This weekend the French Junior titles will be on the line as some of the best young triathletes in the country gather to compete in Gravelines. A win at a National Junior Championships is always a solid indicator for any athlete. The athletes will therefore be itching to make their mark.
Amid a strong field, the women’s race promises to be quite the battle.
Ilona Hadhoum, to date the fastest female Junior on record in France, will lead the way. However she will have to contend with Manon Laporte who recently beat her to the silver medal at the European Junior Cup in Caorle. Laporte also won a bronze medal at the European Junior Cup in Quarteira and has been in fantastic form this year.
In addition, Manon Pomme and Leonie Douche will provide stiff competition for the gold. Both already have recorded top-5 finishes at European Junior Cups this year. Lucile Merrien will be another to keep an eye on. With several other women competing that are also capable of landing on the podium, it could all come down to a sprint finish.
On the men’s side, Thomas Hansmaennel, the World Junior champion, will be starting. He already has a win to his name at the European Junior Cup in Quarteira so look for him to make a splash. The winner of the male Junior tests, Gaspard Tharreau, will also be racing. After beating Hansmaennel in Cannes, he will be looking to add the French Junior crown to his domestic haul.
At the same time, Tharreau and Hansmaennel will have to contend with two young men in great form. Pablo Isotton won a medal at the European Junior Cup in Caorle. Furthermore Nils Serre Gehri has two silver medals at European Junior Cups to his name this year. He first won a medal in Quarteira behind Hansmaennel. Then he grabbed a medal ahead of Isotton in Caorle.
Adam Fouchal will be another dangerous athlete and there are many more men that could contend.
With the swim taking place in a rowing lake, flat conditions should be on offer over the 750m. In turn, that should be conducive to fast racing.
The four lap course to cover the 20km on the bike also should offer the athletes a chance to drop the hammer. However, the run will be a different challenge. It will cover one long out-and-back route along the lake. At the turn, the finish will still look a long way away.
Alongside this, by the time the leader makes the turn back to the finish line, they will have to face all those chasing them.
For both those behind and those ahead, then, there will be a psychological element to the finish. Whoever can cope with the situation, and the knowledge of where their rivals are, the best will likely come out on top.
Gravlines will play host to the Senior French Championships over the Sprint distance. Kristelle Congi and Candice Denizot are two of the standout names to be taking part.
Beyond the national titles, Gravelines could also have implications for the French selection at the World and European Junior Championships later this year. As per the Junior selection policy, the selectors are entitled to take the results of the event into account when selecting the teams for Hamburg and Balikesir.
Following the results of the European Junior Cup in Caorle, France will have three male and three female slots in Hamburg. To fill said slots, there are two primary criteria for selection. These arose from the results of the French Junior tests back in March and the results of Caorle.
In Caorle, an athlete must have finished in the top-3 and within 1% of the winner’s time of the European Junior Cup. In the men’s race Serre Gehri won silver and Isotton won bronze, thereby hitting the relevant criteria. Meanwhile Laporte won silver and Hadhoum won bronze. All of the medallists were within 1% of the winning times.
Alternatively, an athlete must have finished in the top-5 in Caorle AND have achieved the following standards at the March tests:
- 800m freestyle – under 9:50 (women) and under 9:10 (men)
- 5000m run – under 17:00 (women) and under 14:50 (men)
No man successfully achieved the performance standards. Ilona Hadhoum was the only woman to meet the criteria, however she already achieved a top-3 in Caorle.
At this point in time, then, it would appear that two of the three men’s and women’s slots for Hamburg are already decided. That leaves one precious slot left and Gravelines as an opportunity for the rest of the field to put their best foot forwards.
However, there are further eligibility criteria to be able to race in Hamburg.
An athlete must have finished in the top-5 at Caorle and within 1% of the time of the winner to be eligible. Leonie Douche would satisfy this point by dint of her 4th place in Caorle. However, this may not necessarily guarantee her selection.
In addition, an athlete can be eligible for selection if they hit certain targets at the March tests. In the 800m swim, they need to have clocked under 10:00 (women) or under 9:20 (men), under 17:15 (women) or under 15:00 (men) in the 5000 metres run, and under 6:30 (women) or under 5:50 (men) in the cycling event.
No men achieved this point, although Gaspard Tharreau and Thomas Hansmaennel were close at the tests.
Finally an athlete can be eligible if they have finished in the top-8 and within 1.5% of the winner’s time at Caorle AND have the following test results:
- 800m freestyle – under 10:00 (women) or under 9:20 (men)
- 5000m run – under 17:30 (women) or under 15:10 (men)
Again, no men satisfy this point so the third slot will remain open.
The racing in Gravelines could therefore be a major turning point in the French road to Hamburg.
