British star Beth Potter was exuding confidence and calmness when TRI247 caught up with her ahead of Sunday’s World Triathlon Championship Finals in Wollongong, where she’ll face off once again with Olympic and defending World Champion Cassandre Beaugrand for the 2025 title.
And no wonder as Potter, who won the world title in 2023, heads into the race in superb form after back-to-back victories in Karlovy Vary and Weihai, results that have set up a thrilling end to the season.
Whoever finishes ahead out of Potter and Beaugrand – providing they are at least on the podium – will take the title.
Talking to us from the British Triathlon camp in Wollongong, Potter said: “I’m feeling confident and relaxed – I just need to execute the run to the best of my ability on the day.”
Altitude gains and renewed confidence
After a strong training block in St. Moritz during August, Potter says the benefits have been clear in recent performances. While she admitted she wasn’t fully firing when the WTCS campaign resumed on the French Riviera in Fréjus, she hit her stride soon after – and believes her form has peaked at just the right time.
“I wasn’t quite ready for the Fréjus race after coming down from altitude, but I felt really good in Karlovy Vary and China,” she told us. “I’ve had a couple of good weeks of preparation since then, and everything is pointing in the right direction.”
This weekend’s Wollongong course – hilly, technical and demanding – should also play to her strengths.
“It’ll be good to race Cassandre again,” she added. “We haven’t had a head-to-head since Fréjus and she obviously came out on top there, but I think my strength is over the Olympic distance. And this is a good course for me. It’s challenging, it’s hilly, and that should suit me. I’ve shown this year that I can be really strong on hard courses.”
Experience counts
This is the third consecutive year that Potter has arrived at the season finale in the title fight, having won the World Championship in 2023 and taken it down to the wire last season. That experience, she says, helps her manage the pressure.
“Having done it before helps,” she reflected. “I’ve experienced different scenarios – being the favourite and the pressure that brings, and also being the underdog. I’m wearing #1 on Sunday but I know what it takes and I’ll approach it as just another race where I need to execute the swim, bike and run properly.”
Potter’s consistency has been a hallmark of her rise from elite runner to world champion triathlete. But after two bronze medals at last summer’s Paris Olympics, this year has also brought transition: coaching changes, a reset in training, and a few frustrating early-season results before the momentum shifted her way.
“It took a couple of months at the start of the year to find my feet again,” she admitted. “I felt like I was in shape but something just wasn’t clicking – there were little things like getting really cold in Yokohama, illness in Italy [at WTCS Alghero, the only time she’s been out of the top five] and maybe not believing in myself enough in Hamburg. But I threw everything at Karlovy Vary and it paid off. I just needed a race like that to get the ball rolling.”
She added that experimenting with her setup has led to some valuable learnings: “It’s been good to try different things this season – it’s the lowest-risk one in terms of the Olympic cycle,” she said. “I’ve really trusted in my training, especially that altitude block in St Moritz.”
Looking beyond Wollongong
Whatever happens on Sunday, Potter’s 2025 will end on a high note – but not just because of triathlon as she is also preparing for a major life milestone.
“I’m getting married in five weeks, so that’s the next major event!” she laughed when asked about plans after this weekend. “I’ll take some time off to recover from the season, get married, and then return to training.”
There’s also the small matter of another potential PB on the roads. Potter, who ran 31:15 earlier this year at the Pulford 10K, hopes to go even faster and says she has “half an eye” on the Valencia 10K in January.
“I’d like to go faster – conditions in northern England weren’t ideal,” she smiled. “I reckon I can do a 30-something time and put down a bit of a marker. It’s fun to mix it up and try something a bit different.
“There are a few triathletes showing we can compete for our countries in individual sports too, not just swim-bike-run. It’s a very high standard within the sport but I also like to train with dedicated runners, the same with cyclists. You learn a lot from them and they push you as well so I really enjoy that aspect.”
Title fight awaits
As the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Finals approach, the storylines are clear: Beaugrand, the reigning Olympic and World Champion, facing a resurgent Potter in peak form.
And while others may be watching the rivalry closely, Beth herself is staying focused on simplicity – trusting in the process, the preparation, and the performance.
“I’m not too focused on my competitors,” she said. “I just need to execute my own race.”
On a course that plays to her strengths, it sounds like it’s a fantastic chance for her to once again finish her season on top of the world.
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