News

At the time of publication, both the women’s and men’s Olympic Triathlon in Paris hangs in the balance with officials due to make a decision on the events following another water sample test overnight. The men’s race which was due to take place this morning at 08:00 local time has been postponed to 10:45am local time tomorrow, to take place after the women’s race. With a thunderstorm warning in place for this evening in Paris, it really is anyone’s guess as to whether the triathlon events will go ahead tomorrow or if an alternative plan will need to be activated.

For insight into the triathlon race course, along with our pick for the men’s medal contenders click HERE 

The women picked their pontoon positions on Monday morning for their start on Wednesday morning with Beth Potter selecting first then the following top 9 seeded athletes selected their positions on the pontoon, each looking for the best spot to get the most advantageous start to their race.  Read more about the line up HERE

Women’s Medal Contenders

The reigning Olympic Champion Flora Duffy will line up in Paris for her fifth Olympic Games. Not only is she the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion, Duffy is also a four-time World Triathlon Champion, twice Commonwealth Gold Medal winner, and five-time Xterra World Champion. However, Duffy was sidelined through 2023 due to a tear in her patella tendon, only returning to WTCS racing in May of this year. Despite this forced absence from racing, she returned to the WTCS scene by posting two top ten positions in Yokohama and Cagliari showing she’ll still be a medal contender in Paris this week.

Team GB boasts one of the strongest overall rosters with Beth Potter as the 2023 World Champion and Paris test event winner having an exceptionally strong season to date, and noted as one of the most consistently strong runners in the field, she competed for GB in the 10k at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and is surely in contention for the top step of the triathlon podium.

Potter is joined by Georgia Taylor Brown, the 2020 Triathlon World Series Champion. Taylor Brown is also the reigning silver medallist from the Tokyo Olympic Games, as well as the current Commonwealth Games individual silver medalist, having placed second to Duffy on both occasions.

French athlete and home favourite, Cassandre Beaugrand is the current World Triathlon ranked number one heading into the Paris Olympic Games. Beaugrand’s third Olympic outing will also see her with a home Games advantage. Her swim abilities will no doubt see her in front pack contention, and with what is considered a relatively non-technical bike course, if she can maintain her position heading out onto the run course, the home crowd will surely give her the energy required to bring out her usual world class calibre run leg.

Beaugrand will be joined by 22 year old Emma Lombardi, World Triathlon ranked number three. Lombardi was 4th at the Test event last year, however she has proven to be one of the most consistent athletes with several top fives in the past 24 months. Whilst yet to take the top spot of the podium over an Olympic distance, a home crowd may be all she needs to beat the World’s best to the medals.

The US also boasts a very strong roster with Taylor Knibb and Taylor Spivey taking to the startline, alongside Kristen Kasper. Knibb and Spivey are currently ranked 9th and 8th respectively in the World Triathlon rankings. Knibb secured her spot for the Games by auto-qualifying at the Test event last year placing 5th overall. She was part of the Mixed Team Relay who secured silver in Tokyo, and boasts a bike leg so dominant she has already taken part in the Individual Time Trial in Paris. The two time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion knows just what it takes to break the tape when the pressure is on, will she be able to add an Olympic gold medal to her already burgeoning trophy cabinet in the race tomorrow? Meanwhile, Spivey has displayed incredible consistency over the past eight years at WTCS level and will no doubt be out to prove herself as one of the best on her Olympic debut.

Needless to say the startlist is jam packed full of names who could take the race by storm. Not least Leonie Periault, Julie Derron, and Jeanne Lehair. Should the event switch to duathlon format, it really could be anyone’s race! We wait with bated breath like the rest of the world to hear the latest update from Paris

The full list of women on the start line in Paris can be found HERE