Beth Potter edges Cassandre Beaugrand in epic supertri E World Triathlon Championship showdown
British triathlon star Beth Potter has been crowned the the supertri E World Triathlon Champion powered by Zwift after an epic battle with French racer Cassandre Beaugrand in London.
The two athletes were largely inseparable throughout the first eight triathlon disciplines, with Potter finally breaking Beaugrand’s resolve with 500m to go of the final run leg in front of a raucous home crowd at the London Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Having won the Esports worlds in 2022, Potter’s victory adds another world title to her trophy cabinet and lays down a huge marker before this summer’s Paris Olympic Games, where the 32-year-old and Beaugrand are set for another major battle.
“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.
RIVALRY RESUMED
The London Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Park was the host of the World Champs, with 10 women’s triathletes qualifying from the morning heats. These included the two favourites for this summer’s Paris Olympics, France’s Cassandre Beaugrand and Beth Potter of the UK, who were going head-to-head for the first time in 2024 in London.
Joining them was supertri regular Katie Zafares (USA), but sadly home favourite Vicky Holland and rising Hungarian star Fanni Szalai both missed out on qualification. Olympic qualifying points were also on offer for the Paris games this summer.
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.
The final stage saw a Pursuit start based on the time difference accumulated across the first two stages, with the athlete with the fastest times starting first.
STAGE 1
Swim: 200m
Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) led the pace on the day’s first discipline, exiting the water after 2:12mins, five seconds ahead of Potter.
Bike: 4km
Onto the day’s first Zwift bike leg and Beaugrand’s lead was cut in half by Potter at the halfway stage, with Potter pulling level at the 3km stage. The 34-year-old American Katie Zafares was just four seconds back, with Potter and Beaugrand exiting the bikes together.
Run: 1km
Beaugrand’s seamless T2 saw her onto the treadmill first, with Potter in her shadow. Potter would make the pass at the halfway stage, with Zafares and Tanja Neubert (GER) dropping 10secs back. Potter’s lead by the end of the run would be five seconds ahead of Beaugrand and 19secs ahead of Zafares. 1-0 to the Scot.
STAGE 2
Run: 1km
Stage 2’s opening run began with Potter and Beaugrand remaining inseparable at the front of the field, with Zafares in close proximity. Potter and Beaugrand would exit the treadmill together, with Zafares 3secs back.
Bike: 4km
Onto the Tacx smart trainers and Potter would create an instant lead of 2secs over her French rival courtesy of a faultless transition, with Zafares 4secs behind. Potter would regularly push out of the saddle but Beaugrand would stubbornly stay right behind, while Zafares would push a bigger gear and lower cadence to remain in third. By T2, the gap between Potter and Beaugrand was minimal, with the two race favourites exchanging glances at they entered the swim.
Swim: 200m
Potter again produced the best transition to enter the water first, but Beaugrand had drawn level by the 50m mark. Potter wouldn’t give up her lead, however, edging Beaugrand to the finish to set up an epic final showdown. Zafares would be 12secs in arrears.
STAGE 3
Swim: 200m
The pursuit-style start saw Potter enter the water with a 5sec advantage over Beaugrand and 30secs over Zafares, who had a 29sec lead over Neubert in fourth. Beaugrand was quick to reduce the deficit to Potter and was alongside her with 100m to go. The two were level at the 150m mark, but Beaugrand was to nudge ahead by the swim’s finale.
Bike: 4km
Potter would lose precious seconds at the start of the final bike leg, with Beaugrand now 12-metres ahead of Potter. Riding side-by-side on the Tacx turbos, the gap between the athletes would remain at 12-metres as they pushed 300+ watts and speeds over 40km/h. Beaugrand would finally increase the gap to Potter by 2secs by T2. The scene would be set for an epic climax on the run.
Run: 1km
Potter would begin the final run leg courtesy of yet another textbook transition, establishing a 1sec lead over Beaugrand by 100m and 5secs by 500m. With Beaugrand visibly in pain, Potter’s lead was only increasing and had been extended to 25secs by the finale. Zafares would take bronze a minute back. The German pair of Neubert and Lena Meibner would finish fourth and fifth respectively.
