The southwest French coastline came alive this weekend as over 2,000 athletes descended on the sold-out Challenge Vieux-Boucau, where Guillem Montiel of Spain and France’s Audrey Merle delivered masterful performances to claim victory in style.
Montiel Puts on a Masterclass
Fresh off his European Championship triumph, Guillem Montiel wasted no time showing his form. He led from the front, clocking a 23:08 swim that sent a clear message to the stacked field chasing him – including Estaban Bringer, Emil Holm, William Even, and Tom Davies, all within 10 seconds.
Once on the bike, the dynamics changed fast. With the 20-meter drafting rule stringing out the field, Holm surged to the front after 20km, though his advantage was razor-thin. By halfway, the race had fractured – Holm still led, but the chase pack was in pieces. German powerhouse Hannes Butters stormed through the field after emerging 24th from the water, joining Mikel Arrasate and Lorenz in pursuit.
But Montiel wasn’t done. With 10km to go, he made his move – a decisive, surgical attack that left Holm fading and Butters hanging on. By T2, Montiel’s lead had ballooned to nearly three minutes.
On the run, Montiel looked untouchable. Behind him, chaos reigned: Arrasate, Hagen, Barreau, and Lejeune all traded blows in the fight for podium positions. As Montiel cruised to the win in 3:37:23, Belgium’s Emmanuel Lejeune stunned the crowd with a ferocious 1:06:39 half-marathon to snatch second in 3:40:47. France’s Julian Hagen closed strong for third in 3:41:29.
Merle’s Comeback Story: From Motherhood to Middle-Distance Glory
If Montiel’s win was clinical, Audrey Merle’s was emotional. Just seven months after giving birth, the French star stormed to her first-ever professional middle-distance victory – and she had to earn every second of it.
The women’s race began as a duel between Merle and Dutch National Champion Olympic Distance Babette Rosman, the pair separated by a single second after the 1.9km swim. Once on the bike, Rosman took command, showing her Olympic-distance pedigree to open a lead of nearly four minutes by T2. Behind her, Solène Billouin charged through the field, with Merle and Alexia Bailly fighting to stay in touch.
But Merle had other plans. With steady, patient pacing, she began to chip away at Rosman’s advantage. By the halfway point of the run, the gap was down to 1:33 – and with 5km remaining, the inevitable happened. Merle surged past the Dutch athlete, her stride confident and unrelenting.
Crossing the line in 4:09:56, Merle sealed a landmark victory – a powerful statement of resilience and form. Rosman held strong for second in 4:11:17, while Britain’s Brooke Gillies capped her breakout season with third in 4:14:29.