LONDON, UK: British star Beth Potter produced a major victory against her Olympic rival Cassandre Beaugrand in front of her home crowd in a thrilling race at the supertri E World Triathlon Championships powered by Zwift in London.
Potter and French racer Cassandre Beaugrand were largely inseparable throughout the first eight triathlon disciplines. Potter would finally break Beaugrand’s resolve with 500m to go of the final run leg in front of a raucous home crowd at the London Aquatics Centre.
The USA’s Chase McQueen took the men’s title in a redemption victory after his dramatic defeat in London last year.
Having won the Esports worlds in 2022, Potter’s victory adds another world title to her mantlepiece and lays down a major marker before this summer’s Olympic Games, where the 32-year-old and Beaugrand are set for another major battle in Paris.
“It was my season opener today and I didn’t know where my form was at, so I’m really happy to take the win,” said Potter at the finish. “I didn’t go too hard in the third swim and had to bide my time until the final run.”
The 27-year-old Beaugrand would suffer from cramp in her calf on the final run leg of the day but held onto second place, with American star Katie Zafares producing an impressive third place on her supertri E debut.
The back-to-back indoor races saw the men’s event start first, with the 26-year-old McQueen’s advantage being nine seconds over the British home favourite Max Stapley, with France’s Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger taking bronze.
Having blown his chance of winning the 2023 E World Champs in London last year (including infamously doing butterfly on the swim), McQueen’s convincing victory acted as redemption for the American and he could enjoy the final run leg in front of a packed London Aquatics Centre.
“I’m getting emotional even thinking about being a world champion,” said McQueen at the finish. “It’s been a really hard 12 months and I’ve been thinking about this moment every day. I was fading on that last round and I’m so glad to share the podium with Max and Maxime, who pushed me so hard. I owe this to my team and family for bringing the best out of me every single day.”
While hopes of a home victory were dashed by McQueen, Britain’s Max Stapley continued his rise as a major supertri player with a silver medal, having finished fifth in London in 2023.
The World Championship race consisted of 3 Stages over the supertri E format, with a 200m Swim/4km Bike/1km Run followed by a 1km Run/4km Bike/200m Swim before a final 200m Swim/4km Bike/1km Run.
