A handful of Swiss triathletes took on road running races in Lausanne at the weekend.
While the 20km race was the premier event on the agenda, three members of the Swiss national team took on the 5km on Saturday.
Adrien Briffod finished 4th overall with a time of 14:34.6. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his performance was that it came barely six weeks after being hospitalised having being hit by a car. Fortunately that episode only left Briffod with ten stitches and a broken nose. Nevertheless it would have been enough to disrupt virtually anyone’s season.
Prior to that incident, he had finished 10th at WTCS Abu Dhabi which represented his best finish in the Series since his 5th place at the WTCS Final in Edmonton back in 2021.
With WTCS Yokohama next up on his calendar, Briffod’s run in Lausanne showed that his speed is beginning to fire. With a little more rest prior to the race, he could well challenge for another top-5 finish.
As it happened, Briffod was not the best performer of the triathletes on display. That honour went to his fellow countryman Maxime Fluri.
Taking 3rd place in the 5km, Fluri recorded a time of 14:26.4. For good measure, he followed that up the next day with a performance of 29:57.2 over the 10km. That appears to be Fluri’s first time under the 30 minute barrier and stands as a great indication of his form heading into the summer. After the recent performances of Michele Sarzilla and Emil Holm, the sub-30 minute barrier is one that has been broached on multiple occasions of late.
Over the 10km, Fluri finished 2nd and took home a second medal for his weekend efforts.
In November, Fluri finished 5th at the World U23 Championships in Abu Dhabi. After not quite having the extra gear to go with the medallists on the run that day, it is clear that he has put in considerable work on his run over the winter.
The third Swiss triathlete racing in the 5km, Pierre Moraz, finished in 5th place behind Briffod in a time of 14:53.2.
Both Fluri and Moraz will be racing at the European Cup in Caorle, Italy, in two weeks and, based on their showings in Lausanne, can be expected to bring some fast running to the event.
