WORLD TRIATHLON Emma Lombardi leads the line for vital World Triathlon Championship Series Hamburg

 

On Saturday 13 July, the women’s 2024 World Triathlon Championship Series Hamburg will see not just the leading lights of this year’s world championship title charge going shoulder to shoulder for the third time, but several of the names on everyone’s lips for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games gold hitting the blue carpet.

For the 23rd consecutive year the streets of Hamburg will be in thrall to the speed and sights and sounds of world-class triathlon racing, and with defending champion here Cassandre Beaugrand back to her best in Cagliari and Beth Potter looking to continue her pitch-perfect progress to Paris, this year’s edition looks set to be a classic.

The sprint-distance affair begins as ever with the 750m swim that includes a 40m section in near total darkness under the bridge back towards the ramp. From there the fast and flat 20km bike covers six laps before it all boils down to a searing 5km (2-lap) run to the tape.

Watch all the action from 3.55pm CEST pm over on TriathlonLive.tv.

Lombardi leads the line

It is Beaugrand’s French teammate Emma Lombardi who leads the Series and wears the number one this time around, coming in hot off a fourth place in Cagliari and bronze in Yokohama in May. Still only 22 years of age but with one of the coolest heads out there on the circuit, a first Series win surely can’t be far off.

Only one previous appearance in Hamburg was undone by trouble on the bike segment that left Lombardi way off the pace. The fourth fastest run splits in both the Series races so far in 2024 show exactly where she needs to find the gains to hit the gold.

Former Hamburg medallists take aim

Lisa Tertsch is the top-ranked German woman in Hamburg and no stranger to the podium here. One of the fastest runners on the circuit as she proved on route to silver in Cagliari with the top split by a second over Beaugrand, the 25-year-old was also a bronze medallist two years ago.

Beaugrand could be favourite to wrestle that top time over the 5km this weekend, however, after crushing the elimination format last year to claim the second Hamburg gold of her career. The winner in Cagliari, second in the 2023 Series and a clear favourite to medal at a home Games, these are the moments Cassandre Beaugrand will look back on for the rest of her days. Just how far will she go?

The woman who shared the headlines but took the spoils last year and could well have a decisive role to play again this time around is Britain’s Beth Potter.  She may not have been 100% in Cagliari but still took the bronze and is oozing a calm confidence under the spotlight of reigning world champion and Test Event winner. Hamburg will be another fascinating insight into her form and prospects.

Jorgensen and Zaferes headline for USA

Two long-term legends of US triathlon will be able to focus their attentions on the Series after the Olympic proved elusive, two of whom know what it takes to be world champion. For Katie Zaferes and Gwen Jorgensen, the road back to triathlon’s top table has been far from plain sailing, but the journeys have certainly been gripping, and both find themselves on the cusp of the top 20 in the rankings with just one scoring race so far. Jorgensen won here in 2014 and 2015, Zaferes in 2016. Never would a beer shower feel so good as it would to podium again in 2024.

Further medal potential lies with Maya Kingma (NED) and Jeanne Lehair (LUX), both sizing up their Olympic prospects with a Hamburg hit out and knowing they can be as good as anyone on their day.

Expect Kingma to set the pace in the swim along with Italy’s Bianca Seregni and GB duo Kate Waugh and Olivia Mathias. For Waugh, inclusion in the GB team for Paris will still be ringing loud and a third WTCS Hamburg would be the perfect time to shine ahead of the race of her life. Rachel Klamer (11 Hamburg appearances) and Alice Betto (7 appearances to date) have the experience and power to be present, correct and competing for the medals at the pointy end once again on a course they know well.

FULL START LIST

WTCS HAMBURG

13 May, 3.55pm local time

TriathlonLive.tv

https://triathlon.org/events/start_list/2024_world_triathlon_championship_series_hamburg/627965

WORLD TRIATHLON Cassandre Beaugrand fires off olympic-distance warning with gold in Cagliari

 

Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) was back to her imperious best on Saturday morning in Sardinia, finding yet another decisive gear down the home straight to see off her last challenger Lisa Tertsch (GER) after a colossal finale to the 10km run.

It had been too tight to call as the run boiled down to that duo, Emma Lombardi (FRA) and Beth Potter (GBR), the defending world champion looking in command until the final 500m when Beaugrand dug in for one last push.

It was a first Series gold at the Olympic distance and at the perfect time two months out from a huge home Games, Tertsch settling for silver, Potter holding on for the bronze.

The 1500m ocean swim was not an easy one in Cagliari. The 60 women toeing the start line faced a wetsuit swim on choppy water that proved to be challenging even for the greater swimmers of the pack. Maya Kingma (NED), Bianca Seregni (ITA) and Beth Potter (GBR) where the first ones hitting the sand to quickly turn around the bouys and get back again in the water for the second lap, but with a relatively big group right at their feet.

A group that had indeed almost all the big names on it, including Cassandra Beaugrand (FRA), Taylor Spivey (USA), Flora Dufy (BER), Emma Lombardi (FRA) o Taylor Knibb (USA), just to name a few, all of them hitting transition less than 10 seconds behind the leader.

Kate Waugh (GBR) was the last athlete to make contact with the lead group of 14 athletes and they jumped on their bikes knowing that they would have to work hard to avoid the chase group, that included strong bikers like Sophie Coldwell (GBR), Lisa Terstch (GER) or Katie Zaferes (USA). For Coldwell and Zaferes making contact with the lead group was key, knowing that the eyes of the selectors that will be naming each countries’s team for the Paris Olympics were in Cagliari taking notes.

A small group of six motivated athletes is probably the best scenario when it comes to a chase group, and before the end of the second lap -out of ten-, the lead group became a massive train of 24 athletes that would then rode together until the end of the 40km bike ride.

With a flat bike course like the one in Cagliari, it was just a matter of negotiating carefully the multiple corners, avoid trouble and try to sabe as much legs as possible for the final 10k. That was the mission for Zaferes, Laura Lindemann (GER) or Potter most of the time, while ahead of the lead group, Knibb tried unsuccessfully to break the train apart. On the bell lap, the leaders had more than three minutes over the chase group, led by a desperate Leonie Periault (FRA), Alberte Kjær Pedersen (NED) and Lotte Miller (NOR).

Periault, who was wearing the number one after her stunning victory on the opening WTCS of the season two weeks ago in Yokohama, had an average swim and couldn’t make up ground with the group.

Up front, the large pack of 24 women hit the second transition together, and it was Emma Lombardi who was first on her running shoes, but with a group of ten women in less than 8 seconds behind her. Lombardi decided to push hard from the gun. She was quickly followed by her compatriot Beaugrand, and Beth Potter, but quickly the other three British joined the party, with Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), Sophie Coldwell and Kate Waugh knowing that a podium in Cagliari would mean almost automatically a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Also in the lead group was Jeanne Lehair (LUX), while behind the leading six Katie Zaferes fighted to remain in touch, knowing also that a top 5 result would write her name on bold letters on the notebooks of the selectors for Team USA.

Half-way through the run, the group of six leading was joined by Lisa Tertscht, who looked fresh and calm, while behind them the group started to stretch, with Knibb, Kate Waugh, Zaferes, Duffy, Spivey and Verena Steinhauser (ITA) not able to keep on with the pace of the leaders.

On the bell lap, the leading six became only four, dropping Taylor-Brown and Coldwell, to face the last kilometer looking at each other trying to decide when to do the last push. And it was Beaugrand the one going for it with the finish line on sight, managing to open a few meters with Terstcht, that will end up crossing the finish line in second place, while Potter grabbed the last spot of the podium. A disappointed Lombardi crossed the finish line in fourth, obviously not enough for her but enough to make her the new World Triathlon Championship Series leader, while Lehair rounded the top five.

This was the first-ever victory for Beaugrand on a standard distance WTCS, one that feels even better only two and a half months before the Olympics in Paris this summer. “I kept telling myself ‘you can not lose this race, you have to keep fighting´, and I did. I haven’t been able to run much in the last two weeks, but I decided to go for it today, I didn’t want to wait until the end so I just pushed and it worked. I didn’t want to lose a sprint again, so I am very happy today”, she explained.

“I was fighting until the end, but I am very happy. I know how people races, I observe them, we were all watching each other… it was fun”, said Lisa. “I already qualified for the Olympics last year, so this year is just preparing for it, but I am very happy with how preparations are going”.

“I went for the win today and got third, but I am happy”, said Potter. “My goal is end of July to be on top form, but I am confident of where I am now. I had a bad cold a couple of weeks ago but I feel OK now”.

On the British battle for the Olympic team, Taylor-Brown was the second Brit to cross the finish line in sixth place, on what she hopes that could be enough to prove to the selectors that she deserves one of the golden tickets to the Games, while Sophie Coldwell finished in seventh place. On the other side, Waugh was the fourth Brit on the finish line today, and her 10th place might not be enough to make the Olympic selection.

Team USA also was following closely their athletes, and it was Knibb the first American on the finish line, in 11th place, with Zaferes right behind her, a 12th place that felt great for the double Olympic medalist. Spivey, one of the most consistent American athletes so far, managed to finish in 15th place, while Kirsten Kasper did not have the legs today, and could only finish in 21st place, after her brilliant 5th place in WTCS Yokohama.

The current Olympic champion, Flora Duffy, crossed the finish line in 8th place, with a negative split in the last 5km, and Nina Eim finished in 9th place.

Results: Elite Women

1.Cassandre Beaugrand FRA01:47:25

2.Lisa Tertsch GER01:47:28

3.Beth Potter GBR01:47:31

4.Emma Lombardi FRA01:47:32

5.Jeanne Lehair LUX01:47:51

WORLD TRIATHLON Periault sparkles in WTCS Yokohama to add another French pearl to the Paris puzzle

 

On a race full of stories and Olympic consequence on Saturday morning in Yokohama, it was a French star with renewed designs on the biggest prize in Paris who shone brightest, Leonie Periault pulling out a run for the ages to seal a second World Triathlon Championship Series gold of her career.

The pace had been on from the very start of the swim as Taylor Knibb looked to test those around her, fellow Americans Taylor Spivey, Kirsten Kasper and Gwen Jorgensen knowing a podium here would seal their own ambitions of an Olympic start. A large bike pack formed powered on by the returning Flora Duffy and Netherlands Maya Kingma, but once out onto the run there was nobody that could hold a candle to Periault.

Teammate Emma Lombardi was able to stay closest for the longest, but from early on the second lap of four, the results rarely looked in any doubt, Periault taking the gold by over 30 seconds from Knibb, Lombardi with the bronze.

“I am very happy, I don’t understand the performance”, said Periault. “It’s a good start for me after the winter, with my new coaches, I am happy but I don’t understand the result!”

Spivey and Kasper finished tantalisingly close to their podium goal in fourth and fifth, a brilliant Ana Godoy Contreras display saw the Spaniard home in sixth one place ahead of Duffy, Brazil’s Djenyfer Arnold, German Laura Lindemann and GB’s Kate Waugh rounded out the top 10, Jorgensen eventually home in 15th.

Onto the pontoon it was numbers one to ten - Lombardi to Knibb - lined up in order from the right, Kirsten Kasper far left, and Knibb was on the pace first and pulling away as the buoy came into sight after 300m.

Jorgensen started middle-left, Duffy right in the middle with Vicky Holland, and Bermuda’s Olympic Champion was 20 seconds back after the first swim lap, Knibb first out and back in with Kingma and Kasper, Jorgensen 22 seconds off the pace.

Duffy flew through lap two though to haul her way into 6th place by the exit, Lombardi and Spivey for company, Natalie Van Coevorden just 13 seconds off the front.

Over the mount line it was Lombardi first onto the bike, Vittoria Lopes, Kingma, Kasper and Summer Rappaport +15s, Tilda Mansson +20s, Nina Eim of Germany +33s, Jorgensen +44 seconds.

It was small groups everywhere early on but 10 came together up front with Kate Waugh having a great T1 while Knibb was 10s slower in transition but was quickly back on the group.

It was the familiar form of Flora Duffy onto the front, Derron in a small group 15s back with Rappaport hanging on to them, Van Coevorden, Jeanne Lehair and Eim with them, while Lisa Tertsch was 45s back with Vicky Holland while Jorgensen slipped a minute back with Nicole Van Der Kaay.

Kingma tried to pull away early on lap two and stretch the leaders, but the pack covered it off well. The pace was definitely on as 17 leaders put 30 seconds over the strong quartet of Derron, Eim, Van Coevorden and Lehair, one minute to Rachel Klamer and Tertsch, 80 seconds off the front was Jorgensen and Annika Koch.

Kingma led several more small charges but none of the breaks were able to stick, the Brazilian duo of Arnold and Lopes still going well, Bianca Seregni likewise as Jolien Vermeylen was dropped.

The Eim group was now 50 seconds off them and drifting further away from that formidable bike pack, the third group already 85 seconds off the leaders now with Rappaport among them, 110 seconds to Koch, Jorgensen and Van Der Kaay.

Tilda Mansson’s race ended with the bad luck of a broken seat post while Maya Kingma suffered a puncture at the end of lap four. Suddenly Jorgensen had Kingma for company and the American’s gap was 2 minutes 20 seconds with two laps to go.

Knibb had sat on the back for much of the bike but came to the front on the 7th lap to push things on, and there were 14 together into transition with just over a minute to the first chasers, 2m15s to the second.

Waugh was onto the gas early out of T2 alongside Lombardi, a poor transition hampered Knibb’s progress but she was soon back on track. But once Periault had found her groove there was little anybody else could do about it.

The French star was really pushing the pace on the first lap, Lindemann and Duffy soon trailing by some 10seconds, Spivey and Lindemann 15 seconds back.

Periault was still absolutely flying on lap two while Knibb and Lombardi set about the battle for silver as they hit the halfway point of the run now 22s back.

Spivey and Kasper were 20s back, then Waugh and Duffy 25s back, Alice Betto and Lopes +50s, Eim and Derron locked together 75 seconds back, Jorgensen up into 17th place and picking through the field.

Periault’s lead was out to 35s at the bell, Spivey tantalisingly close 13s off the podium places, Kasper 20 seconds off the battle for medals, but there they would stay, Leonie Periault flying home for gold and the Series lead ahead of another massive race in Cagliari in two weeks’ time.

“I’ve got a lot of transition practice to do but this was the first test after a lot of changes last year, said Knibb. “This is the first time we got to see as a team where I am and they’re probably horrified by how I raced but thats what we’re working with!

“I’m really satisfied, a good third place and my first podium here so i’m very happy,” said Lombardi. “It was good to be back to an Olympic distance and see where I’m at, taking away different things to take to training and be my best at the end of July. It was a good fight with Taylor.

Results: Elite Women

1.           Leonie Periault           FRA     01:52:28

2.           Taylor Knibb  USA    01:53:04

3.           Emma Lombardi       FRA     01:53:08

4.           Taylor Spivey               USA    01:53:25

5.           Kirsten Kasper           USA    01:53:34