TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS – Men’s Triathlon: Kristian Blummenfelt Olympic Champion Ahead of Alex Yee, Vincent Luis 13th

KRISTIAN BLUMMENFELT ??is the #Tokyo2020 #Olympic champion!
An unbelievable 1km full sprint for the line sees him home to gold, Alex Yee ?? crosses the line for a superb silver and Hayden Wilde ??the bronze!! #Triathlon #Tokyo2020Triathlon pic.twitter.com/6FQ9OVfVGw

— World Triathlon (@worldtriathlon) July 25, 2021

No medal for the French men’s triathlon team. In Tokyo, the French missed out on the Olympic race. After a swim that didn’t create any selection and a bike leg that took place in a peloton without intensity, the French team couldn’t withstand the shock of the run in the Japanese humidity. Vincent Luis, two-time world champion in 2019 and 2020, never in the rhythm of the best, took 13th place, 1’20” behind Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt, who beat young British prodigy Alex Yee, who nevertheless took silver. Hayden Wilde, for New Zealand, completed the podium. Dorian Coninx and Léo Bergère took 17th and 21st places respectively.

=> CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE RANKINGS

Race summary:

After an initial false start due to an organization boat obstructing half of the pontoon for diving or a starter too eager to sound the start, the men’s Olympic race was able to begin, in water measured at 28.9°C and an air temperature of 26.7°C.

Donc l’organisation a donné le départ du triathlon avec un bateau au milieu…
Départ à refaire, et des athlètes qui ont fait des efforts pour rien. Comment c’est possible aux #JeuxOlympiques ?#Tokyo2020 #Triathlon pic.twitter.com/SUaCRQexQG

— Johan Rouquet (@JohanRouquet) July 25, 2021

After the first 950m loop, Vincent Luis was the first to exit for the Australian exit. Léo Bergère was 14 seconds behind and Dorian Coninx 26 seconds behind the French team leader. At the end of the 1,500m, Vincent Luis exited the water in the lead ahead of Dimitry Polyanskiy, Jonas Schomburg, and Henri Schoeman. Léo Bergère was 21 seconds behind and Dorian Coninx 25 seconds behind.

In the first bike lap, nine men broke away: Luis, Polyanskiy, Schomburg, Schoeman, Van Riel, Mislawchuk, Brownlee, Reid, and Kenji. These escapees were caught in the 3rd lap by a peloton of 21 triathletes led by the Norwegians. The other two Frenchmen, Léo Bergère and Dorian Coninx, were there, as were Alex Yee and Kristian Blummenfelt. Then the group swelled to 35 with the return of a new pack including the Spaniards Moya, Mola, and Alarza.

In the last two laps (eight to complete in total), Andrea Salvisberg made a solo raid and reached the first T2 with a 14-second lead. Behind the Swiss, it was Alex Yee (personal best over 10 km in 27’50) who took the lead of the favorites group for the final run. At the end of the first lap (2.5 km), Coninx had snatched first place from Yee. Bergère followed a few places behind. Luis was several lengths behind and seemed to be struggling with the run.

Lap 2 (5 km), at the front of the race were: Yee, Wilde, Blummenfelt, Brownlee, Van Riel, McDowell, Stornes, Studer, and Coninx, who dropped a few lengths. Luis was 10th at 12 seconds, Bergère 14th at 21 seconds.

Lap 3 (7.5 km), the scenario began to clear as there were only three left in the lead group: Blummenfelt and Yee, who took turns leading and accelerating, accompanied by Wilde. Brownlee tried to hang on but dropped off at the start of the last lap.

In the last lap, the battle raged at the front. Each man launched an attack, but the three stayed in contact. At 1,500m from the finish line, Kristian Blummenfelt launched yet another acceleration that Yee couldn’t contain for long. The Norwegian opened up a gap and won Olympic gold at 27 years old. Alex Yee took silver and Hayden Wilde the bronze. Vincent Luis finished 13th at 1’20”. Dorian Coninx 17th at 1’44” and Léo Bergère 21st at 2’16”.