We have studied the top performers in the 2023 men’s French Grand Prix and now it is the turn of the women.
To find the top performer of a team, an array of considerations can be noted. Seeing as the Grand Prix is a five-round competition, with each counting towards the final standings, the number of appearances by an athlete figures prominently. At the same time, the value of each contribution matters. For example, a single medal-winning performance or a top-10 finish might mean more than multiple results outside the top-40.
At the end of the day, it takes a subjective measurement to separate one teammate from another. Generally, though, it is possible to pinpoint the star of each team.
Without further ado, then, read on to find the first half of the women’s top performers.
Poissy Triathlon – 1st
As was the case with their men’s team, Poissy were a powerhouse in the women’s French Grand Prix. Sandra Dodet led the charge in the first round with a win in Fréjus while the likes of Lea Coninx and Natalie Van Coevorden were valuable contributors.
Two athletes, though, stood out.
The first is the World Junior champion, Ilona Hadhoum. In all three of her races, Hadhoum was the top finisher for Poissy. She won a bronze medal in Bordeaux and then added finishes of 7th and 9th. By virtually any standard, she enjoyed a superb season. For a Junior athlete, she was phenomenal.
The second key athlete for Poissy was Kristelle Congi. The only woman to score in all five races for the team, Congi did not finish outside the top-10. She started the season with a 4th place. From there, she finished 5th, 6th, 9th and 10th.
Congi’s lack of a medal and Hadhoum’s age may hand the advantage to the younger athlete. However, Congi was vital to Poissy’s title. She might not have been the first athlete home for the team in any round but she laid the foundation for the team’s overall success.
No one else in the men’s or women’s championship achieved five top-10 finishes and for that Congi can be counted as Poissy’s top performer.
Triathlon Club Liévin – 3rd
Liévin’s women’s team were similar to their male counterparts insofar that they received significant contributions from their international athletes. Notably, Alessia Orla stepped up with three top-15 finishes. On balance, though, the top performer mantle is a toss up between Kira Hedgeland and Jaz Hedgeland.
K. Hedgeland finished 17th, 3rd and 11th in her three appearances, winning the team’s only medal. Meanwhile, J. Hedgeland finished 7th, 8th and 7th.
Of the two, then, J. Hedgeland was the more consistent but K. Hedgeland’s medal was a big moment. In this instance, we will go for Jaz Hedgeland on the grounds that she made the top-8 at all of her races, although the margins between the two are fine.
Tri Val de Gray – 5th
Val de Gray did not have a lot of season-long contributions. Instead, they received several more isolated displays from their top athletes.
Jessica Fullagar got the ball rolling with a 5th place in Fréjus. At the same race, Mathilde Gautier finished 17th and later in the season she added a 5th place of her own. No one else in the team logged a top-10 finish so Fullagar and Gautier would appear to have the upper hand.
Appoline Foltz was the only other woman on the Val de Gray team with two top-20 finishes; she placed 11th and 14th in her two showings.
For having the joint-best finish of the team and being on of two women with multiple top-20 scores, Gautier emerges as the team’s top performer.
Vals du Dauphiné Olympic – 7th
Emma Lombardi made a big statement for Vals du Dauphiné as she won in Bordeaux in her only appearance. That result, might be enough make her the top performer although Cathia Schär also won a silver medal in Metz.
Lombardi’s win came in Vals du Dauphiné’s only overall season while Schär’s silver helped the team to 14th. The discrepancy was a consequence of the support they received. In Bordeaux, Vals du Dauphiné had Manon Laporte finish 6th and Iona Miller take 9th place. Meanwhile, in Metz, their next best finisher was Helena Carvalho in 42nd.
Later in the year, Miller would add an 18th place while Laporte would add a 29th place.
The choice of top performer is thus a complicated one. Lombardi had the most impressive performance of the year, Schär single-handedly saved the team in Metz and Miller was the only athlete with two top-20 finishes.
In the interests of consistency, we are leaning towards Miller, rewarding multiple performances. In truth, though, the top performer could go in several directions.
Triathlon Toulouse Métropole – 9th
Carlotta Bonacina was Toulouse’s top performer in 2023 as she finished 24th, 19th and 23rd in her three appearances.
Celine Kaiser placed 14th at the first round, Anouk Sterkers finished 7th in the next race and Karolina Horvath finished 14th in the final round. However, Sterkers and Horvath did not score in another round while Kaiser was beaten by Bonacina in her other showing.
With her consistency, Bonacina separated herself from her teammates. She was the only athlete to finish in the top-30 more than once and thus provided a point of stability for the team.
Brive Limousin Triathlon – 11th
Only one athlete managed to finish in the top-20 at a race for Brive in 2023. Tilly Anema did so twice. In her two appearances she finished 11th and 12th to demarcate her from her teammates.
With Anema on the team, Brive finished 4th and 6th. Without her, they finished inside the top-10 once (taking 9th in Bordeaux). Her impact upon the team was therefore significant.
Anema would carry her French Grand Prix form through the season as she qualified to represent Britain at the European U23 and World U23 Championships, finishing 5th and 6th at them, respectively.
Stade Poitevin Triathlon – 13th
Another British athlete was the top performer for Stade Poitevin in 2023 as Ellie White made it into the top-30 at all three of her races. In the season opener, she finished 15th which stood as the team’s only top-20 showing of the campaign.
Thereafter, she finished 29th and 28th in Metz and Quiberon. White’s combination of consistency and the top individual performance therefore made her the team’s top performer.
Lys Calais Triathlon – 15th
Although Brooke Gillies only scored at two races, her contributions were decisive. She finished 25th and 17th in a season in which top-40 results were hard to come by for Lys Calais. In doing so, she helped Lys Calais to their best rounds of the season.
Without Gillies, the team finished 16th at the last three rounds.
For logging the team’s best finishes and guiding them to their best overall results, Gillies was the top performer.
