The Bahrain Victorious 13 delivered another commanding medal haul at Ironman 70.3 Bahrain, extending the team’s proud tradition of owning the podium at their home race in the Kingdom.
Vincent Luis successfully defended his men’s title in 3:29:08 — nearly three minutes faster than the time he set last year. The Olympic bronze medalist and two-time world champion from France swam conservatively, exiting the 1.9-kilometre swim in Manama Bay in second place before taking control out of transition and driving the pace on the 90-kilometre bike leg. He sealed the win with a commanding half-marathon, breaking the tape for both himself and the team.
Bahrain Victorious 13 teammate Vasco Vilaça was hot on Luis’ heels on the run after spending most of the bike leg in third place. The Portuguese star made his debut over the 70.3 distance in grand fashion, taking the silver medal in 3:31:19.
Luis said post-race, “It was good to have a race at the front with Vasco and show him around a bit. I know the course pretty well now… I tried to push on the swim, the bike and then started quite hard and then paced myself for the second part of the run. And when I saw that my gap was still extending, I was happy with it.”
Great Britain’s India Lee added to the medal tally with a bronze in the women’s race, clocking in at 3:56:35 after leading both swim and bike in her first time to race in the Kingdom. Meanwhile, compatriot and Crown Racing athlete Georgia Taylor-Brown turned up the afterburners on the run to defend her title and break the course record.
Lee said, “The race played out sort of how I expected. I swam on Georgia’s feet for most of the swim and then got around her for the last 400 [metres] or so. Then the bike was fairly straightforward… I felt good, but there was no way that I could break away just because of the nature of the course… Overall, it was a really great day. There was a lot of support out there and I enjoyed it.”
Taylor-Brown revealed, “On the run I probably went a bit too soon, but I’m super happy to have just about held on for the win. Getting the course record was pretty cool as well, even though I felt a bit rough at the end of the run.”
The race marked the conclusion of the annual Bahrain Victorious 13 team camp, which provides Bahrain youth with access to the world’s best athletes. Earlier in the week, Cassandre Beaugrand, Jelle Geens, and Marten Van Riel held an open-water swim clinic with Bahrain Aquatics, while team members supported Ironkids participants at Friday’s finish line. This long-running initiative reinforces the team’s vision to pursue excellence at the highest level, elevate the Kingdom’s sporting landscape, and inspire future sports stars.
The racing season winds to a close at next week’s T100 Grand Final in Qatar. Luis and Lee will back up from their exploits in Bahrain, this time with Geens and Van Riel joining them on the starting line.
