The French team started the WTCS season well in Abu Dhabi.
In the men’s race, the three French athletes Vincent Luis, Dorian Coninx and Leo Bergere finished 4th, 5th and 6th, respectively. Two of the French women, Cassandre Beaugrand and Emma Lombardi, also finished in the top-8 in the women’s race.
As a result, much of the team could leave Abu Dhabi satisfied with their results.
The bigger test, though, is yet to come.
For France, the focal point of the season will be the Paris Olympic Test Event in August.
To qualify for the Test Event, French athletes will need to achieve a top-5 at one of three designated races. The first opportunity was the WTCS Final last year in Abu Dhabi. That day, Leo Bergere met the criteria on his way to his dramatic win. Leonie Periault also secured her spot at the Test Event with her 5th place finish.
The next two chances will be at the WTCS events in Yokohama and Cagliari.
Last year, Lombardi and Periault each finished in the top-5 in Yokohama last year (in 4th and 2nd, respectively)
Cassandre Beaugrand, however, has a best Olympic distance WTCS finish of 8th. She achieved that result in Cagliari (2022), Leeds (2021) and Yokohama (2018). A top-5 is not beyond her, but it will require a step up from her previous form.
Such is the French depth, a host of other talented athletes such as Sandra Dodet, Audrey Merle and Mathilde Gautier will also be hoping to get onto the start lines and try for their top-5 finish.
Meanwhile, Vincent Luis and Dorian Coninx will be aiming to book their trips to Paris. Coninx confirmed that Yokohama is his next race and that he will be targeting the top-5 after his return to form in Abu Dhabi.
Both Luis and Coninx have won WTCS races over the Olympic distance before. With their early season form showing promise, they can both be quietly confident of meeting the criteria.
One athlete not to be discounted, though, is Tom Richard. Richard finished 6th in Hamburg and 10th in Bermuda last year so could contend for a top-5 if the right cards fall into place.
Former WTCS medallist Pierre Le Corre also cannot be forgotten.
Only so many athletes can actually finish in the top-5, particularly given the intense competition of the rest of the world. There is every possibility that only one or two athletes seal their qualification for the Test Event.
A discretionary selection is available should any athletes miss out of a top-5 and France still have places to fill at the Paris Test Event. However, with medals at the home Olympics in 2024 the guiding target of the federation, such picks may also be considered for those that could service a team role.
The 2024 Olympic Games will be the most important event on the horizon for much of the French team. As a result, the next two WTCS races will acquire a new level of importance and intensity for the French team.
Therefore when the horn goes at both Yokohama and Cagliari, expect a major showdown between the French athletes.
