With the third round of the French Grand Prix complete, Poissy Triathlon have taken another step towards defending their title.
Although Les Sables Vendée Triathlon took the plaudits after their magnificent performance in Metz, Poissy remain firmly in the driving seat. Their lead at the top is now 10 points and it is unlikely that their season falls apart from here.
Up and down the standings, there are several tight battles. When the Grand Prix resumes in September there will be plenty left to race for.
1st) Poissy Triathlon – 56 points (no change)
Poissy matched their performance from Bordeaux with a 2nd place overall.
Natalie Van Coevorden led the way in 5th with Kristelle Congi right behind. Having finished 6th, Congi has now recorded top-6 finishes at all three events and has been a pillar of the team. In another encouraging sign for the team (and discouraging for their rivals), Marie Wattiez built upon her 12th place in Bordeaux with an 11th place in Metz.
As already mentioned, Poissy have a 10 point buffer with two races to go. Seeing as they have not finished outside of the top-2 this season, it is hard to see them losing the title from here.
2nd) Les Sables Vendée Triathlon – 46 points (up 1 place)
Les Sables Vendée won the round after putting two women on the podium. Valentina Riasova won the race while Diana Isakova claimed the bronze medal.
Both athletes have suffered under Russia’s ongoing ban from World Triathlon events. In 2021, Riasova was the silver medallist at the European Super Sprint Championships and finished 12th at WTCS Yokohama. Isakova, meanwhile, won silver and bronze medals at European Cups in the same year.
Metz therefore provided both with their first meaningful exposure to an elite field for some time.
Jess Ewart McTigue then rounded out the scoring for Les Sables Vendée in 10th place. All in all, they could not have asked for a better day. Even if they don’t catch Poissy, Les Sables Vendée have had an extraordinary season and will be able to take immense satisfaction from how they have handled their promotion from D2. With an 11 point gap to 4th, a podium place at the end of the season is within reach.
3rd) Issy Triathlon – 44 points (down 1 place)
Issy ceded ground in Metz as they fell to 8th overall.
Celia Merle was the bright spot of the team with her 8th place. Laura Moreau was also solid and provided a 21st place. However, Issy did not have their usual depth and Josephine Robilliard Doyonnax unfortunately dragged the team’s total down in 60th place.
Their hopes for the overall title are realistically over, but 2nd place remains available.
4th) Triathlon Club Liévin – 35 points (up 3 places)
Liévin’s yo-yo season continues. In Metz they finished 5th overall as Jaz Hedgeland took 7th place and Kira Hedgeland finished 17th.
Lea Richard ended up further down the rankings in 46th.
Having finished 3rd, 12th and 5th this season, which Liévin will show up in September will be a mystery. They are now in a tight race for 4th, though, and will need every point they can get to hold off the chasers.
5th) Brive Limousin Triathlon – 35 points (up 1 place)
Brive finished a place behind Liévin in 6th and there was a definite British accent to their day.
Tilly Anema produced a 12th place to go with her 11th from Fréjus. She is proving to be a real focal point of the team and Brive will hope she is available for the last two rounds. In Anema’s absence in Bordeaux, the team slipped to 9th.
A second Brit was the next scorer for the team. Isabella Hayes finished 24th and was the best performer among the Junior women. By way of comparison, Joao Nuno Batista was the best Junior man in Metz in 22nd place. After injury trouble earlier in the year, Hayes’ performance was a major step forward and will set her up well for the rest of the summer.
Her fellow British Junior, Bethany Cook, was the final scorer for Brive in 37th place. Cook will be heading to Hamburg for the World Junior Championships next week and so Metz was likely more of a training race. Nevertheless, she chipped in with useful points.
6th) Tri Val de Gray – 34 points (down 2 places)
Although they finished 10th overall, Val de Gray may have a claim to the most entertaining racer in the women’s field.
Once again, Lea Marchal tore the field apart in the swim and then pushed a huge effort on the bike. In the end, she finished 18th and her bombastic style is starting to pay off. She has led out the swim at all three races this season and will look to make it a complete sweep in September.
Chiara Lobba and Mikayla Messer then completed the scoring in 33rd and 49th, respectively. Messer was a little off her Bordeaux level and if she can return to the top-15, Val de Gray should be able to usurp Brive and Liévin.
7th) Triathlon Toulouse Métropole – 30 points (up 1 place)
Toulouse were solid in Metz and took 9th place. As much as they could have caught Issy, they equally could have been passed by Val de Gray. 9th was therefore a fair reflection of their day.
Carlotta Bonacina was the team’s top performer in 19th place. Celine Kaiser then followed in 35th and Oceane Le Bris finished 43rd. A top-6 finish will be hard to attain but they have the potential to make it happen.
8th) Vals du Dauphiné Olympic – 29 points (down 3 places)
All three of Vals du Dauphiné’s top performers from Bordeaux were absent in Metz which saw them tumble down the standings. Despite Cathia Schär’s 2nd place, Vals du Dauphiné languished down in 14th place, losing 3 places in the table.
Whereas Emma Lombardi, Manon Laporte and Iona Miller finished 1st, 6th and 9th in Bordeaux, no one joined Schär inside the top-40 in Metz. Helena Carvalho was the team’s second best finisher in 42nd while Clara Guillaud only mustered 71st place.
At their best, the team can win rounds in comfort. However, they do not have the depth to cover themselves when their top names are absent. Their fortunes over the last two races, then, will hinge upon the availability of the likes of their big names.
9th) Les Tritons Meldois – 28 points (up 3 places)
Les Tritons Meldois logged their best result of the season as they claimed 4th overall. In no small part that was inspired by Tanja Neubert’s 4th place. Neubert is enjoying a fantastic season and is really starting to flourish on the international stage. With wins at Continental Cups, 4th place at the European Championships and a medal in the Bundesliga, she will be a contender at most – if not all – races going forward.
Anna Witteveen was the next athlete home in 22nd. However, Margareta Bicanova could not back up her terrific performance from Bundesliga Schliersee and ended up in 36th place.
Still, Les Tritons Meldois can be very happy with how the weekend went and will look to defend their place in the top-10.
10th) Valence Triathlon – 27 points (up 5 places)
In a triumphant weekend for the team, Valence’s women matched the performance of their male counterparts to take 3rd place.
Maria Tomé was the best performer. Although she did not quite match her silver medal from Fréjus, she nonetheless claimed 9th place to get the ball rolling. Libby Coleman close behind in 13th place while Lizzy Edge was another spot back in 14th.
In the space of a race, Valence have gone from relegation candidates to looking at potentially making a play for the top-10.
If they can field the same trio from Metz at the upcoming rounds in September, maybe they could sneak into the top-8.
11th) Groupe Triathlon Vesoul Haute-Saône – 24 points (up 2 places)
In a similar manner, to Valence, Haute-Saône have been a team on the rise. A DNF in round 1 got them off to a bad start but since then they have achieved two 7th places.
One thing that stood out in Metz was high tightly-bunched their finishers were. Liv Claret claimed 28th place while Marion Latil and Lena Vaillier Francois finished 30th and 31st, respectively. Haute-Saône were therefore close to having all three of their scorers finish in consecutive positions.
At this point, they look like they should comfortably avoid relegation. However, having suffered one DNF already this year, Haute-Saône will be all too aware of how a single round could still go wrong.
12th) Metz Triathlon – 24 points (down 3 places)
Metz did not quite deliver in front of a home audience and managed only 11th place.
Pauline Landron finished 24th while Margot Garabedian was next to finish in 32nd. Nora Nouri nudged inside the top-50 in 48th. Altogether, though, it was an underwhelming display. They will need Garabedian to be at her best if they are to return to the top-10.
13th) Stade Poitevin Triathlon – 22 points (down 3 places)
Stade Poitevin had a solid day in Metz but that was not enough to prevent them from slipping down the standings.
Katie Rodda and Ellie White broke into the top-30, finishing 27th and 29th, respectively. However Zoe Lepoittevin brough the team’s score down with her 61st place.
They have a 3 point cushion to 14th, but Stade Poitevin will need to be careful until the end of the season. With just one bad day, they could suddenly find themselves in the relegation zone.
14th) T.C.G. 79 Parthenay – 19 points (down 3 places)
Parthenay also lost 3 places in the overall standings in spite of Madalena Amaral Almeida’s 15th place.
Valentine Jedeau Sibileau finished 41st and Laura Swannet finished 57th; that was enough to see them finish in 13th overall. Crucially, it put them a place behind Stade Poitevin.
Unless the can find further support for Amaral Almeida, it is hard to see them gathering the points they need to guarantee safety.
15th) Lys Calais Triathlon – 13 points (down 1 place)
Lys Calais finished last in Metz and are looking in real danger of being relegated. Elie Hobbs had a decent performance on her way to 25th place. However, with Aubane Poutrain in 53rd and Kate Pugh in 64th, the team were not able to get the points they needed
A comprehensive gap now stands between Lys Calais and safety. A late escape will not be impossible but it will certainly be an uphill struggle.
16th) Saint-Avertin Sports Triathlon 37 – 5 points (no change)
Metz was a similar story as Bordeaux for Saint-Avertin.
Lola Bachet had a very encouraging race to finish 20th, however she received precious little support. Izia Duterrage missed breaking into the top-50 as she finished 51st while Maelys Fardeau took 58th place.
Relegation looks realistic at this point. There are bright shoots of optimism, though, particularly around Bachet’s performances. So long as Bachet is available, Saint-Avertin should be among the favourites to win D2 next year.
