Britain’s Kate Waugh was so strong today that she won the SLT Toulouse by a large margin. Already during the first heat she made the difference and from then on her lead was never in danger anywhere.
The SLT Toulouse went over the Triple Mix Format, with athletes completing three heats. The first heat was a swim-bike-run, the second heat a run-bik-swim and the third heat a bike-swim-run. Each heat involved swimming 300 meters, cycling 4 kilometers and running 1 kilometer, with the exception of the third and decisive heat, where the running part was doubled in distance to two kilometers.
Heat 1 – Kate Waugh dominates and lays foundation for victory
The first heat was directly dominated by Kate Waugh. She was so strong that she rode away from everyone early on the bike and from then on saw her lead grow bigger and bigger. When she finished the first heat after 14:01 minutes, she had a lead of about fifteen seconds over the first chasers.
Heat 2 – Winner Jeanne Lehair disqualified
The second heat was more exciting than the first, but also ended in a big disappointment. After Jeanne Lehair – who won SLT London just last week – took the lead during the run, she saw Kate Waugh, Emma Lombardi, Leonie Periault and Jessica Fullagar join her on the bike. During the swim, however, Lehair took the lead again, eventually arriving at the finish line just ahead of Waugh. There she faced a major disappointment; having grabbed her bike without having her helmet buckled and therefore she was taken out of the race.
Heat 3 – Kate Waugh off to a half-minute lead, finishes it in style
During the third and final heat, Waugh’s lead was no longer in jeopardy and the British athlete was able to run to victory unchallenged. During the cycling, swimming and running she did not have to look back; indeed, she only saw her lead grow. A nice battle for the silver and bronze did unfold, as Lombardi and Periault did not settle for less. When Waugh had already taken the win, Periault sprinted to second place and Lombardi thus took the bronze.
