The Bahrain Victorious 13 kicked off their Olympic campaign this weekend as the World Triathlon Championship Series in Abu Dhabi featured scorching racing in the desert over the sprint distance.

 

Vincent Luis led the men’s race throughout the 750-metre swim, with Henri Schoeman four seconds back and Hayden Wilde a further 41 seconds in arrears. Though Wilde was well-placed to start the bike on the tail end of the lead pack, a flat tire right out of T1 saw him riding solo for the rest of the 20-kilometre bike leg. Luis and Schoeman rode within the large group of 50 around the Yas Marina circuit, with the final 5-kilometre run seen to decide podium positions. In the end Luis finished just five seconds off the third step, while Schoeman and Wilde crossed the finish line in 36th and 46th respectively.

 

Cassandre Beaugrand recorded the fastest run split of the day in the women’s race on the way to finishing 6th. The power was up at the front of the swim with six making a breakaway; Beaugrand emerged from the water 30 seconds behind the leaders and Georgia Taylor-Brown a further six seconds back. Taylor-Brown pushed the pace in the chase pack, but the large group proved to be unwieldy and gave up even more time to the breakaway. Once on the run Beaugrand ran down the field but ran out of road, while Taylor-Brown finished 15th.

 

Schoeman heads to Switzerland for the second Arena Games event this coming weekend, while Luis crosses the Atlantic to join Joe Skipper on the starting line for Clash Miami.

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Lauren Parker Leads Bahrain Victorious 13’s Medal Haul at World Championships

Lauren Parker Leads Bahrain Victorious 13’s Medal Haul at World Championships

The Bahrain Victorious 13 captured an impressive medal haul at the World Triathlon Championships in Wollongong, Australia this weekend.

Lauren Parker led the campaign, winning two medals including her fifth paratriathlon world title.

The paratriathlon races opened the elite competition on Saturday, where Parker once again proved untouchable. She led from the front, exiting the 750-metre swim first, hammering the 20-kilometre handbike leg with the day’s fastest split, and then powering through the 5-kilometre wheelchair run to cross the line 70 seconds clear of her nearest rival.

Unbeaten all year, Parker’s home victory carried extra meaning as she reclaimed the crown she relinquished last season.

“Everyone was so supportive out there and it definitely made me push a little bit harder,” Parker said post-race. “I wanted to get back on top again and I really worked hard for this one and I’m just happy to get it done.”

She also revealed her next sporting ambition: to qualify for the Winter Paralympic Games, with ongoing training in cross-country skiing and biathlon.

On Sunday, Parker added to her tally with a silver medal in the Para Mixed Relay World Championships, helping the Australian team to a podium finish.

In the men’s elite race, Vasco Vilaça placed fifth to secure the overall World Triathlon Championship Series bronze medal, returning to the world podium for the first time since earning silver at the one-day championship in Hamburg in 2020.

Emma Lombardi also delivered a standout performance, claiming bronze in the women’s race – her best finish of the season – and vaulting seven places to 11th overall in the Series standings. She swam into the pointy end on the 1.5-kilometre swim alongside compatriot Cassandre Beaugrand, then attacked on the 40-kilometre bike to lead onto the 10-kilometre run where she battled against the eventual winner and series champion Lisa Tertsch and a hard-charging Bianca Seregni to hold onto the final spot on the podium.

Beaugrand, who had stayed in the lead pack throughout the swim and bike, was forced to withdraw on the run to conclude her season ranked seventh overall.

The results in Wollongong wrap up the Bahrain Victorious 13’s short course season. The team now turns its attention to middle distance racing with the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain and Ironman 70.3 Bahrain on the horizon, as well as the T100 Tour’s final two stops in Dubai and Qatar.

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Kat Matthews Runs to Silver and a Record Finish in Kona

Kat Matthews Runs to Silver and a Record Finish in Kona

Kat Matthews led the charge for the Bahrain Victorious 13 on Saturday, taking her third IRONMAN World Championship silver medal at the historic final all-women’s race in Kona, Hawaii. The British star also set a new run course record on the way to her first-ever...

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