Cassandre Beaugrand shines at home as Henry Graf stuns at T1 Indoor Triathlon World Cup
The race was an explosion of speed and intensity from the gun with surprising twists
Photo by:
Professional Triathletes Organization
Amid the chaos and thrilling battles, Paris Olympian gold medallist Cassandre Beaugrand did the expected at the inaugural T1 Indoor Triathlon World Cup in Lieven. It’s the second time the pros have raced the indoor super-short course race, but the first time under the new T1 Indoor Triathlon World Cup banner, backed by the PTO.
It was intense and fast-paced action from the start of the 200m swim, 2.8km bike and 1km run, that saw athletes compete in an indoor pool than bike and run around an indoor track. Early on, there was chaos in transition with confusion over bike racking and a packed scene of pros, equipment and nerves.
View this post on Instagram
France’s Cassandre Beaugrand untouchable
The French triathlete delivered a spectacular performance, storming to victory in front of a home crowd. She was largely expected to win, and lived up to that expectation, dominating the field from start to finish. It was clear Beaugrand was in a league of her own from the start. She cruised through the early heats, holding back enough energy to put on a great show for the final.
Despite coming out of the water in second, Beaugrand sailed through transition, going to the front. Once she hit the second transition there was little doubt anyone would catch her. Having recently broken her nation’s 5k road record, no one could close the gap behind her. German’s Laura Lindemann mounted a tough challenge, but it wasn’t enough. Across the finish, Beaugrand had six seconds on second place Lindemann. Germany’s Annika Koch rounded out the podium.
This victory further cements Beaugrand’s reputation as one of the top short-course triathletes in the world, and with the Paris 2024 Olympic gold already in her collection, she’s proving that she remains a dominant force in the sport.
View this post on Instagram
Germany’s Henry Graf delivers breakout performance
The men’s race produced another thrilling showdown, with Germany’s Henry Graf stealing the show in a breakout performance. The U23 star, already a Mixed Relay World Champion, executed a perfect race strategy to power past local favourite Antoine Duval, from France, and Dutch contender Mitch Kolkman.
As expected, Kolkman, a Paris 2024 Olympian, set a blistering pace in the water, emerging first from the swim. However, unlike last year, he wasn’t able to break away solo. Duval and Graf joined forces with Kolkman on the bike, forming a three-man lead group that quickly built a massive gap over the chasing pack.
Pre-race favourite, New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, the reigning World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) leader, struggled from the start. A slow swim left him 14 seconds down on Kolkman, and with 14 laps of the 200m track ahead, the deficit proved too much to overcome.
As the race entered the final lap of the run, Graf made his move, surging ahead on the back straight and leaving his rivals in the dust. Duval fought valiantly but couldn’t match the German’s finishing speed, settling for second. Kolkman, having driven the pace early, held on for a well-earned podium finish.