TRIATHLON – BAHRAIN Victorious 13 athletes were out in force this weekend.
Paris 2024 Olympics champion Cassandre Beaugrand added another world title to her palmares at the Supertri E World Triathlon Championship in London, while Leo Bergere and Marten Van Riel took silver and bronze, respectively, at the T100 Triathlon in Singapore.
Racing over supersprint distances on the Supertri E format – three nonstop rounds of a 200-metre pool swim, a four-kilometre stationary bike leg, and a one-kilometre treadmill run – Beaugrand commanded the lead from the gun and fended off the title defence from a hard-charging Beth Potter, crossing the virtual finish line with a 30-second lead.
“It was very brutal out there – I forgot just how hard this racing is,” said Beaugrand. “It is very challenging racing Beth but it’s nice having a big battle like that.
“If I blew up then I blew up, but I am really happy with the result today.”
With India Lee falling to the hot and humid conditions in Singapore on Saturday and Taylor Knibb deciding to start her T100 campaign next month in San Francisco instead, it was up to the Bahrain Victorious men to represent the team with Vincent Luis and Jelle Geens on the start line alongside Bergere and Van Riel.
Luis struck first, leading out of the two-kilometre swim in Marina Bay with Van Riel on his heels.
Over the course of the 80km bike, Van Riel – fresh off his Ironman South Africa silver medal feat – proved to have the stronger legs with Bergere joining him in the second chase group.
Just 37 seconds behind the leaders by the time they transitioned onto the run, Bergere ran down the field to move into second place halfway through the 18km leg to clinch second place, while Van Riel took the final spot on the podium.
Luis finished in 14th, while Geens, overwhelmed by the heat, called it a day on the run course.
From Beaugrand’s dominant display in the intense, fast-paced Supertri E arena to Bergere and Van Riel’s gritty performances, Bahrain Victorious 13 once again proved they can rise to any challenge.
As the season continues to unfold, the tema’s elite athletes are set to keep making headlines on the world triathlon stage.
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