No Beaugrand? No problem. Team France may have been without their Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) at today’s World Mixed Team Relay Championships in Hamburg, but that proved no obstacle to the gold medal. With WTCS Hamburg winner Leonie Periault and WTCS Quiberon winner Dorian Coninx (FRA) leading out and anchoring, the French squad were replete with talent. And once the field was whittled down to a final four, Coninx was perfectly placed to strike.
“I had a plan at the beginning of the leg and after the swim it all went upside-down. I found myself alone and it was a tricky situation,” said Coninx. “I’m really happy the French team is back on the top of the podium for the mixed relay. It’s been quite a long time now.”
Alongside the world title, the Hamburg relay was made all the more significant as the first qualification slots for LA 2028 were up for grabs. As hosts, Team USA were the only team unaffected by this; they have automatically received two male and two female places. For the remaining nineteen quartets, however, a nervous tension lurked beneath the ever-creative team entrances. On the note of entrances, a special shout-out has to go to Team New Zealand and their canine helping hand.
The serious business was soon back on everyone’s minds as the starter’s horn sounded. Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes led Bianca Seregni (ITA) out of the water to open proceedings, although the field remained mostly intact. Seregni then launched an attempted breakaway on the bike, but the field came back together.
Periault was part of the pack, as were Beth Potter (GBR), Lisa Tertsch (GER) and Jeanne Lehair (LUX). One surprising absence from the seventeen teams, though, were the defending champions Australia as World U23 champion Richelle Hill (AUS) did not finish the opening leg.
Lehair led out onto the run before Periault and Tertsch reenacted their duel from Saturday’s individual race. This time, the world champion got the better of Periault after taking a silver medal behind the Frenchwoman individually and handed over to Valentin Wernz (GER) in 1st place. Potter came through in 3rd but a rapid swim from Max Stapley (GBR) promptly lifted the Brits back into the top spot.
Over the course of the second leg the field spread out with Stapley tagging Jess Fullagar (GBR) first, ahead of Tom Richard (FRA) and Seth Rider (USA). Wernz was a handful of seconds back while Márk Dévay (HUN) held his own in 5th place.
The swim proved a turning point once again on the third leg as Fanni Szalai (HUN) shot past Franka Rust (GER) and inserted herself at the front of the race. Along with Fullagar and serial WTCS medallists Emma Lombardi (FRA) and Taylor Spivey (USA), Szalai cemented herself in the leading four over the subsequent two-lap bike and two-lap run.
Rust battled in vain to catch the leaders but as one athlete against four, it was an uphill struggle too far. The Olympic champions will therefore have to wait for their next shot at early qualification for their title defence next year.
The British team held onto the lead with Fullagar making it back to transition first. And then it was time for the heavy hitters to step up.
European champion Oliver Conway readied himself to anchor his first senior relay. WTCS race winner Morgan Pearson went for the Americans. WTCS medallist Csongor Lehmann was primed for the Hungarians. And then there was Coninx.
The 2023 world champion somewhat unexpectedly found himself off the front on the bike. By the end of the first bike lap, he had a handy 4 second lead over his rivals. Lehmann, however, soon closed the gap with a powerful surge, and the quartet would arrive in T2, elbows flying, as one.
Coninx was the best in the changeover, while Pearson was left behind, making it a three-man race. Gradually, Lehmann clawed back the ground to Coninx but Conway could not live with the veterans’ speed. The final lap of the 1.6km run came and Lehmann cranked the pace up even higher. Yet coming into the final corner, Coninx hit back. And Lehmann had no answer.
France therefore reclaimed the world title they last celebrated in 2022 and with Beaugrand still to be somehow shoe-horned into today’s marvellous quartet, they already appear to be the front-runners for Olympic gold in two years.
Lehmann crossed for silver in a huge result for Team Hungary while the British team rounded out the podium. Pearson brought Team USA home in 4th place while Tim Hellwig (GER) completed his entire leg solo to hold off Ricardo Batista (POR) and take 5th.