Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) on Wednesday overcame a world-class field and challenging course and conditions in Paris to become the first French athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in triathlon, while Hayden Wilde (NZL) bettered his Tokyo bronze medal with a silver in a thrilling near-sprint finish in the men’s event.
Beaugrand went into the Games ranked world #1 with two consecutive wins on the World Triathlon Championship Series circuit, and delivered on her countrymen’s expectations of a win at home.
With the men’s race the previous day postponed to after the women’s race due to water pollution concerns, the women kicked off Olympic triathlon competition over a 1.5-kilometre swim in the Seine, followed by a 40-kilometre bike and 10-kilometre run in the Paris city centre with famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, and Arc du Triomphe as backdrop.
Beaugrand braved strong river currents to emerge 8th on the first lap, then 6th at the swim finish. Staying out of danger through the slick cycle course, she rode with Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) in the first chase pack driving to bridge the gap to the breakaway leader, defending champion Flora Duffy (BER). Completing the bike ride in that lead group of nine athletes, Beaugrand quickly moved through transition to get out on the run.
In a group of four that gapped the rest of the field by nine seconds, Beaugrand paced shoulder-to-shoulder with Julie Derron (SUI), Beth Potter (GBR), and compatriot Emma Lombardi through the first three of four 2.5-kilometre laps. But her running chops came to the fore in the final lap; with 1.5 kilometres to go Beaugrand surged to put daylight between herself and Derron, crossing the finish line in seeming disbelief at the feat she had pulled off.
“I told myself I’ve been doing triathlon for 15 years or more, it’s just another race and, finally, it’s nothing I don’t already know how to do. I took confidence in that and I just didn’t want to have any regrets at the end,” she said. “To do it in front of our crowd was something that had to be done, and I still can’t believe it. If you had asked me straight after Tokyo I would have said that I’d never be able to do it, but I did it, and I’m happy that my mentality was on point today and, ultimately, my greatest strength.”
Tokyo silver medallist Taylor-Brown finished in sixth, while Kate Waugh (GBR) notched a Top 15 finish in her maiden Games appearance.
In the men’s race it was Henri Schoeman (RSA) leading the men through most of the swim course, just pipped for first right before the exit. He then rode in the front pack of six that was eventually swallowed by the nearest chasers, among whom was Alex Yee (GBR). In the chase pack just behind that Wilde pushed the pace as the athletes eventually formed a large blob of 32 all getting onto the run together.
Wilde went immediately to challenge Yee for the pole position. While at first it looked as if the two would engage in a close duel, the New Zealander surged early and built a lead of 15 seconds by halfway. But the final few hundred metres were all that mattered in the end as Yee put on a massive sprint to best Wilde. Displaying good sportsmanship, Wilde was the first to congratulate his rival at the finish line.
He said, “I got myself into a good spot and into a good chase group. Obviously, we caught up … and that’s a big thanks to my teammate (Dylan McCollough). He came back, he waited, and he bridged that gap and sacrificed his race. So yeah, that guy deserves the keys to New Zealand because he was the one who helped me get the silver medal.”
Rio bronze medallist Schoeman rounded out the Top 20 in what was his third and possibly final Games.
Olympic triathletes will see action one more time at the mixed relay on the 5th of August.
