They saved the best for last.
Les Sables Vendée Triathlon had stunned the field in Metz and Quiberon by winning individual gold through Valentina Riasova and by finishing 1st and 3rd in the respective rounds. In Saint-Jean-des-Monts, Les Sables Vendée showed they had another gear left in them.
In the single most dominant team performance of the championship, they locked out the podium. With 1st, 2nd and 3rd, they therefore recorded a perfect 6 point score. As a result, they earned 30 points for the win, which was up from the normal 20 points for the final.
The dominant storyline of the weekend was Les Sables Vendée, however there was plenty more to dissect. Poissy Triathlon claimed the women’s title while a last minute shake up saw a team fall away from their spot on the overall podium.
1st) Poissy Triathlon – 98.5 points (no change)
Having led every step of the way this season, it was fitting that Poissy held on to seal the title. At the last, however, they were nervously glancing over their collective shoulder as Les Sables Vendée came close to pulling off a major heist.
In the final round, Poissy took 4th place. Ilona Hadhoum and Kristelle Congi nudged inside the top-10, finishing 9th and 10th, respectively. Both have been big assets for the team this year. As a Junior, though, Hadhoum has perhaps had the more remarkable campaign. Lea Coninx then finished 17th as she continued her encouraging return from injury.
Having defended their title, they can begin planning for their goal of another championship in 2024.
2nd) Les Sables Vendée Triathlon – 93.5 points (no change)
Les Sables Vendée’s season probably ranks up with the Barbie move when it comes to the biggest shocks of 2023. Whereas Barbie had Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling to steal the show, Les Sables Vendée has three stars.
Diana Isakova, Valentina Riasova and Jeanne Lehair finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in Saint-Jean-des-Monts in a performance that was stupidly good.
It is hard not to wonder what might have been had Riasova and Isakova appeared earlier in the season to go with their medal-winning showings. If Les Sables Vendée add one or two more scorers to cover them for when Lehair is absent, they can win the title next year.
3rd) Triathlon Club Liévin – 81.5 points (up 1 place)
Liévin signed off on a high as they finished 2nd. That elevated them onto the overall podium as they took down Issy. Once again, the Hedgeland sisters were central to their fortunes.
Jaz Hedgeland finished 7th while Kira Hedgeland came home in 11th. That represented a switch on the previous round where Kira was the top performer as she claimed a silver medal. To seal their runner-up spot in Saint-Jean-des-Monts, Alessia Orla finished 15th having impressed in the swim.
Liévin finished 5th overall in 2022 so they will be overjoyed to have made it onto the podium this year.
4th) Issy Triathlon – 77.5 points (down 1 place)
Having been locked into the top-3 for so long, Issy faded at the last. A 6th place in Saint-Jean-des-Monts allowed Liévin to overtake them.
They raced well; Audrey Merle was super reliable again as she finished 4th. Laura Moreau followed in 19th and Anne Holm took 26th place. However, they simply were out-gunned on the day.
Having finished 4th in 2022, Issy have at least maintained their position. They will likely be back with a vengeance in 2024 as they seek a spot on the final podium.
5th) Tri Val de Gray – 70.5 points (no change)
Saint-Jean-des-Monts was one of Val de Gray’s best team efforts of the season. They finished 3rd and were led by Mathilde Gautier’s 5th place. To go with that, Beatrice Mallozzi crossed in 13th and Yuko Takahashi earned 16th place.
However, it was a case of too little too late. Val de Gray were out of the running for a podium slot. Having finished 2nd overall in 2022, they therefore fell to 5th this year.
6th) Metz Triathlon – 58 points (up 3 places)
Metz were another team to drop in 2023, although after the dramas they experienced over the winter they probably had as good a season as they could have hoped.
A 5th place in Saint-Jean-des-Monts largely came from Zsanett Bragmayer finishing 6th and Margot Garabedian finishing 8th. Once again, the pair proved to be an essential part of the Metz team.
Pauline Landron then followed in 22nd. She has been a very consistent performer this year and has certainly been an unsung hero on the team.
The team’s fall from 3rd in 2022 was in part caused by not fully replacing the contribution of Jeanne Lehair. With a more stable winter this time around, though, they can look to get back onto the podium.
7th) Vals du Dauphiné Olympic – 55 points (up 1 place)
By finishing 7th in Saint-Jean-des-Monts, Vals du Dauphiné Olympic moved up 1 place into 7th overall.
Their strategy of fielding quite a young team paid off. Iona Miller was the top performer in 18th while Myral Greco was right behind in 20th. Sophia Green also had a good day as she finished 27th.
The team finished 8th in 2022 so their final race of the season saw them make a gain in just about every respect.
8th) Valence Triathlon – 52.5 points (down 2 places)
In contrast to Vals du Dauphiné, Valence’s youth-centred strategy did not quick come together. They finished 10th and were led by Tabea Huys in 30th place.
Franka Rust was the next woman home in 32nd while Olivia Logan took 50th place to round out the scorers. Having finished 11th overall in 2022, their ultimate 8th place is a considerable step forward. Given that a space in the top-6 was there for the taking, though, there will be a sense of what might have been.
Valence have shown they are good enough to make the top-6 so look for them to come back even stronger next season.
9th) Triathlon Toulouse Métropole – 51.5 points (up 1 place)
Toulouse were one of the big success stories of the women’s French Grand Prix. While Les Sables Vendée justifiably took up a lot of the attention, Toulouse were one of the biggest risers from 2022.
They finished 14th last season and were not that far away from being relegated. After an 8th place in Saint-Jean-des-Months, though, they finished 2023 on the cusp of breaking into the top half of the table.
Karolina Horvath was a key athlete for them as she finished 14th. Carlotta Bonacina also stepped up in 23rd place. A frequent face for the team this year has been Gwladys Larzul and once again she added an important finish, this time in 39th place.
10th) Groupe Triathlon Vesoul Haute-Saône – 49 points (up 2 places)
Vesoul Haute-Saône were another team to improve in 2023. They turned a 13th place in 2022 into a 10th place overall this year and ended their season on a high by finishing 9th in the final race.
Lena Vaillier Francois led the way in 24th place while Charline Cornec and Charlotte Faivre followed in 37th and 41st, respectively.
11th) Brive Limousin Triathlon – 48.5 points (down 4 places)
What had otherwise been a great season went wrong for Brive as they tripped in the final round. Finishing 12th was by no means a bad result however it opened the door for multiple teams to overtake them. As a result, they went from looking as if they would match their 7th place from 2022 to finishing outside the top-10.
Leann Naima Dietzel was the first of the Brive athletes to finish in 43rd and Morgan Branchoux was on her heels in 45th. Raquel Arostegui Gonzalez was likewise close behind in 49th. No one had a bad race, really. It was simply that, with extra points available in the final race, Brive did not step up when other teams did.
12th) Les Tritons Meldois – 43 points (down 1 place)
A 13th place in Saint-Jean-des-Monts pushed Les Tritons Meldois down a place in the overall standings. After finishing 9th in 2022, 12th was not quite what they would have wanted at the start of the year.
Rebecca Beti had a good race as she finished 33rd. Anna Witteveen then took 48th place and Lotte Vandekerckhove finished 57th.
13th) Stade Poitevin Triathlon – 38.5 points (no change)
Stade Poitevin finished 14th in Saint-Jean-des-Monts but that did not affect their ranking for the teams ahead were already well clear of them. It did, however, mean that they held of Parthenay by the skin of their teeth.
Hagar Coehen Kalif earned 42nd place to take the top spot in the team. Dutch Junior Sonja De Koning was the next over the line in 51st place and Juliette Lucet finished 56th.
After finishing 6th in 2022, this year has been a bit of a setback.
14th) T.C.G. 79 Parthenay – 38 points (no change)
Parthenay almost caught Stade Poitevin after finishing 11th in Saint-Jean-des-Monts. A large part of that came from Melanie Santos scooping 12th place individually.
Mathilde Locatelli and Valentine Jadeau Sibileau then followed in 47th and 59th, respectively.
This year has seen Parthenay drop a little after finishing 10th in 2022. They can at least head into 2024 on a positive note.
15th) Lys Calais Triathlon – 19.5 points (no change)
Lys Calais, the second promoted team, were essentially already relegated prior to the final round. Finishing last confirmed it.
Kim Van t’Verlaat was their top performer in 46th place. Zia Pille Yard then took 66th place with Clea Lelievre close behind in 68th place.
Given the talent on display in the top division, it is a major challenge for any promoted team to adapt. Not everyone makes it look as easy as Les Sables Vendée. Lys Calais have therefore performed admirably this year and will carry the lessons learned into 2024.
16th) Saint-Avertin Sports Triathlon 37 – 15 points (no change)
Saint Avertin have had a nightmare season and they were finally put out of their misery. They finished 15th in Saint-Jean-des-Monts and the same issues that have plagued them this season remained.
Lola Bachet finished 25th but she had no real support in terms of scoring. Izia Duterrage took 62nd place and Maelys Fardeau finished 70th which made getting out of the bottom-2 an impossible task.
If they can hold onto Bachet, Saint Avertin will probably recover in the second division and make their way back to the top division sooner rather than later.
You can take a look at the breakdowns of the previous rounds here.
