With Cassandre Beaugrand pulling out due to illness, all predictions for the first WTCS of the year – in Samarkand, Uzbekistan – could be tossed in the bin before the race even started. There was certainly no lack of excitement, as the race ultimately unfolded into a true thriller, with Beth Potter and Leonie Periault facing off in a direct running duel. In the end, Potter won in impressive fashion.
A lot happened before the run, particularly during the bike. After the swim, a large group of top favorites stayed together, but Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown clearly wasn’t in the mood for that and launched a bold attack. Not only was it bold, but it was also highly successful; in about twenty kilometers – the second half of the bike leg – she managed to grab a lead of roughly thirty seconds, proving that a peloton doesn’t always win against an individual leader.
However, the real fireworks only truly began during the run. Taylor-Brown maintained the lead for a while but soon felt the heat from top runners Potter and Periault. At a seemingly bizarrely high pace – especially considering the incredibly high temperatures in Samarkand – they quickly overtook Taylor-Brown and took the lead as a duo. For a long time, they were neck and neck, until about 7.5 kilometers into the run; Potter accelerated once more, broke Periault, and managed to seal the victory at that moment.
Potter won the race in a time of 1:53:17, Periault came in second at 1:53:26, and Jeanne Lehair finished third in 1:54:20.
