The verdict fell early this afternoon. During a video conference, the names of the 6 triathletes (3 women and 3 men) representing the French team at the Paris Olympic Games were revealed.
No big surprise but an absent Vincent Luis who will be a reserve.
In women, Cassandre Beaugrand bronze medalist in mixed relay at the Tokyo Games in 2021, vice-world champion in 2023, 2nd in the Test Event in Paris 2023 will experience her 3rd Olympic Games after those in Tokyo and Rio.
Cassandre Beaugrand: “I’m quite confident about my current level, you have to be able to perform well in the one-day race, it’s not necessarily easy. I think I have everything in place to succeed, I hope it will smile on me. »
Emma Lombardi considered the rising star of French triathlon, at 22 years old she will be the youngest member of the French team and will experience her first Olympic Games. She already has some great references to her credit: 3rd in the 2023 WTCS world final ranking, 2022 European and world mixed relay champion, 4th in the 2023 Paris Test Event without forgetting this year on the world circuit a 3rd place in Yokohama and a 4th place in Cagliari.
Emma Lombardi : “I will continue on my course of action, continue to work while remaining focused on myself in my preparation and learn as much as possible for my first Games which will also be at home. »
Léonie Périault, 5th in the individual race at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games and bronze medalist with mixed relay, she was also double world champion in 2018 and 2020 with the mixed relay. This year, his victory on the world circuit stage in Yokohama allowed him to confirm his selection, also note his fine 4th place during the Indoor World Cup in Liévin.
Léonie Périault: “I feel in good shape, the season has started very well, I can’t wait to be at the Games, I have given myself the means to be there (after a complicated 2023) and I am working for that. »
Among the men, the choice was extremely difficult as explained by Benjamin Maze, the National Technical Director : “5 male triathletes regularly participate in the stages of the World Cup. The year 2023 was the occasion for numerous group shots in international events and the 3 Olympic selections were particularly successful in the Paris Test Event and also during the world final in Pontevedra. »
Leo Bergere2022 world champion, 3rd in the WTCS world rankings in 2020 and 2023, double mixed relay world champion in 2019 and 2020, 5th in the Paris 2023 Test Event will experience his 2nd Olympic Games after those in Tokyo where he finished 21st in individual.
Leo Bergere : “I have a profile, regular results on the stages of the world circuit but for several years I have given myself the objective of not only being regular but also capable of winning races with stakes. At the Games I will show up with the ambition to do a fairly aggressive race, to try my luck. We must not go backwards, I want to run for a medal, I will orient my race like this. I would like to give a little nod to our 2 reservists Vincent Luis and Tom Richard with whom we got through it well and stuck together during this 2-year qualification period. We all lifted each other up, I want to thank them. »
The experienced Dorian Coninx aged 30, also bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2021 Games with the mixed relay, 2023 world champion, triple mixed relay world champion 2015, 2018 and 2020 and 3rd in the Paris 2023 Test Event will experience his 3rd Olympic Games .
Dorian Coninx : “The accident (fracture of the wrist and small piece of elbow bone during a fall while cycling) at the start of the season during the stage of the world circuit in Yokohama was not planned, it was of course better not to have any disturbances in the preparation. With hindsight I realized quite quickly that it could have been much worse, I was able to return to sport very quickly, now I train almost normally, that’s positive. My fall bothered me finishing in Yokohama and deprived me of the Cagliari stage but it didn’t have too much of an impact on my preparation. This physical and mental step back from the competition will surely benefit me and I have no doubts about the fact that I can arrive in good shape at the Games. »
Pierre Le Corre, 6th in the 2023 WTCS world ranking, 2022 mixed relay world champion and 4th in the Paris 2023 Test Event will experience his 2nd Games and rediscover the Olympic spirit (25th in Rio in 2016). He confirmed his selection criterion by finishing 6th in the Cagliari world circuit stage on May 25.
Pierre Le Corre : “It will be my 2nd Games after waiting 8 long years before being able to relive the Games, I am delighted. This qualification period was very long, it was necessary to meet relatively tough criteria, which were difficult to obtain. This is one of the most difficult selections in the world whatever the sport, I am happy to have been able to select myself fairly. »
Benjamin Maze (National Technical Director of French triathlon): “This list is the culmination of a 2-year journey with a focus on the need to perform on D-day as in 2023 during the Paris Test Event and the world final in Pontevedra, the opportunity for 3 triathletes to complete a first Selection. Cassandre Beaugrand and Pierre Le Corre validated their selection this year by obtaining the confirmation criterion, the others were selected on a discretionary choice which is based on the results obtained between May 2022 and May 2024. France had obtained a medal of bronze in mixed relay at the Tokyo Games, the objective is to do better in Paris. France is one of the favorite nations in the mixed relay, the composition of the relay will be made after the individual events. The individual race will be one of the data taken into account but it will not necessarily be the individual finishing order which will give the composition of the relay. We have incredible density in the French team but also ambition and determination. For Vincent Luis, his non-selection is a very strong disappointment when we train, we have been committed on a daily basis for years to represent France at the Games at home, I understand his disappointment but there is nothing to be ashamed of. the selection of our French triathletes who were able to perform on D-day and it is important to have reserve athletes involved in their performance objective until the last moment, we do not wish this for anyone but there may be hangers, incidents in final preparation, this has already happened in the past. »
Cédric Gosse: “Our ambition is to make the history of the Olympic Games and to mark the history of our federation through performance. »
Cédric Gosse (President of the French Triathlon Federation): “We are fortunate to have a Federation with extremely significant and dynamic growth. We have a balance because we work with 3 values which summarize our commitment: ambition which allows us to set a course, humility which gives us benchmarks and daily work which is the key to success. Today is a very important moment for our athletes, if I had a message to convey to them it is that ambition is not just about participating. Our ambition is to make the history of the Olympic Games and to mark the history of our federation through performance. It is not simply a question of honoring a participation or honoring a place in a selection. The objective is to perform and we have the chance to believe in it. We have demonstrated it, we have done it before and we have prepared for it.
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