Bahrain Victorious 13 athletes dominated the SuperTri Series Championship at the Grand Final in NEOM, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday. Georgia Taylor-Brown and Hayden Wilde captured the individual overall titles, while the Bahrain Victorious 13-backed Crown Racing team topped the team competition.
Taylor-Brown also makes history as the first athlete to win three supertri titles in the league’s six-year history.
Both athletes had won the supertri series in 2022, which was also a title defence for Taylor-Brown. They came into NEOM leading the series, but with strong challenges expected from a deep field, there was everything to play for.
After finishing second in Boston and winning three consecutive races in Chicago, London, and Toulouse, Taylor-Brown only needed a fourth-place finish in NEOM to secure the championship when Bahrain Victorious 13 teammate Olympic and world champion Cassandre Beaugrand took gold on the day.
“I was kind of out the back the whole race and not the best day for me. And it’s kind of weird winning the title and not being on the podium for the individual race. But no, I got the title and that’s all I came for today,” Taylor-Brown said post-race. “I’m really quite proud of this one, especially after the hard year post-Olympics, so it’s nice to know that I can still be up there, still do it.”
Beaugrand kept her 2024 winning streak unbroken with a masterful performance over the three consecutive rounds of swim-bike-run. She also finished third in the series. She said, “It was a tough race because of the heat, and I was just trying to do my best today after a very big year. So yeah, my goal was to have some points for the team… I’m happy for Georgia… and happy to win today and finish [the year] on a good race.”
Meanwhile, last year’s supertri champion Kate Waugh finished 7th to rank 5th overall.
Wilde was also consistently in the Top 3 with wins in Chicago and London, second in Boston and third in Toulouse. While his silver finish in NEOM allowed him to win the championship comfortably, the race itself was hard-fought and mirrored the Olympic podium with Alex Yee and Leo Bergere on either side of him.
“Last time I won the series, all I had to do was top seven. So having to get a podium was a bit nerve-wracking over the day,” he revealed. “And once again, the three of us are back on another series podium, so it’s quite nice and kudos to the boys and just the whole team overall.
Fantastic for Crown racing, but also for the team. And congratulations also to Vincent for his amazing [short course] career.”
Vincent Luis finished his final short-course race in 7th, ranking 6th overall. He said, “I’m happy to leave on a high note with the win overall with the team… I’ve raced all across the world with [supertri] and that’s been an amazing experience. I’m really grateful they gave me my chance six years ago when I was just basically a nobody.”
Bahrain Victorious 13 through Crown Racing also proved victorious in the campaign for the teams title, after last having won it as the Bahrain Victorious Scorpions in 2022.
“It’s what His Highness Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa wanted and fortunately we’ve been able to pull the team together and they’ve delivered,” said Crown Racing assistant manager Michael Gilliam. “I’d like to thank His Highness for all his support as well. We couldn’t have done it without Bahrain, and they’re there with us every day.”
