Search
shop

Lausanne 2019: Emilie Morier takes Gold, Silver for Olivia Mathias at U23 World Champs

Under-23 World Champs Gold to France in Lausanne, while Olivia Matthias earns the first British medal of the Grand Final with second place in Switzerland
Chief Correspondent
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Gold for France as exhausted Morier holds on to take U23 World Champs victory

Third race of the day, another European World Champion and eight of nine podiums collected by European athletes. Will that trend continue until Sunday?

After the Sprint distance Juniors, the ITU U23 World Championship athletes race over the Standard distance, and with the temperatures rising in Lausanne, that almost changed the direction on the race in the very late stages.

If the Junior races were to be decided on the run, the leading U23 women were going to ensure that the bike leg and the regular climbs in Lausanne were going to play a significant part in determining the medals in Switzerland.

A smaller field always provides more opportunities for breaks within the swim, and that proved to be the case in Lac Leman where 11 athletes left the non-wetsuit 1.5km swim within 15 seconds, with another 15 seconds before their chasers followed. Sophie Alden and Olivia Mathias were in that front pack, but Kate Waugh – Silver (2017) and Bronze (2018) in the last two Junior World Championships – was in the second group.

Driven on by Mathias and France’s Emilie Morier in particular, that leading group did not want to give up the results of their swim efforts, and that proved successful, as by T2 there were just eight athletes remaining, with Feuersinger (AUT), Ackerlund (USA), Hedgland (AUS), Varga (SWE), Poradusu (ISR) and Ulatowska (POL) joining Mathias and Morier starting the run.

Alden was now in the chase group – along with Kate Waugh and the fast running German, Lisa Tertsch – exactly one minute down.

The run took shape early, with Morier looking strong, consistent and pulling away from Mathias, who also looked to be focussing on holding her own pace. Morier is a class athlete, winning the Madrid ITU Triathlon World Cup this year and also a member of the French European and World Championship winning Mixed Relay teams.

Morier and Mathais were looking set for Gold and Silver, while further behind Tertsch and Waugh were making their move from the chase pack through the field, for what would ultimately decide the Bronze medal once they had caught and passed Kira Hedgeland (AUS).

ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Lausanne / ITU U23 World Championship

For a few moments, it looked like we might get some very late notice drama as within the last 500m Morier started to look very tired, with a few suggestions that her legs were close to letting her down – was this going to be another ‘Jonathan Brownlee in Cozumel’ moment? Fortunately not, she had enough to keep running down the blue carpet but was exhausted at the finish. It also meant that her winning margin ended up as just seven seconds.

Behind, a clearly thrilled and emotional Olivia Mathias was ecstatic with her Silver medal and rightly so – their plan to push hard on the bike and build a buffer over the ‘runners’ worked, and she also ran well (fourth fastest of the day), while Tertsch was able to pull away from Waugh in the late stages to prevent two British athletes from securing podium results.

ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Lausanne / Oliva Matthias

ITU World U23 Triathlon Championships, Lausanne – Friday 30th August 2019
1.5Km / 40km / 10km

ELITE U23 WOMEN

1st – Emilie Morier (FRA) -2:04:01
2nd – Olivia Mathias (GBR) – 2:04:08
3rd – Lisa Tertsch (GER) – 2:04:42
4th – Kate Waugh (GBR) – 2:04:53
5th – Kira Hedgland (AUS) – 2:05:22

16th – Sophie Alden (GBR) – 2:09:54

John Levison
Written by
John Levison
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Discover more
Challenge Sardinia location
Let’s race… Challenge Forte Village Sardinia
Are calf sleeves actually worth it for triathletes? How many watts aero calf compression sleeves could save you
Laura Siddall Patagonman Xtreme Triathlon 2023
PremiumAre we in a triathlon boom, or hurtling towards burnout? Laura Siddall on the growth of the sport
Is sports nutrition bad for you? Ultra-processed foods are under siege, and athletes are caught in the cross fire – but should we be worried?
Challenge Barcelona 2023 - Photo Credit: Jose Luis Hourcade
The ultimate city break triathlon race-cations: from Challenge Barcelona to Singapore T100 these are the best city centre races to combine multisport with sightseeing
latest News
Lucy Charles-Barclay Lola IRONMAN France 2024
Inside Lucy Charles-Barclay’s Kona journey – a year on from heartbreak in Nice
Laura Siddall day 2 Kona 2025 snapshot
Sid’s day two diary from Kona: The Knibb double act and other inspiring Age Groupers
Laura Philipp wins the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France
Champion Laura Philipp reveals new game plan ahead of Kona title defence
IRONMAN World Championship 2024 podium - Laura Philipp, Kat Matthews, Chelsea Sodaro
IRONMAN World Championship 2025 in Kona: Laura Siddall’s big-race preview and predictions
Hoala Training Swim Kona 2025 3
Sid’s day one diary from Kona: LCB shows who’s boss in Ho’ala Training Swim as excitement builds
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

All plans include a 7-day free trial

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

All plans include a 7-day free trial

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...