It was a long wait before Cassandre Beaugrand finally made her reappearance at the highest level of short-course triathlon, but she immediately lived up to her role as the favorite: the French Olympic Champion just won WTCS Alghero after going head-to-head with pretty much all the other big names on the circuit.
Lately, Beaugrand was mostly focused on running – and not without success, as she broke national records – but had not yet seen action in a triathlon. A few weeks ago, she was supposed to kick off her season at WTCS Samarkand, but she fell ill the day before the race and was forced to withdraw from the start list. Today was completely different, because amidst a powerhouse field, Beaugrand was not only the best version of herself, but also the best athlete of the day.
A leading group of about twenty women formed right on the bike leg – containing virtually all the favorites – and even though a few women lost touch heading into T2, the real treat didn’t start until the run. That was because a leading group of six athletes emerged: Jeanne Lehair, Beth Potter, Lisa Tertsch, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Leonie Periault, and Beaugrand herself. The fact that all the top favorites were together immediately added extra tension to the climax of the race.
Taylor-Brown and Periault were the first women who had to let the leading group go, while the remaining four women stayed together deep into the final stretch. At high speed, Beaugrand, Potter, Tertsch, and Lehair headed for the finish, ultimately crossing the line in that exact order.
Beaugrand won the race in 1:53:49, Potter finished second in 1:53:53, and Tertsch took third in 1:53:58.
