Olympic Games gold medal contender Beth Potter took victory by the slimmest of margins in London yesterday, as the British star won the 2024 supertri E World Triathlon Championship.
Holding off rival Cassandre Beaugrand in the final stage with a great swim, perfect transition and trademark run, Potter won the world title in style in London.
Speaking with TRI247 after her race, the Commonwealth Games medalist revealed it was a relief to be back racing after the cancellation of WTCS Abu Dhabi and a great way to start the season.
“It was so, so close”
Reflecting on her win, Potter was full of praise for her fellow competitor Beaugrand and credited the French star for taking it right down to the wire.
“It was so, so close. I knew it was going to be tough against Cassandre, as this is really her bag. This is the kind of thing she is really good at, she is fast and a reactive racer. So I knew it was going to be hard.”
After Abu Dhabi was cancelled, Potter added that supertri was a baptism of fire, but that the race was the perfect way to kickstart the final stage of her Olympic campaign.
“It’s hard coming into this type of event as your first race of the year, because it is so intense. I was really stressed after Abu Dhabi because we didn’t race, and I really wanted to know where I was at, so I found that hard.
“However, my training partner [Ed. Switzerland’s Nora Gmür], has been racing a lot, so seeing where she has been finishing in races and knowing where I have been in training has actually given me some peace of mind.
“In the end, I came in quite relaxed to the race. I wasn’t confident that I was 100% going to win, but I thought I had a really good chance and it’s a promising result.”
“It’s always good racing on home soil”
Finally, the Rio Olympian admitted that it was a good feeling to race well on home soil, with supertri one of her only opportunities to compete in the UK before another year of jet setting around the globe.
“It’s always good racing on home soil. It’s nice not having to do too much travelling and just being based at home, that’s really nice before the race.
“I’ve not got many races now until the Games, and so all the wins I can get are going to help with my confidence.”
Next up for Potter? “I need to check, but I think probably Cagliari is my next one.”
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