a dream season,” Potter told World Triathlon media. “I wasn’t actually feeling too good on the swim and bike today so I had to work quite hard. I really reminded myself of all my training. I felt really good on the run. It was nice to run with my teammate (Kate Waugh) and see her get her first Series medal. I was very determined to win the World Championships. I am not surprised but it’s been tough.”

Race recap

Top two pre-race contenders Potter and Beaugrand lined up together long the swim pontoon, while Bianca Seregni of Italy and Olivia Mathias led the pack with Potter and Beaugrand sandwiched in the middle of the main pack. Maya Kingma of Netherlands, Taylor Spivey of the U.S. and Emma Lombardi of France just 10 seconds back. At T1, struggling to stay in the front six, with Sophie Coldwell, Kingma, and Mathias out together as Beaugrand and Potter in close quarters. Lindemann was first to bridge, Spivey joined and then Potter and Waugh were finally able to make it over before the end of lap one.

Joining a mid-pack group with Gwen Jorgensen and Lisa Tertsch, and Summer Rappaport suffered an injury and dropped out.

Kingma took the initiative and surged to the front, leaving a chase pack 40 seconds back despite the efforts of Julie Derron, Nina Eim and Zaferes to stick with the forward momentum. And despite her heroic efforts to make up for her 7 years away from the sport, Jorgensen started a race-long slide to the back.

Lombardi, Waugh and Potter emerged from T2 in the lead, while Beaugrand took a while to get up to speed. Whereupon Waugh and Potter and Lombardi pulled away as Beaugrand dropped back to run with Coldwell and Lehair six seconds behind the lead trio.

Waugh held close to training teammate, until Potter found an extra gear to close off a resurgent Beaugrand threat. Buoyed by her lead momentum, Potter cruised down the blue carpet with a safe gold. Waugh took silver followed by Series runner up Beaugrand in third place. Lisa Tertsch, after putting off until the last opportunity to serve a 15-second penalty, took fourth after a 33:53 run. Rachel Klamer also had an admirable 33:59 run for fifth and a guaranteed fourth Olympic start at Paris 2024. Sixth for Emma Lombardi after a sizzling 34:18 109k, earning a Series bronze, 618 points behind Beaugrand.

Race Results

1 Beth Potter GBR S 19:58 T1 1:19 B 58:13 T2 00:25 R 33:26 TOT 1:53:19 $18,000
2 Kate Waugh GBR S 19:59 T1 1:20 B 58:09 T2 00:27 R 33:44 TOT 1:53:37
3 Cassandre Beaugrand FRA S 19:49 T1 1:19 B 58:22 T2 00:28 R 33:54 TOT 1:53:50
4 Lisa Tertsch GER S 20:10 T1 1:15 B 58:16 T2 00:29 R 33:53 TOT 1:54:01
5 Rachel Klamer NED S 20:07 T1 1:23 B 58:13 T2 00:28 R 33:59 TOT 1:54:08
6 Emma Lombardi FRA S 19:53 T1 1:18 B 58:17 T2 00:25 R 34:18 TOT 1:54:09
7 Sophie Coldwell GBR S 19:43 T1 1:19 B 58:25 T2 00:27 R 34:19 TOT 1:54:12
8 Julie Derron SUI S 20:23 T1 1:20 B 57:58 T2 00:27 R 34:09 TOT 1:54:14
9 Noelia Juan ESP S 20:31 T1 1:14 B 58:00 T2 00:28 R 34:20 TOT 1:54:31
10 Alice Betto ITA S 19:51 T1 1:21 B 58:18 T2 00:31 R 34:36 TOT 1:54:35
15 Kirsten Kasper USA S 19:59 T1 1:19 B 58:10 T2 00:30 R 35:21 TOT 1:55:17
16 Taylor Spivey USA S 19:48 T1 1:22 B 58:18 T2 00:29 R 35:24 TOT 1:55:19
19 Katie Zaferes USA S 20:04 T1 1:24 B 58:13 T2 00:29 R 35:38 TOT 1:55:46
43 Gwen Jorgensen USA S 20:13 T1 1:23 B 1:01:18 T2 00:31 R 35:40 TOT 1:59:03
50 Gina Sereno USA S 20:54 T1 1:22 B 1:01:12 T2 00:31 R 37:21 TOT 2:01:19
DNF Summer Rappaport USA S 19:44 T1 1:26 B 0:00 T1 0:00 R 0:00
DNF Erika Ackerlund S 20:38 T1 1:20 B 1:00:55 T2 00:27 R 0::00

Final Series Rankings

1 Beth Potter GBR 4559.38 $70,000
2 Cassandre Beaugrand FRA 4410.98
3 Emma Lombardi FRA 3792.64
4 Taylor Spivey USA 3225.08
5 Sophie Coldwell GBR 2998.38
6 Kate Waugh GBR 2992.50
7 Lisa Tertsch GER 2909.42
8 Jeanne Lehair LUX 2762.23
9 Nina Eim GER 2671.77
10 Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal MEX 2486.02
11 Summer Rappaport USA 2357.47
12 Georgia Taylor-Brown GBR 2347.99
14 Taylor Knibb USA 2096.61
16 Kirsten Kasper USA 1939.65
17 Katie Zaferes USA 1937.18

The post Beth Potter Sweeps Grand Final and Series Crown first appeared on Slowtwitch News.