Cassandre Beaugrand’s Olympic and world title double in 2024 set an extraordinary standard.
Yet after winning the 2026 WTCS Grand Final in Pontevedra to complete a perfect Series season, the French star called this “my best year ever” in her finish-line interview.
Beaugrand won all four of her regular-season WTCS starts before taking the Grand Final by 1:05 from Georgia Taylor-Brown. It was her second world title, secured on a course that held difficult memories from 2023.
‘I wanted revenge’
“I definitely wanted revenge from 2023,” she said. “I was struggling all the run and cramping all the way.”
She admitted to feeling cramp again during Saturday’s race, even as she broke clear early in the 10km run. “I was cramping a bit today. It was very hard on my muscles, but I was very focused on what I had to do. I felt strong, so I just needed to keep my pace and keep the pressure. Today it worked.”
The 29-year-old had set her sights on winning the Grand Final as well as the overall championship. “I wanted to give myself the chance to do the best and win the title and win the race,” she said. “I think it’s even better when you can win the race on the day.”
‘Even harder to stay at the top’
Beaugrand also used her post-race interview to thank the people behind a year in which she combined an unbeaten WTCS campaign with three French national running records.
“Everyone sees just the easy part, like winning, but it’s hard to win and even harder to stay at the top,” she said. “I wanted to say a big thank you to all my team around me because I never have time to thank them.”
She singled out her coach, her Girona training group and her partner, Chase McQueen. Taylor-Brown, now part of that training group, joined her on the podium in Pontevedra.
“She’s coming back at her best, so I’m so happy,” Beaugrand said of Taylor-Brown. She thanked McQueen too, adding: “It’s not easy for him every day.”
After five wins from five WTCS starts, Beaugrand had little interest in immediately setting a bigger target. “I’m not going to lie, it would be hard to do better next year,” she said. “I’m just going to take everything from this year and enjoy it.”
