Short-course triathlon is losing another great as today’s WTCS Grand Final showdown looms large in Torremolinos-Andalucia.
For French sporting icon Vincent Luis, this will be the 16th and last time he suits up in a race which will decide a World Triathlon champion. On two occasions – in 2019 and 2020 – he was crowned as the champion after two incredible seasons.
Luis also claimed Olympic bronze with the French team in Mixed Relay at Tokyo in 2021, but the COVID-enforced delay from 2020 hurt his chances of individual gold – a year earlier he had been at the peak of his brilliant powers. He missed out on a place in the France team at Paris 2024.
Vincent Luis moving up in distance
Now though the 35-year-old star will race for the final time today (Sunday October 20) over the Olympic distance, and from 2025 on he will step up to longer distances.
He spoke about his decision in a heartfelt Instagram post, looking back on a glittering short-course career with the fondest of memories, and looking ahead to ‘one last dance’ in Spain later today.
He wrote: “As I reflect on the past 19 years of racing for the French team I can only feel grateful for the opportunity I was given. Tomorrow will be 112th start as a French team member and my 16th grand finale 3 as a junior, 2 as a u23 and 11 as an Elite. Now the time has come to say goodbye to the blue carpet.
“Next year will be a complete new world for me by competing only in the longer distances. To all @worldtriathlon athletes I want to thank you for all the good memories and the fierce battles. I met incredible people. I hope I helped somehow, at some point, to make short course racing better. Let’s go for one last dance tomorrow.”
What is next for Vincent Luis?
So, from 2025 we will see Vincent Luis operating at longer distances, and the smart money will be on the fledgling T100 Series being a regular home for him. He has also dabbled in the IRONMAN 70.3 distance in the past, claiming victory in Bahrain in 2022.
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