Cassandre Beaugrand destroyed a steller field to record her first World Triathlon Series win in serene fashion in Hamburg.
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The reigning French champion had finished eighth in Yokohama and recorded the fastest women’s split in the mixed team relay in Nottingham in June.
But this still represented a huge breakthrough for the 21-year-old who dropped out of last year’s race in Hamburg after the swim.
Germany’s Laura Lindemann – who beat Beaugrand to the junior world title in Edmonton in 2014 – held off series leader Katie Zaferes to go one better than her third place in Hamburg last year. Non Stanford and Jodie Stimpson were the best of the Brits in sixth and seventh.
“Last year I had a crash and today it’s Bastille Day and my boyfriend’s birthday, so I’m very happy to win,” Beaugrand said.
Lindemann said: “I didn’t expect to be on the podium after the swim and bike. I had such a bad transition and just ran for my life. I really like to race here with a home crowd.
“Cassandra was amazing. I raced with her as a junior and mostly I won, but now I’m very happy to see her winning a WTS race.”
The women’s race started an hour after the men’s in Hamburg and was again a non-wetsuit swim. It featured a strong British contingent with Vicky Holland, Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown, joining Stanford and Stimpson.
The series also welcomed back reigning world champion Flora Duffy. The Bermudan won in Hamburg last summer, and had been out with injury since winning her home WTS in April.
Learmonth, the Commonwealth silver medallist behind Duffy, was ranked eleventh having only appeared twice in the WTS this season, but it was no surprise to see the Yorkshire triathlete emerge first from the water with the competition lined out behind.
Duffy and Taylor-Brown were also in close proximity and it was the Bermudan who surged to the front on the bike as a front pack of six formed also including Beaugrand, Vittoria Lopes of Brazil, and the steadily improving Taylor Spivey of the US, who finished seventh in Leeds.
While Duffy so often manages to break away, either solo or in a small group, the rare presence in WTS racing of 2012 Olympic champion Nicola Spirig, combined with the efforts of Australian Ashleigh Gentle and Britain’s Jodie Stimpson, meant the chasing pack cut the lead from 25sec to just 13sec heading into the final bike lap of six.
The field were back together by the time they reached T2 and while Spirig and Stimpson took the lead initially, it was soon Beaugrand who burst with seeming effortless ease to the front and was never threatened as she decimated a world-class field over the run to win by 30secs.
Rounding out the Brits, Taylor-Brown finished 11th, Learmonth 14th and Holland 22nd, as she slipped from second to fourth in the overall standings.
Hamburg WTS: Race result.
Cassandre Beaugrand 58.06
Laura Lindemann +30sec
Katie Zaferes +31
Nicola Spirig +36
Kirsten Kasper +38
Series standings
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Katie Zaferes 3493pts
Rachel Klamer 2639
Vicky Holland 2579
Flora Duffy 2496
Kirsten Kasper 2480
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Just over an hour before their nation kicked-off in Moscow, attempting to win the football World Cup for the second time, a youthful French quartet achieved the same feat in the ITU Mixed Relay World Championship.
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Team France take the tape after another superb #WTSHamburg #TriMixedRelay!! Australia come home in second just ahead of USA after a thrilling sprint finish pic.twitter.com/ojPb5GYKIB
— World Triathlon (@worldtriathlon) July 15, 2018
It was an impressive curtain-raiser for the sporting afternoon in Hamburg as Leonie Periault, Dorian Coninx, Cassandra Beaugrand and Vincent Luis repeated the gold medal success of 2015.
Australia’s fast-finishing Jacob Birtwhistle just defeated USA’s Kevin McDowell in a dramatic sprint for second, and although Britain had been well-placed for much of the race, Tom Bishop eventually slipped to fourth on the anchor leg, 63sec behind the champions.
“We came here with the A Team. When everything works, the team works, and we had a great race. Let’s hope for the same for the match tonight,” Luis said. “We are also really looking forward to racing the relay in the Olympics. It will be a special atmosphere – we’ve never won an Olympic triathlon medal.”
The two-man, two-woman relay is taking on increasing importance in elite triathlon. It was accepted as an additional medal even at Tokyo 2020, and is playing a more prominent role in this season’s World Triathlon Series as Olympic qualifying gets underway.
The first competition of this season’s trio of events took place on the banks of the Trent in Nottingham in June, and there is a further contest in Edmonton in a fortnight.
Australia won last year’s world title in Hamburg and backed that up with victory in April’s Commonwealth Games. It’s a title Great Britain has won three times, but not since 2014.
Twenty teams lined up, with Britain represented by Vicky Holland, Jonny Brownlee, Jodie Stimpson and Bishop.
Netherlands’ Rachel Klamer led out the first 300m swim, narrowly followed by GB’s Holland and the pair – who both had spills on the bike in yesterday’s individual race – quickly set about establishing a lead.
The gap could not be sustained into T2 though, and it was France’s Periault and Germany’s Laura Lindemann, buoyed by the home crowd and her second-place finish from yesterday, who led out the 1.6km run.
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On to the second leg, and after Jonas Schomburg emerged first from the swim, a group of four formed on the bike as the German was joined by Brownlee, the USA’s Ben Kanute and France’s Coninx.
The quartet established a 18sec gap over the chasers into T2, and with the rest of the field starting to splinter – limiting the chances to work as a pack – it looked as if the break could be decisive.
Coninx was the quickest over the mile. A previous junior and world under-23 champion, he also won the French title last year – as did the women he handed over to, yesterday’s individual race winner, Beaugrand.
Brownlee was next in and set Stimpson away on to leg three, as Kanute kept the USA in the hunt, with Schomberg fading to end the home nation’s hopes
At the front, Beaugrand kept the advantage and looked as impressive as she had done in the individual event as she time-trialled solo for the lionshare of the 7km bike leg.
But behind her Stimpson was joined by Katie Zaferes and Japan’s Yuko Takahashi, who put in a superlative effort to join a three-woman chase pack that eventually caught the French youngster.
Beaugrand used her run pedigree to again help France take the lead on the run, but Zaferes clung on, leaving McDowell to start the final leg in contention with Luis.
After the two reached T1 together, Luis showed no appetite to work with the American and leave it all to the run, and immediately took off at the front.
By the halfway stage of the final bike leg, the McDowell was 10sec down, Bishop for GB had slipped to 47sec adrift and the ominous presence of Australia’s Birtwhistle was just 4sec further back.
As Luis savoured the finish chute, Birtwhistle powered past Bishop then remarkably clawed back the USA as McDowell tied up in the final stages.
Mixed Real World Championships. Final results
1. France 1.20.06
2. Australia +43sec
3. United States +45
4. Great Britain +63
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5. Netherlands +78
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Just over an hour before their nation kicked-off in Moscow, attempting to win the football World Cup for the second time, a youthful French quartet achieved the same feat in the ITU Mixed Relay World Championship.
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Team France take the tape after another superb #WTSHamburg #TriMixedRelay!! Australia come home in second just ahead of USA after a thrilling sprint finish pic.twitter.com/ojPb5GYKIB
— World Triathlon (@worldtriathlon) July 15, 2018
It was an impressive curtain-raiser for the sporting afternoon in Hamburg as Leonie Periault, Dorian Coninx, Cassandra Beaugrand and Vincent Luis repeated the gold medal success of 2015.
Australia’s fast-finishing Jacob Birtwhistle just defeated USA’s Kevin McDowell in a dramatic sprint for second, and although Britain had been well-placed for much of the race, Tom Bishop eventually slipped to fourth on the anchor leg, 63sec behind the champions.
“We came here with the A Team. When everything works, the team works, and we had a great race. Let’s hope for the same for the match tonight,” Luis said. “We are also really looking forward to racing the relay in the Olympics. It will be a special atmosphere – we’ve never won an Olympic triathlon medal.”
The two-man, two-woman relay is taking on increasing importance in elite triathlon. It was accepted as an additional medal even at Tokyo 2020, and is playing a more prominent role in this season’s World Triathlon Series as Olympic qualifying gets underway.
The first competition of this season’s trio of events took place on the banks of the Trent in Nottingham in June, and there is a further contest in Edmonton in a fortnight.
Australia won last year’s world title in Hamburg and backed that up with victory in April’s Commonwealth Games. It’s a title Great Britain has won three times, but not since 2014.
Twenty teams lined up, with Britain represented by Vicky Holland, Jonny Brownlee, Jodie Stimpson and Bishop.
Netherlands’ Rachel Klamer led out the first 300m swim, narrowly followed by GB’s Holland and the pair – who both had spills on the bike in yesterday’s individual race – quickly set about establishing a lead.
The gap could not be sustained into T2 though, and it was France’s Periault and Germany’s Laura Lindemann, buoyed by the home crowd and her second-place finish from yesterday, who led out the 1.6km run.
On to the second leg, and after Jonas Schomburg emerged first from the swim, a group of four formed on the bike as the German was joined by Brownlee, the USA’s Ben Kanute and France’s Coninx.
The quartet established a 18sec gap over the chasers into T2, and with the rest of the field starting to splinter – limiting the chances to work as a pack – it looked as if the break could be decisive.
Coninx was the quickest over the mile. A previous junior and world under-23 champion, he also won the French title last year – as did the women he handed over to, yesterday’s individual race winner, Beaugrand.
Brownlee was next in and set Stimpson away on to leg three, as Kanute kept the USA in the hunt, with Schomberg fading to end the home nation’s hopes
At the front, Beaugrand kept the advantage and looked as impressive as she had done in the individual event as she time-trialled solo for the lionshare of the 7km bike leg.
But behind her Stimpson was joined by Katie Zaferes and Japan’s Yuko Takahashi, who put in a superlative effort to join a three-woman chase pack that eventually caught the French youngster.
Beaugrand used her run pedigree to again help France take the lead on the run, but Zaferes clung on, leaving McDowell to start the final leg in contention with Luis.
After the two reached T1 together, Luis showed no appetite to work with the American and leave it all to the run, and immediately took off at the front.
By the halfway stage of the final bike leg, the McDowell was 10sec down, Bishop for GB had slipped to 47sec adrift and the ominous presence of Australia’s Birtwhistle was just 4sec further back.
As Luis savoured the finish chute, Birtwhistle powered past Bishop then remarkably clawed back the USA as McDowell tied up in the final stages.
Mixed Real World Championships. Final results
1. France 1.20.06
2. Australia +43sec
3. United States +45
4. Great Britain +63
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5. Netherlands +78
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The IOC have announced the competition schedule for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, confirming the Men’s Triathlon event will take place on Monday 27th July and the Women’s race the following day. The highly anticipated Olympic debut of the Triathlon Mixed Relay will take place on Saturday 1st August.
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The individual races will be disputed over the standard Olympic distances (1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run), early morning in the fantastic setting of Odaiba Marine Park. The Mixed Relay teams will bring together two men and two women from the same country, each completing a mini-triathlon before tagging their team mate. The team event also takes place at Odaiba Marine Park, where each of the four athletes will complete a 300m swim, 7.5km bike and 1.5km run.
“We are extremely satisfied with the dates of our events, following months of hard work taking into consideration all the requirements of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and our Sport Department”, said ITU President and IOC member, Marisol Casado.
“We have agreed competition dates that will fit extremely well into global television schedules, and we are confident of incredible engagement with the spectators, both on-site and watching on TVs around the world. It is perfect that the Mixed Relay, one of the most thrilling and vibrant spectacles in sport, will make its Olympic debut on ‘Super Saturday’,” she added.
Triathlon was first included in the Olympic Games programme at Sydney 2000, but Tokyo 2020 will mark an exciting debut for the Mixed Relay, the added team dynamic certain to capture the imaginations of sports fans around the world. The global profile of triathlon has been increasing consistently year after year and, with one more gold medal ready to be contested, the competition in the land of the rising sun is set to be hotter than ever.
A total of 110 athletes – 55 men and 55 women – will compete in Tokyo 2020 triathlon events, with the relay teams being formed of countries with minimum 2 women and 2 men athletes qualified.
The 30 Olympic triathlon medals awarded to date have been split between 13 countries, emphasising the strength of the sport worldwide. The men’s gold has twice been won by Great Britain’s Alistair Brownlee, at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and accompanying him on the podium on both occasions was his brother, Jonathan Brownlee. A bronze medallist in London, the younger of the Brownlee siblings then picked up silver in Rio to complete a famous family one-two.
And of course British eyes in the lead up will be on the Brownlees with many wondering if Ali could make it three golds in a row…
Could Ali Brownlee win Olympic gold and Kona in 2020?
In the women’s event, Swiss athletes have twice taken home the gold, in 2000 and 2012. Of those, Nicola Spirig is the only female triathlete to have won two Olympic medals, taking the gold in an incredibly tight London 2012 finale ahead of Sweden’s Lisa Norden and then the silver at Rio 2016, finishing behind the USA’s Gwen Jorgensen.
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The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will use a total of 42 venues, including 24 existing, ten temporary and eight new permanent venues. These will include three venues in Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Miyagi prefectures, which were among those most affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
The IOC have announced the competition schedule for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, confirming the Men’s Triathlon event will take place on Monday 27th July and the Women’s race the following day. The highly anticipated Olympic debut of the Triathlon Mixed Relay will take place on Saturday 1st August.
Advertisement
The individual races will be disputed over the standard Olympic distances (1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run), early morning in the fantastic setting of Odaiba Marine Park. The Mixed Relay teams will bring together two men and two women from the same country, each completing a mini-triathlon before tagging their team mate. The team event also takes place at Odaiba Marine Park, where each of the four athletes will complete a 300m swim, 7.5km bike and 1.5km run.
“We are extremely satisfied with the dates of our events, following months of hard work taking into consideration all the requirements of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and our Sport Department”, said ITU President and IOC member, Marisol Casado.
“We have agreed competition dates that will fit extremely well into global television schedules, and we are confident of incredible engagement with the spectators, both on-site and watching on TVs around the world. It is perfect that the Mixed Relay, one of the most thrilling and vibrant spectacles in sport, will make its Olympic debut on ‘Super Saturday’,” she added.
Triathlon was first included in the Olympic Games programme at Sydney 2000, but Tokyo 2020 will mark an exciting debut for the Mixed Relay, the added team dynamic certain to capture the imaginations of sports fans around the world. The global profile of triathlon has been increasing consistently year after year and, with one more gold medal ready to be contested, the competition in the land of the rising sun is set to be hotter than ever.
A total of 110 athletes – 55 men and 55 women – will compete in Tokyo 2020 triathlon events, with the relay teams being formed of countries with minimum 2 women and 2 men athletes qualified.
The 30 Olympic triathlon medals awarded to date have been split between 13 countries, emphasising the strength of the sport worldwide. The men’s gold has twice been won by Great Britain’s Alistair Brownlee, at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and accompanying him on the podium on both occasions was his brother, Jonathan Brownlee. A bronze medallist in London, the younger of the Brownlee siblings then picked up silver in Rio to complete a famous family one-two.
And of course British eyes in the lead up will be on the Brownlees with many wondering if Ali could make it three golds in a row…
Could Ali Brownlee win Olympic gold and Kona in 2020?
In the women’s event, Swiss athletes have twice taken home the gold, in 2000 and 2012. Of those, Nicola Spirig is the only female triathlete to have won two Olympic medals, taking the gold in an incredibly tight London 2012 finale ahead of Sweden’s Lisa Norden and then the silver at Rio 2016, finishing behind the USA’s Gwen Jorgensen.
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The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will use a total of 42 venues, including 24 existing, ten temporary and eight new permanent venues. These will include three venues in Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Miyagi prefectures, which were among those most affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
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Great Britain won nine medals at the ETU European Paratriathlon Championships in Tartu, Estonia, including Lauren Steadman winning a remarkable sixth career European title, and a debut gold for Hannah Moore.
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In case you missed it, GB Paratriathlon had a fantastic day at ETU European Champs today!
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Great Britain won nine medals at the ETU European Paratriathlon Championships in Tartu, Estonia, including Lauren Steadman winning a remarkable sixth career European title, and a debut gold for Hannah Moore.
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In case you missed it, GB Paratriathlon had a fantastic day at ETU European Champs today!
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On the 4th August one of the toughest iron-distance triathlons in the world takes place in Norway, the iconic Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon
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It all starts with a jump off a ferry into a dark and icy fjord, which has an average temperature of 14°C, and it doesn’t let up from there. Both the bike course, which has an elevation of nearly 3,000 metres, and the run course, with a climb of nearly 2,000 metres to the race finish at the top of a mountain, are designed to test the toughest of the tough, and with a 15:35hr median finish time, it really isn’t a race for the faint-hearted…
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Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon race tips
The scenery is pretty stunning too, taking in some of Noways most beautiful parts including Hardangervidda mountain plateau, before finishing at the rocky peak of Gaustatoppen, Telemark’s highest mountain at 1,850m above sea level.
Norseman Xtreme Triathlon gallery
Above: Gaustatoppenn by iStock / Getty Images Plus /destillat
One of the founders Paal Hårek Stranheim says on Norseman’s website:
“I want to create a completely different race, make it a journey through the most beautiful nature of Norway, let the experience be more important than the finish time, and let the participants share their experience with family and friends, who will form their support. Let the race end on top of a mountain, to make it the hardest Ironman race on earth.”
Two-time Ironman world champion Tim DeBoom won the race in 2011. He says: “Norseman is like going back to the roots of triathlon. Events like this are why triathlon is so big today. The fact that events like Norseman exists gives me hope for the sport.”
British pros racing in 2018 include Emma Pooley and Harry Wiltshire – can they threaten, or come close to, the course records set by the Norweigians Lars Christian Vold (09:52:03) and Anne Nevin (12:04:18) last year?
Can’t make it there to watch or race? Don’t worry we will be streaming all the action live on our website, just go to the 220 home page
Advertisement
If you want an adventure of a lifetime this race is it…
On the 4th August one of the toughest iron-distance triathlons in the world takes place in Norway, the iconic Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon
Advertisement
It all starts with a jump off a ferry into a dark and icy fjord, which has an average temperature of 14°C, and it doesn’t let up from there. Both the bike course, which has an elevation of nearly 3,000 metres, and the run course, with a climb of nearly 2,000 metres to the race finish at the top of a mountain, are designed to test the toughest of the tough, and with a 15:35hr median finish time, it really isn’t a race for the faint-hearted…
Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon race tips
The scenery is pretty stunning too, taking in some of Noways most beautiful parts including Hardangervidda mountain plateau, before finishing at the rocky peak of Gaustatoppen, Telemark’s highest mountain at 1,850m above sea level.
Norseman Xtreme Triathlon gallery
Above: Gaustatoppenn by iStock / Getty Images Plus /destillat
One of the founders Paal Hårek Stranheim says on Norseman’s website:
“I want to create a completely different race, make it a journey through the most beautiful nature of Norway, let the experience be more important than the finish time, and let the participants share their experience with family and friends, who will form their support. Let the race end on top of a mountain, to make it the hardest Ironman race on earth.”
Two-time Ironman world champion Tim DeBoom won the race in 2011. He says: “Norseman is like going back to the roots of triathlon. Events like this are why triathlon is so big today. The fact that events like Norseman exists gives me hope for the sport.”
British pros racing in 2018 include Emma Pooley and Harry Wiltshire – can they threaten, or come close to, the course records set by the Norweigians Lars Christian Vold (09:52:03) and Anne Nevin (12:04:18) last year?
Can’t make it there to watch or race? Don’t worry we will be streaming all the action live on our website, just go to the 220 home page
Advertisement
If you want an adventure of a lifetime this race is it…
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Vicky Holland won gold and led a British charge at the ITU World Triathlon Edmonton to move up to second overall in the world rankings. Teams mates Georgia Taylor-Brown, Jess Learmonth and Jodie Stimpson finished third, fourth and fifth.
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Holland demonstrated with her win at the AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds that she is in excellent form this season, and came to Edmonton fired up after an unfortunate crash on the bike leg in Hamburg two weeks ago. She made sure in Edmonton that she would be the one to beat, attacking the race throughout.
An early swim and bike lead was established by Learmonth, Summer Cook (USA) and Vittoria Lopes (BRA), but it was swallowed up by the leading pack on the climb during the first of five bike laps. At the start of the 5km run, all of the key contenders were there but Holland had by far the best transition and looked full of confidence.
Holland set the fastest run time to win in Edmonton for the second time in her career, the last time being in freezing conditions in 2015. In bright sunshine this time, she raised the finish tape ahead of Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle and a hugely impressive Georgia Taylor-Brown, who ran into the bronze medal position.
Jess Learmonth and Jodie Stimpson followed her home to achieve one of Britain’s best ever results at an ITU World Triathlon Series event.
Holland, who now moves up to second in the Series rankings behind Katie Zaferes (USA), said: “I was really riding high after Leeds, and I put in a really good block of training. It was unfortunate I had a crash in Hamburg, and I felt very angry and frustrated.”
She added: “I take a race at a time. I try not to think about leading the series too much. Katie has had such a strong season, she hasn’t messed up any races.”
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Taylor-Brown backed up her first ever podium finish in Leeds with another, commenting: “It’s amazing to be up here.”
The British women crushed it in @WTS_Edmonton, with @VixHolland claiming her second title of the season. You can watch again the full race on https://t.co/qNsCefRDxv! pic.twitter.com/S5FWpsYekm
— World Triathlon (@worldtriathlon) July 28, 2018