GB’s Beth Potter wins a spectacular Paris Olympics Test Event

Paris was bathed in glorious early-morning sunlight as the crowds gathered to see the 2024 Olympic Games course in action for the first time, with the elite women going first.

Much was on the line in the French capital as several nations were using the race to pick athletes for next year’s main event. Team GB, for example, had to podium here and at the Grand Final in Pontevedra to secure selection. (Alex Yee is the exception as he’s a Tokyo individual medallist so ‘just’ needs to podium in Paris.)

What happened in the swim?

News pre-race came that reigning Olympic champ Flora Duffy was a DNS due to ongoing injury, but 220 can report that she was looking in high spirits as she watched the race from the sidelines.

Starting from the pontoon under the majestic Pont Alexandre III bridge, the world’s best female short-course athletes – and the viewing public – couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop.

Crossing under the Pont des Invalides local hero Cassandre Beaugrand took to the front, but over the two-lap 1.5km swim she was swiftly joined by Italy’s Bianca Seregni and the USA’s Summer Rappaport.

What happened on the bike?

Rappaport had the best transition – which is superbly located on the Pont Alexandre III bridge – and hit the seven-lap, 40km bike at the head of the lead group, which included compatriot Taylor Spivey, Vittoria Lopes (BRA), Lena Meißner (GER), Laura Lindemann (GER), Emma Lombardi (FRA), Sophie Coldwell (GBR) and Beaugrand.

Just a few seconds back came the chase group, which housed some key names – Katie Zaferes (USA) and Beth Potter (GBR). Further back in the second chase group sat Kate Waugh (GBR), Léonie Périault (FRA) and Taylor Knibb (USA).

By lap two all three groups were together, forming a pack of 24 weaving around the many cobbled streets of Paris and past some of the world’s most iconic monuments.

Little changed over the next few laps, affording the cameras some stunning sweeping vistas up the Champs-Élysées and along the Quai d’Orsay.

What happened on the run?

Spivey positioned herself at the front of the peloton as they entered T2, but little could stop Beaugrand as she disappeared ahead on her native Parisian streets for the four-lap, 1.5km run.

But Beaugrand perhaps lit her matches too soon, as Potter and Lombardi ran up alongside her at the start of lap two, the Series leader Potter just edging ahead. Just behind came Lisa Tertsch (GER) and Lindemann to form a leading quintet.

Behind them Spivey and Knibb were battling to meet US qualification criteria – either a podium or a top 8. By the start of lap three, Knibb was in sixth and Spivey in ninth. Rappaport, despite her strong start, had dropped to 14th, while Zaferes was in 12th.

Back up front, and Potter and Beaugrand kicked in the battle for gold, as Lindemann and Lombardi dropped back in the fight for bronze. Next came Knibb, in fifth, as Tertsch fell back to race alongside compatriot Nina Eim in a red letter day for Team Germany.

Going into the final lap, it was Beaugrand and Potter side-by-side with a 7-second lead ahead of the other athletes. Then into the closing stages the lead extended to 9secs as the two athletes raced along the Champs-Élysées.

With the finish in sight, Potter sprinted and wasn’t matched by Beaugrand, taking the victory for Team GB. In second was Beaugrand and in third Lindemann.

Team GB also celebrated as Waugh crossed for a phenomenal seventh place, and Coldwell in 20th.

Beth Potter quotes from Paris

“I just stayed calm when things were a bit off at the start. Not awful, it wasn’t amazing, but I’ve been struggling a bit this year, I’ve got a bit of a shoulder injury.

“But then I just really committed on the first two laps of the bike, and people were actually really motivated to work. I tried not to do too much, maybe I was too far towards the bike – I’ll probably get shouted at for that!

“I felt fairly confident that it was going to come down to me and Cassandre, but I felt like I would probably have the stronger legs over 10k, so I made sure I had something in the tank at the end.

“I just don’t have the pace for [going out hard like Cassandre]. I feel like I’m a bit more of a slow burner. I was just quite smart about always taking the shortest lane. I knew if I got in front that would throw her on the back foot a bit.

“I actually got a little bit emotional in my warm-up, going up the Champs-Élysées. Five years I would’ve given my back teeth to be doing this. I’ve not slept for two days, so there’s a bit of tiredness and I’m hopefully making my second Olympic team in another sport.

“The goal for the season was to come here and win, so I can’t believe I’ve done that.”

Cassandre Beaugrand quotes from Paris

“I am not going to lie, it was a tough one”, admitted Beaugrand. “I don’t know how I made it to the end, I was cramping after the first lap in my legs. I tried to keep motivating my mind ‘you want this podium so much so keep pushing and running with Beth.’

“I just couldn’t run the sprint finish at the end, I gave it everything I had and have no regrets. The crowd was amazing. I was so disappointed not to win but maybe next year.”

Laura Lindemann quotes from Paris

“It means so much and it’s such a relief for me to get the qualification (to Paris 2024) here, I am just so happy,” said Lindemann.

“I think I had a very good race from the start – the swim was good, the bike was good and the run I had good legs, I am just so happy about it.

“The swim strung out a lot I but I just felt confident and was able to stay on the feet of the very good swimmers. It’s great to be qualified and now I can focus on the Olympics and prepare from now on.”

Kate Waugh quotes from Paris

“I’m really pleased, there’s parts of the race that I’m actually really frustrated with. I didn’t; have a good swim, I didn’t commit enough and got pretty mauled around the first turn. but I just stuck in and mangled to get into a pack and we worked to get to the front.

“I tried to make it hard and honest and stick near the front and stay out of trouble. unfortunately on a course like this it’s hard to string it out a lot, it’s not technical enough to make it punchy.

“I was pretty nervous going onto the run cause the last couple of years I’ve just not been happy with where my running’s at, but I’ve been up at Font-Remeau at altitude and I just dropped into this race, so I’m really happy I stuck in. and I had so much support around the course, so that was cool.

“If I don’t ever go to the Olympics in Paris then at least I got to compete on one of the mos iconic courses. riding up the Champs-Élysées, so many of the greats have rode up there. parts of me were like ‘Oh my god I’m on the Champs-Élysées! Kate, no, focus!'”

Olympic Games Triathlon Paris Test Event women’s race top 10 results

1. Beth Potter, GBR 1:51:40

2. Cassandre Beaugrand, FRA 1:51:46

3. Laura Lindemann, GER 1:51:59

4. Emma Lombardi, FRA 1:52:00

5. Taylor Knibb, USA 1:52:04

6. Nina Eim, GER 1:52:13

7. Kate Waugh, GBR 1:52:23

8. Julie Derron, SUI 1:52:26

9. Lisa Tertsch, GER 1:52:36

10. Taylor Spivey, USA 1:52:46

Beaugrand now leads the Series with one race to go in Pontevedra at the Grand Final.

Top image credit: Wagner Araujo/World Triathlon