Beth Potter took the world title and a big confidence boost at the supertri E World Triathlon Championship in London, as the Brit beat her rival Cassandre Beaugrand to the title.
Inseparable until the final run, both Potter and Beaugrand were a level above the rest of the field, but it was the Brit who had the extra gear to run her way to victory on the final leg.
In third, Katie Zaferes secured a strong third place finish, as she held off a strong field to finish on her second successive podium this season.
Stage 1 – Potter makes her mark
(Format – 200m swim / 4km bike / 1km run)
In the water, Beaugrand set a frighteningly quick pace early on, as the French star opened up a five second lead over Potter and Zaferes with a 2:12 swim split over the first leg.
On to the bike, Potter quickly started to reel in Beaugrand, as Tanja Neubert and Zaferes were the only two athletes within ten seconds of the leading pair after the first 4km bike leg in Zwift.
Transitioning side-by-side, the leading duo of Potter and Beaugrand were on to the treadmills in a flash, with Zaferes and Neubert close behind and the rest of the field +0:20 down, led by Julia Brocker.
Opening up a healthy gap over the closing stages of the run, Potter finished six seconds ahead of Beaugrand, with Zaferes another six seconds further back and Neubert +0:19 from the front in fourth.
Stage 2 – Beaugrand pushes Potter all the way
(Format – 1km run / 4km bike / 200m swim)
Starting in reverse order on the second stage, Potter and Beaugrand were practically inseparable on the run, with the pair both splitting 2:57, with Zaferes next best in 2:59.
On to the bike, there was nothing between Potter or Beaugrand, as Zaferes started to fall back and Neubert again showed her class on the bike to pull away from the best of the rest in fourth.
Swimming superbly, Potter got the jump on Beaugrand as she started the swim and held on strong, showing the incredible gains she has made in her swim over the past few years.
Finishing side-by-side, the Brit got not only a big confidence boost but also a solid +0:05 buffer heading into the final pursuit stage, as Zaferes came in third, within seconds of the leading pair.
Stage 3 –
(Format – 200m swim / 4km bike / 1km run – Pursuit start based on aggregate Stage 1 plus Stage 2)
Such was the pace set by Potter and Beaugrand, there were only three athletes starting within a minute of Potter in the pursuit style final stage, as Zaferes and Neubert looked to be battling for bronze in London.
Over the first leg, Beaugrand again pulled level with Potter in the water, but couldn’t open up a gap over the Brit, as again they came out side-by-side and started the bike leg in unison.
Losing precious seconds getting her feet into her shoes on the bike, Potter was on the back foot as they started pedalling, with Zaferes half a minute in arrears at the start of the 4km circuit.
Off the bike side-by-side, with a one kilometre run to go and nothing separating Potter and Beaugrand on to the treadmills, it really was all to play for between the rivals.
Opening up a small gap, Potter started to pull away over the second half of the run, much to the delight of the home crowd, as once again, the Brit put Beaugrand to the sword on the biggest stage.
Taking the win in style, Potter added the supertri E World Triathlon Championship title to her WTCS win, as she kept the ball rolling in this Olympic year. Beaugrand came home in second, with Zaferes rounding out the podium in third.
2024 supertri E World Triathlon Championship Results
Final, Women: Saturday April 13, 2024
- 1. Beth Potter (GBR) – 36:03 [11:53/12:09/12:01]
- 2. Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) – 36:37 [11:58/12:09/12:30]
- 3. Katie Zaferes (USA) – 37:10 [12:11/12:21/12:38]
- 4. Tanja Neubert (GER) – 37:43 [12:18/12:43/12:42]
- 5. Lena Meibner (GER) – 37:58 [12:28/12:37/12:53]
- 6. Petra Kurikova (CZE) – 38:09 [12:29/12:53/12:47]
- 7. Julia Brocker (GER) – 38:10 [12:30/12:48/12:52]
- 8. Annabel Morton (GBR) – 38:39 [12:29/13:05/13:05]
- 9. Marlene Gomez-Goggel (GER) – 38:50 [12:42/13:11/12:57]
- 10. Barbara de Koning (NED) – 39:12 [12:43/13:06/13:23]
