TRIATHLON – WTS Grand Final Lausanne: Vincent Luis on track for history

Tomorrow, Saturday, August 31, all eyes will be on Vincent Luis, as he seeks his first world title. He would thus become the second Frenchman in history to be crowned, 19 years after Olivier Marceau’s victory in Perth (2000).

The World Champion title is awarded by adding the 5 best results of the year in the WTS Series, plus the points scored in the Grand Final in Lausanne (with a coefficient of 1.5).

To date, Vincent Luis has accumulated the following WTS results: 1st in Yokohama, 2nd in Hamburg, 4th in Bermuda, 5th in Abu Dhabi and Edmonton. His result in the Leeds WTS (6th) is not counted.

He is currently in a favorite position with a significant points lead over three Spaniards: Mario Mola, Javier Gomez, and Fernando Alarza. Click HERE to take a look at the world ranking.

Benjamin Maze, National Technical Director :
“Vincent chose not to compete in the Test Event, in agreement with the DTN, to preserve all his chances of performing in Lausanne. We know that this course can suit him well with a potentially wetsuit-free swim, a selective bike course where he can definitely play a leading role. Double winner of the last Grand Finals (Gold Coast in 2018 and Rotterdam in 2017) and the Yokohama WTS, he is fully capable of going for a win in Lausanne, even if a 5th place will be enough for him to clinch the title if Mario Mola wins.”

Vincent Luis
“Everything is going well, I’m in good shape and in a very good state of mind, feeling like I’ve worked hard in training. I don’t feel any particular pressure, except to be able to win a third Grand Final in a row. I will be competing with my training partners, but I’m fine with that because we are smart enough for it to go well, and we have a coach who is very good at managing ‘egos’. I have already raced in Lausanne in 2006 at the Junior World Championship (14th) and in 2011 at a WTS stage where I finished 18th. I remember it very well. I started a bit fast on the run, and it must have been the 2nd WTS of my life. In 2011, I must have finished 11th in the final WTS ranking. To summarize, it took me 8 years to gain 10 places in the general classification!”

For their part, Dorian Coninx, Pierre Le Corre, and Léo Bergère will aim to perform well in this race.

In the women’s race, Cassandre Beaugrand and Léonie Périault will continue their quest for experience and will be keen to demonstrate their potential in the Olympic format. Sandra Dodet, for her part, has been promoted to Elite in order to secure a 3rd bib for the Olympic Games. To do this, she needs to be in the top 30 worldwide, which is not currently the case. A good placing in this Grand Final would allow her to improve her ranking.