TRIATHLON – WTS Finals and World Championship: an ambitious French Team

France has selected a large and strong delegation of 28 triathletes and paratriathletes to participate in the Elite, U23, Junior, and Paratriathlon World Championships, which will take place from August 30 to September 1 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The French team will be present with ambitions for medals, but especially for world titles in several categories:

– In Elite (Saturday, August 31), Vincent Luis, currently world number 1, will try to win his first World Championship title in the WTS Grand Final.

– In Paratriathlon (Sunday, September 1), Alexis Hanquinquant, who has accumulated victories on the international circuit this season, will be keen to add a third gold medal to his record. Among his teammates, Élise Marc, Jules Ribstein, and Stéphane Bahier are also favorites in their respective categories.

– In U23 (tomorrow, Friday, August 30), Pauline Landron and Émilie Morier (12th in the Test Event) are both expected to be at the forefront to try to win the world title, even if the competition will be tough.

– Finally, in Junior men (also tomorrow, Friday, August 30), Paul Georgenthum (reigning European champion) and Boris Pierre, respectively 2nd and 4th in last year’s World Championship, as well as Guillaume Hay, have every reason to arrive confident to try to succeed Raphaël Montoya, crowned in 2014 in Edmonton. In Junior women, Jessica Fullagar will aim to finish among the finalists, as she did last year.

At the end of the individual races, 4 Junior/U23 triathletes will be selected to participate in the mixed relay World Championship, which will take place on Sunday, September 1. Last year, France won the title in Gold Coast ahead of Germany and Great Britain. The team was composed of Sandra Dodet, Paul Georgenthum, Émilie Morier, and Léo Bergère.

They said:

Paul GEORGENTHUM

“My ambitions are, of course, to win the world title in the individual race. Last year, I had the chance to participate in the Junior/U23 mixed relay World Championship where we won the gold medal. I would like to participate in the relay again this year and defend our title as well as the colors of France by winning gold. Everyone will be ready for this race, so we will have to pay attention to all competitors.”

Émilie MORIER

“Since the Tokyo Test Event, I have been in a recovery phase. I am training gently in aerobic to recharge my batteries as much as possible for Lausanne. The main part of my preparation was done in July, mainly in the Pyrenees. My ambitions are high after my good performance in Tokyo. I will remain focused on achieving the best performance. I have never won an individual medal at a World Championship, so why not in Lausanne…”

RACE SCHEDULE AND TIMES

Friday, August 30
8:00 AM: Junior Women
10:00 AM: Junior Men
12:00 PM: U23 Women

Saturday, August 31
2:21 PM: Elite Men – WTS Grand Final
5:06 PM: Elite Women – WTS Grand Final

Sunday, September 1
2:00 PM: Paratriathlon
6:00 PM: U23/Junior Mixed Relay