Olympic triathlon medallist Vincent Luis endured a torrid afternoon in the Singapore heat as a T100 World Tour debut turned into a nightmare for the storied French triathlete.
The 35-year-old, a ‘Hot Shot’ for the 2025 season, began the day with an excellent swim, exiting the water in the lead in a time of 23:43. However, that was as good as his day would get as he was unable to generate a performance on the bike.
A strong run, the seventh fastest in the field, did little to negate the losses, with Luis finishing 14th and earning just seven points in the T100 series opener. Fellow short-course star Hayden Wilde of New Zealand claimed the victory in scintillating fashion.
Heat stroke defeats swim stroke
Putting in such a strong effort in the warm water of Marina Bay certainly sapped the energy out of the French legend as he admitted the conditions got the better of him in the early stages of the bike leg.
He posted on Instagram: “That was a rough start! Definitely overheated at the start of the bike and I had to completely back off if I wanted to finish the race.
“I will definitely have to look into more specific heat prep next time I have to race in those conditions!
“Still wanted to finish the race at an anecdotal 14th as I am still learning a lot over the distance in terms of nutrition, run pace etc. I am fit and healthy, ready to give it another go in two months in San Francisco!”
One of the images he posted showcased is heart rate throughout the event, which were the highest he had recorded in 2025 so far. For the first 20 minutes of the race he was averaging over 180 beats per minute, with a 90 minute average of 171 – his highest all-time according to the tracking data posted.
His partner, Great British triathlete Georgia Taylor-Brown, was quick to joke in the comments, asking if the heart rate data was from his first date with the 2020 Olympic Mixed Relay gold medallist.
Racing to keep up: Is social media making us train harder?
