Cassandre Beaugrand made it three wins from three starts in the World Triathlon Championship Series as racing returned to London.

The World Triathlon Championship Series returned to London for the first time since 2015, with much anticipation to witness the best in the world and the best in British in action.

In the women’s race, Beth Potter, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Cassandre Beaugrand, Taylor Knibb and Lisa Tertsch were among the 48 elite women lining up for the race. 

Potter was leading the WTCS standings, with Luxembourg’s Lehair and Germany’s Tertsch in second and third, respectively, after WTCS Hamburg earlier this month. 

Both elite races started and finished at Excel London, with athletes taking on a sprint distance triathlon comprising a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run.

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What happened in the swim?

Hungary’s young superstar Fanni Szalai was on the back foot early. Having turned up late for the pre-race briefing the 18-year-old, would have to stand down for a 10sec penalty following the swim.

The swim consisted of one 750m lap in Royal Victoria Dock before the triathletes headed back into Excel and up two flights of stairs for the unusual indoor transition.

Britain’s Tilly Anema, who is forging a reputation as a premier swimmer in the sport, took the race on from the get-go, stringing out a fast-moving pace-line as the field desperately tried to hold the feet of the athlete in front.

Anema was first out of the water in 9:37 followed by Szalai and USA’s Taylor Knibb. Sophie Evans, one of only two athletes in the field to have raced a London World Series race before, was the best of the Brits in fifth place and Potter was well in contention in ninth.

If there was a surprise in the swim it was that Beaugrand was 28sec off the pace, although the Olympic champion was in good company with Georgia Taylor-Brown just in front.

What happened on the bike?

The bike leg was a twisty urban circuit around the London Docklands, with athletes completing two laps to cover the 20km distance.

While there were no hills, the tight cornering and multiple inclines as the took on the underpasses, still made it an honest test.

It certainly looked suited to Knibb, who competed on the same roads over the 100km distance last year.

That familiarity together with her renowned strength on the bike meant she quickly took charge of the race, while Anema fought valiantly to stay on the American’s wheel as the gap edged out to the chasers.

By the halfway point on the bike leg, the front two were 28sec in front and it was looking like a potential race-winning move.

Disaster then struck for Anema, who clipped a cone when taking a sweeping right hand corner, which sent her into another cone and on to the tarmac, ending her race.

Knibb’s lone effort showed little signs of faltering as she held the gap above 20secs into transition, giving her a first shot at a WTCS win since 2021.

What happened in the run?

The three-lap 5km run took athletes around the Excel before finishing inside the venue, creating a stadium-style atmosphere for the race conclusion.

A huge pack set off in pursuit of Knibb, with the initial charge led by Emma Lombardi, who had reigning champion Tertsch for company along with the ominous presence of Beaugrand.

By the time they headed through the Excel centre for the first time, Beaugrand – who set national records over 5km on the road and 5,000m on the track this year – was out in front.

On to lap two it looked a three-way race between Tertsch, Månsson and Beaugrand and seemed destined to come down to a sprint finish to echo the earlier round in Quiberon where Beaugrand held off Månsson.

Potter was leading the chase for the minor places, but all the drama was at the front, as Månsson was first to drop off with Beaugrand shoulder-to-shoulder with Tertsch, before she pulled away for victory on the blue carpet.

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WTCS London women’s race results

1. Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) 56:06
2. Lisa Tersch (GER) 56:11
3. Tilda Månsson (SWE) 56:21

Lead image: World Triathlon