There was plenty to takeaway from the Paris Olympic Test Event, particular with regards to the course. On an individual level, there were several talking points across the racing. Read on to find out some of the lessons to be drawn from what happened in Paris.
Duffy is playing the long game
Flora Duffy was due to make her first start of 2023 at the Test Event. She showed up in Paris and participated in the pre-race course familiarizations. The night before the women’s race, though, she withdrew from the event.
On social media, she wrote that she was “not quite ready yet to race”. The degree to which she already knew she was not ready prior to arriving in Paris is not clear. Given the lateness of the withdrawal, no one replaced her on the start lists and she was listed as DNS in the results.
After struggling with a knee injury, Duffy’s decision showed that her focus is entirely on next year’s Olympic Games. She now has a taste for the course and can spend the rest of the year focusing on setting herself up for a tilt at defending her Olympic gold.
At this point in time, it seems unlikely that we will see Duffy race anytime soon, barring a potential stop at a World Cup race in the autumn. She has the points she needs to qualify for the Olympics and so will realistically return to racing in 2024 when she is completely ready.
Potter will be dangerous…
When athletes step up the way Beth Potter did in Paris, there is a real risk that Duffy will be the forgotten woman by the start of next year.
Potter was superb as she claimed her first ever Olympic distance win at the WTCS level. Having also won at WTCS Abu Dhabi and WTCS Montreal this year, she has cemented herself as a leading contender for Olympic gold next year.
Her swim was possibly a touch slower than she would have liked. She nonetheless emerged 1 second ahead of Taylor Knibb and so was safely placed. To secure her win, Potter was the only woman to dip under the 33 minute mark for the 10km run.
Of course, the Test Event missed Duffy and Georgia Taylor-Brown. Still, after the season Potter has enjoyed, she could have probably beaten both last week.
Looking ahead to next summer, then, Potter will have to be in the conversation for the win.
…and so will Beaugrand
While Potter took her first win over the Olympic distance at this level, Cassandre Beaugrand earned her first Olympic distance medal at the WTCS level. Prior to Paris, her best performance was a 4th place from WTCS Cagliari in May.
The French woman looked completely assured throughout the race. She was one of the best swimmers and clocked the third fastest split. She then produced the second fastest run behind Potter and was only denied the win by the Brit’s late sprint.
Potter may still improve over the next year. Given her age, though, Beaugrand may be the likelier candidate to get faster.
She already has the swim and run to compete for the win in virtually any style of racing and will have the advantage of home crowd support. Looking ahead to 2024, she will tough to beat.
Alex Yee looks like the front-runner
It was not as if Alex Yee’s running ability was a secret before the Test Event.
However, he was so good in Paris. Like, ridiculously good. Over the second and third laps of the run in particular, he made a chase group containing the likes of Morgan Pearson, Kristian Blummenfelt, Leo Bergere and Vasco Vilaca look like they were competing in a different sport.
Each of the athletes in the chase are phenomenal runners. It speaks to the brilliance of Yee that he somehow made them look mortal.
Had Yee not eased up on the last lap to luxuriate in his win, he likely would have won by over half a minute. After all, he was 27 seconds ahead with a lap to go.
Of greater significance was the fact that he only lost 20 seconds to the fastest swimmer in the water, which put him in the front group before the field came together.
With his swim and bike in place and his run looking out of this world, at this point it is hard to see anyone getting past Yee at the Games.
Lindemann is a lethal anchor
Germany took the win the Mixed Team Relay on Sunday. In no small part, their victory came down to the fantastic anchor leg of Laura Lindemann.
It should be noted that Lindemann did not have the fastest leg of the finishers. Her time of 19:16 was actually beaten by Beth Potter (19:14) and Taylor Knibb (19:15). However, Lindemann once again proved that she might be the best female exponent of the relay in the world.
At the World Mixed Team Relay Championships in Hamburg, she anchored Germany to gold having tackled the entire leg solo. In Paris, she worked within a chase pack alongside Potter to haul in the leader, Emma Lombardi. She then had the presence of mind to ride out Potter’s early attack on the run before powering ahead with a super sprint of her own.
There is always a place for quantitative measurements in the sports and comparing splits and best times. Lindemann’s value can be seen in that respect. However, her importance is clearest in qualitative respect.
At the Olympic Games, the German team will know that in almost any scenario, they can hand the job over to Lindemann and she will deliver. If they have a lead, she can defend it alone. If she has to chase, she can do that too. Her versatility and sheer presence will lift the entire team.
There might be athletes with more individual medals; after all, Potter and Beaugrand beat her in the individual race. Over the Super Sprint on a relay, though, Lindemann is a different proposition altogether.
All things considered, she might be the best anchor in the world.
