There was nothing to be taken for granted until Cassandre Beaugrand afforded herself a satisfied smile on the final lap knowing that an explosive opening to the 10km run – off an attritional 1500m swim and 40km bike – had helped her seal a second world title for France’s reigning Olympic Champion.
Beaugrand came into the second transition alongside her principal title rival Beth Potter and a resurgent Georgia Taylor-Brown of Great Britain in a pack of seven, but there was nobody that could hold a torch to the French firepower as she took the tape by over a minute.
Taylor-Brown, fresh from her win in Karlovy Vary, found the legs once again to storm home in second and earn what had appeared an unlikely Series bronze as Lisa Tertsch finished ninth and Tilda Mansson 22nd after exiting the water at the back of the field.
Kate Waugh took bronze on the day to show what is to come from her next year after an injury-hit 2026. Compatriot Beth Potter was clearly not herself over the first half of the run but battled back to fourth place, and a remarkable fourth consecutive Series podium, taking the overall silver for the 2026 season.
Cassandre Beaugrand peerless in Pontevedra for second World Championship title
There was nothing to be taken for granted until Cassandre Beaugrand afforded herself a satisfied smile on the final lap knowing that an explosive opening to the 10km run – off an attritional 1500m swim and 40km bike – had helped her seal a second world title for France’s reigning Olympic Champion.
Beaugrand came into the second transition alongside her principal title rival Beth Potter and a resurgent Georgia Taylor-Brown of Great Britain in a pack of seven, but there was nobody that could hold a torch to the French firepower as she took the tape by over a minute.
Taylor-Brown, fresh from her win in Karlovy Vary, found the legs once again to storm home in second and earn what had appeared an unlikely Series bronze as Lisa Tertsch finished ninth and Tilda Mansson 22nd after exiting the water at the back of the field.
Kate Waugh took bronze on the day to show what is to come from her next year after an injury-hit 2026. Compatriot Beth Potter was clearly not herself over the first half of the run but battled back to fourth place, and a remarkable fourth consecutive Series podium, taking the overall silver for the 2026 season.
“I am a bit emotional right now,” admitted Beaugrand. “Everyone sees the easy part. It is hard to win, but it is even harder to stay at the top. I want to thank all my team around me. Today was my best race ever. The course was really hard and I still have memories of 2023, when I had cramps all the time. Ive worked so many times on hills, no hills. I am strong, can keep the pace, can handle the pressure and it all worked out today.”
It was a non-wetsuit swim in the River Lerez and the majority of the top ten took to the far right of the platform with Series leader Beaugrand taking up that spot for the quickest line to the buoy.
The middle of the field was stacked with strong swimmers too, though, and Bianca Seregni (ITA) and Tilly Anema (GBR) were the two scything through the clear water at the turn and with 10 seconds over Beaugrand and Potter at the halfway mark narrowly ahead of Lisa Tertsch.
And it was Anema and Seregni out of transition fastest, the last three world champions now 20 seconds back, Leonie Periault a further 15 seconds in arrears, third-ranked Tilda Mansson (SWE) toiling 80 seconds off the front.
But quickly the front riders merged and soon there were 16 all together until Roksana Slupek (POL) came down then Sophie Evans (GBR) followed, the crash ripping open the field and first Taylor Spivey (USA) and Selina Klamt (GER) then Tertsch all impacted. They eventually were swallowed up by Periault’s group joining the likes of German duo Franka Rust and Tanja Neubert and another French star in Emma Lombardi.
But upfront it was now a group of seven that also included Therese Feuersinger, Kirsten Kasper and Laura Lindemann able to pull further and further away, the gap almost up to two minutes as the field hit the second transition.
Cue the Cassandre Beaugrand show, as the champion-in-waiting was into the shoes and away just off Taylor-Brown’s shoulder and then pushing into a lead that she would never for a moment look like relinquishing.
Behind her, Kropko, Waugh and Lindemann held together, Taylor-Brown able to keep the edge in second and open up a comfortable cushion, Potter in third but losing her usual power.
Kropko then exchanged moments in the bronze hot seat with Waugh and Lindemann hit fifth before an impressive final burst took Potter past the German and into fourth following Kropko’s disqualification for mounting her bike early in transition one. Kirsten Kasper (USA) delivered a gutsy sixth, Diana Isakova (AIN) seventh, Leonie Periault, Lisa Tertsch and Tanja Neubert rounding out the top ten.
For Beaugrand, a season that started with uncertainty ended in the perfect fashion, five successive wins and a second world title, only the fourth woman in the Series era to do so.
Georgia Taylor Brown
“I was so determined to have a good swim, so when I was at the front and we had a small break and just told myself that on a course like this is hard to have a breakaway, but I also know that if it’s hurting me, it is also hurting the girls on the back. So I pushed hard and delivered. I wasnt aware of what was going on behind me, I just push hard and look forward. I didnt know what my legs would feel like, but I raced with my heart and not my brain. Cass was incredible today, and I am so happy.
Kate Waugh
“My only other podium in the WTCS was here three years ago. I only knew that I was on the start list 10 days ago, I was on the wait list. It was just a bonus to compete here. It was weird to line up here, my mileage is only half of what it is normally at this point of any season. I had a really tough year with the injury so it is amazing to be back. It shows that you never should give up and have to keep pushing. I’m back to the short course and the hard stuff now, really nice to be back and results like this keep me motivated.”
