After announcing that she would be moving on from Stephanie Gros following a successful spell working together, Leonie Periault has found her new training environment.
Going forward, Periault will be training in Saint-Raphaël, in the south of France, under Romain Lieux.
Periault and Lieux have previously worked together while Lieux was National Technical Advisor to the French Triathlon Federation.
As a silver medallist from WTCS Yokohama and WTCS Edmonton in recent years, Periault will no doubt be an athlete to watch this season.
Her move to Saint-Raphaël, though, strengthens what has already become a hotspot for French triathlon.
Alongside Lieux, the hub hosts another trio of coaches: Mickaël Ayassami, Paul Lalire and Paul Viain. Among Ayassami’s athletes include the world champion, Leo Bergere.
His group also includes Emma Lombardi, Paul Georgenthum, Mathilde Gautier and Valentin Morlec. Indeed, that quartet made up the entire French Mixed Team Relay at WTCS Hamburg in 2022.
With Bergere, Lombardi and Periault training in such close proximity, there could be a wealth of WTCS medals heading in the direction of Saint-Raphaël this year.
In addition, Sandra Dodet recently announced that she too will be joining the Ayassami group known as the Boulouboars.
Last year Dodet won two World Cup events (in Arzachena and Viña del Mar). Her addition to the group will therefore deepen the training environment.
With Angie Olmo also living and training in Saint-Raphaël, the town is rapidly becoming one of the key locations in the world of triathlon.
Previously, we noted some of the big elite training groups, such as the The Triathlon Squad in Monte Gordo, the British squads in Leeds and Loughborough, and the Joel Filliol team in Girona. Each of those set-ups brims with talent although Saint-Raphaël certainly now rivals them.
With a home Olympic Games on the horizon, the French team can be expected to do everything in its power to bring home as many medals as possible. With the quiet consolidation of what could become a super-group in Saint-Raphaël, it is clear that they are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of gold.
