Six months out from a home Olympic Games in Paris, French star Cassandre Beaugrand clocked an unbelievable 5km time at the Derby Midweek race series in the UK.

Last year, Beaugrand sharpened her race fitness at the same event and ran a superb 15:39, but this year managed to go even quicker during a big week of training.

Set to race her first event of the season at WTCS Abu Dhabi in two weeks time, the 26-year-old looks primed for the biggest year of her career yet.

“Great feelings in a big week of training”

Coming home in a time of 15:34, Beaugrand was five seconds quicker than last year and finished in third place behind fellow Loughborough based triathlete Sam Hart and Invicta AC athlete Jack Rowley.

Cementing her status as one of the very best runners in the sport, last year’s WTCS #2 showed once again that she will be a force to be reckoned with when the Olympic Games roll around this summer.

After a DNF at the Tokyo Olympic Games three years ago, Beaugrand will be under an enormous amount of pressure as one of the poster athletes for the host nation on the banks of the River Seine in July.

WTCS Abu Dhabi is the next test

Having finished sixth at WTCS Abu Dhabi last season following her 15:39 clocking, Beaugrand will be hoping for an even better performance when she races in the Middle East this year on March 8-9.

Renewing her rivalry with World Champion Beth Potter, who proved to be the better athlete over the sprint and Olympic distance in 2023, Beaugrand will have the chance to size up one of her main rivals for gold in Paris.

If the race comes down to a battle on the run, the French star will back her foot speed, especially after this week’s race. However, Potter does boast a significantly faster 5k road personal best of 14:41. Whatever happens, the race should be a thriller!