Entering the WTCS Final ranked 5th, Dorian Coninx was not many people’s first pick when it came to predicting the 2023 world champion. If momentum counts for anything in elite sport, though, Coninx was a clear example of catching a perfect wave.
At the start of the year, in the men’s top-30 rankings, we noted that consistency had been an issue for Coninx in recent times. The double WTCS race winner could appear in red-hot form on one day, as his win at WTCS Montreal in 2021 and medal at the 2022 European Championships indicated, yet on the next he could go missing.
To quote the commentary on Coninx heading into 2023, “when he his on, he looks like he could be a world champion. When is off, however, he fades from view altogether”.
This season, he was most certainly on. And he became world champion as a result.
If there is one aspect of his performance that Coninx has addressed this year, it is his consistency. He was one of two men to finish in the top-5 of every WTCS event he contested. The other was his compatriot Pierre Le Corre, although Le Corre attended one fewer race.
To get the ball rolling, Coninx finished 5th at WTCS Abu Dhabi. He was right behind his teammate, Vincent Luis, and just ahead of the defending world champion, Leo Bergere.
Abu Dhabi had all the hallmarks of a classic Coninx performance. He was the second fastest man in the water, behind Luis, and then rode and ran aggressively. Although neither he nor Luis could make a break stick on the bike due to the size of the lead group, Coninx nonetheless served notice that he was in form.
The question remained, however, would he back it up?
At the next stop at WTCS Yokohama, he answered that question with style.
A 4th place was the reward for anything impressive all-round performance. Coninx was among the top swimmers and only fell away from a possible podium late on. Most importantly, his 4th place secured his right to start at the Paris Olympic Test Event later in the season.
WTCS Cagliari came next and with it was another 4th place. Bergere got his payback for Abu Dhabi by pipping Coninx to the bronze medal. As had been the case in the first two rounds, though, Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde looked like they possessed a gear on the run that none of their French rivals could match.
Still, dropping the third fastest swim and the fourth fastest run helped Coninx to a third straight top-5 finish.
Then, Coninx disappeared from view.
WTCS Montreal, WTCS Hamburg and WTCS Sunderland all came and went with not a hint from the Frenchman. On the one hand, Paris remained his primary focus and he devoted all of his energies towards putting together a big performance there. On the other hand, his strategy ran the risk of losing his early season form.
When Le Corre and Bergere took gold and silver in Sunderland prior to Paris, their form looked razor sharp. Any fears over Coninx’s shape were soon allayed.
He claimed his first medal at the season, and first WTCS medal since Montreal two years earlier, as he finished 4th. Whereas he had lacked the final kick to get onto the podium in Yokohama and Cagliari, in Paris he had the final burst to take down Le Corre and Bergere. Vasco Vilaca may have pipped him to the silver medal, but Coninx had essentially booked his place on the French Olympic team.
All things considered, when Coninx arrived in Pontevedra for the WTCS Final, he could do so supremely happy with his year. He had seemingly rectified his battle with consistency, he had returned to the podium and he had scored an Olympic slot.
Although he was apparently out of the running when it came to the world title after crushing performances over the season from Yee and Wilde, 5th place overall was nothing to sniff at.
However, Coninx was not done.
He rattled off the performance of the season to win the race and snatch the world title. Once again, he was a leading face in the water and on the bike. Moreover, he followed his pattern of not logging the quickest run split. What changed from Paris to Pontevedra was the finish.
The devastating final kick he had used to win WTCS Bermuda and WTCS Montreal back in the day was back in full swing. Coninx had missed the podium in Yokohama and Cagliari and missed silver in Paris. In Pontevedra, he made no mistake.
He took down Tim Hellwig and Le Corre with a brutal finish, one that drew parallels to his win at the Bergen World Cup in 2022. From 5th to 1st in one afternoon: Coninx had become world champion.
The story of Coninx’s 2023 is in many respects one of small improvements adding up to major success. As a former World Junior and World U23 champion, he always had the talent to succeed. Talent, however, was not enough.
Throughout the season, he developed small vulnerabilities in his armoury, from consistency to his sprint finish. Those small changes added up to something spectacular.
With a home Olympics to look forward to next year, we can only wait to see what Dorian Coninx has in store next.
