Cassandre Beaugrand surges to the win in fast and furious WTCS London women’s race
Cassandre Beaugrand made it three wins from three starts as World Triathlon Championship Series returned to London.
It was the first time since 2015 that there was elite short course racing in the capital, and Beaugrand showed her class as she held off Germany’s world champion Lisa Tertsch and Sweden’s breakthrough star Tilda Månsson over the final few hundred metres of the sprint distance contest.
Two-time Olympic medallist Beth Potter – the series leader coming into the the event – was the best-placed of the Brits in fourth place. France’s Leonie Periault was fifth, with Georgia Taylor-Brown sixth and Taylor Knibb – who broke away on the 20km bike leg – staying strong for seventh.
It ended up being a devastating day for GB’s Tilly Anema. Having led out of the swim, the 24-year-old clung to the wheel of Knibb for the first half of the bike leg, before clipping a cone and crashing out.
Both elite races started and finished at Excel London, in a rapid 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run that Beaugrand whipped through in just 56mins.
What happened in the swim?
Hungary’s young superstar Fanni Szalai was on the back foot early. Having turned up late for the pre-race briefing, the 18-year-old would have to stand down for a 10sec penalty following the swim.
The swim consisted of one 750m lap in Royal Victoria Dock before the triathletes headed back into Excel and up two flights of stairs for the unusual indoor transition.
Britain’s Anema, who is forging a reputation as a premier swimmer in the sport, took the race on from the get-go, stringing out a fast-moving pace-line as the field desperately tried to hold the feet of the athlete in front.
Anema was first out of the water in 9:37 followed by Szalai and USA’s Knibb. Sophie Evans, one of only two athletes in the field along with Gwen Jorgensen to have raced a London World Series race before, was the best of the Brits in fifth place and Potter was well in contention in ninth.
If there was a surprise in the swim it was that Beaugrand was 28sec off the pace, although the Olympic champion was in good company with Taylor-Brown just in front.
What happened on the bike?
The bike leg was a twisty urban circuit around the London Docklands, with athletes completing two laps to cover the 20km distance.
While there were no hills, the tight cornering and multiple inclines as the took on the underpasses, still made it an honest test.
It certainly looked suited to Knibb, who competed on the same roads over the 100km distance last year and placed third.
That familiarity together with her renowned strength on the bike meant she quickly took charge of the race, while Anema fought valiantly to stay on the American’s wheel as the gap edged out to the chasers.
By the halfway point on the bike leg, the front two were 28sec in front and it was looking like a potential race-winning move.
Disaster then struck for Anema, who clipped a cone when taking a sweeping right hand corner, which sent her into another cone and on to the tarmac, ending her race.
Knibb’s lone effort showed little signs of faltering as she held the gap above 20secs into transition, giving her a first shot at a WTCS win since 2021.
What happened on the run?
The three-lap 5km run took athletes around the Excel before finishing inside the venue, creating a stadium-style atmosphere for the race conclusion.
A huge pack set off in pursuit of Knibb, with the initial charge led by Emma Lombardi, who had reigning champion Tertsch for company along with the looming presence of Beaugrand.
By the time they headed through the Excel centre for the first time, Beaugrand – who set national records over 5km on the road and 5,000m and 3,000m on the track this year – was out in front.
On to lap two it looked a three-way skirmish between Tertsch, Månsson and Beaugrand and seemed destined to come down to a sprint finish to echo the earlier round in Quiberon where Beaugrand held off Månsson.
Potter was leading the chase for the minor places, but all the drama was at the front, as Månsson was first to drop off with Beaugrand shoulder-to-shoulder with Tertsch, before she pulled away for victory on the blue carpet.
Evans, who placed 23rd and the fifth ranked Brit said: “I wanted more from the result, but the processes are coming, and I just have to keep plugging away and getting fitter every week. It’s definitely taken me a bit more time, especially over the 5km, where I just don’t have the leg turnover.
“I enjoyed it and coming back to London is special anyway, with a home race and the crowds. I just need to sharpen up a bit and hopefully have a good winter and get ready for next year.”
Sian Rainsley finished 17th. She said: “It was amazing. Having a home race was insane and I could hear all my friends and family out on the course.
“It was a really cool course, different with the indoor outdoor element, and the 5km run was really hard – coming into the aircon and back out into the heat, and there was a hill in it.
“I love having a home race and there is more next year and many more years hopefully, so I’m really excited.
“Next year it gets important with Olympic selection, so hopefully I’ll make some more gains and come back even stronger.”
WTCS London women’s race results
- Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) 56:06
- Lisa Tersch (GER) 56:11
- Tilda Månsson (SWE) 56:21
- Beth Potter (GBR)
- Leonie Periault (FRA)
- Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR)
- Taylor Knibb (USA)
- Jeanne Lehair (LUX)
- Diana Isakova (AIN)
- Emma Lombardi (FRA)
Lead image: World Triathlon
Tim Heming
Freelance triathlon journalist 
