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High-level triathletes represent France at international competitions, such as the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championship or the Olympic Games. How does the selection of participants work? What are the leading figures in the relay discipline? Small overview of the composition of the hexagonal triathlon team and the main national teams.
The French triathlon team: for which competitions?
The "French team" is the set of high-level triathletes selected to participate in a championship at the international level. It is therefore a national team bringing together the best French athletes of the discipline involved.
The composition of the tricolor triathlon team varies according to the sporting events. In addition, several teams are made up according to the different categories of events:
- the French team for the Olympic Games;
- The French elite short distance triathlon team;
- the French elite mixed relay team;
- The French U23 short distance triathlon team;
- The French junior team;
- The French long distance triathlon team;
- The French paratriathlon team.
Quotas are allocated to each competition. In short distance, the maximum World Triathlon quota is generally 5 men and 5 women.
French team selection procedures
Many people are involved in the selection of the French teams: the Referent Vice President, the National Technical Director, the French Team Doctor and the French Team Manager. They thus form the Selection Committee, responsible for controlling compliance with the selection procedures published by the French Triathlon Federation (FFTRI). However, the final choice of the selected athletes among the 5,135 French athletes - at present - rests with the National Technical Directorate.
The athletes with the best results during the season will, logically, have their place in the delegation. Nevertheless, other criteria may tip the balance, such as experience and progression. The conditions of access to the selection are precisely detailed for each event and each sports season.
The composition of the French triathlon team
The French teams bring together the big names in French triathlon. Here is the composition of the French team for the main competitions of the 2021 season.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games:
- Among the women: Cassandre Beaugrand and Léonie Périault;
- on the men's side: Vincent Luis, Leo Bergère and Dorian Coninx.
Léo Bergère is not part of the quartet selected for the first ever Olympic mixed relay. The Blues won an honorable bronze medal there after a super-sprint of 300 m swimming, 6.8 km cycling and 2 km running. Big favorite, the reigning world champion Vincent Luis finished 13th, ahead of his teammates Coninx (17th) and Bergère (21st).
On the women's team, Léonie Périault gets a nice 5th place, while Cassandre Beaugrand is forced to retire after a flat tire.
The World Triathlon Championship Series 2021 Final:
Three men and one woman competed in the WTS Grand Final. Léonie Périault climbed to the second step of the podium, sweeping the 7th place in the world ranking. Léo Bergère takes the bronze medal, Dorian Coninx comes in 6th and Vincent Luis barely makes it into the top 10.
The 2021 World Long Distance Triathlon Championships:
- Women's: sole female representative, Manon Genêt takes silver.
- Among the men: Antony Costes and Sam Laidlow tried to win over distances unseen at the Worlds (3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and 42.195 km run). They finished in 20th and 28th place respectively.
The top national teams and their triathletes
The announced compositions of the nations are from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the mixed relay event.
The Australian triathlon team:
- Emma Jeffcoat;
- Matthew Hauser;
- Ashleigh Gentle;
- Jacob Birtwhistle.
The U.S. triathlon team:
- Katie Zaferes;
- Kevin McDowell;
- Taylor Knibb;
- Morgan Pearson.
The British triathlon team:
- Jessica Learmonth;
- Jonathan Brownlee;
- Georgia Taylor-Brown;
- Alex Yee.
The Swiss triathlon team:
- Jolanda Annen;
- Andrea Salvisberg;
- Nicola Spirig;
- Max Studer.
The German triathlon team:
- Laura Lindemann;
- Jonas Schomburg;
- Anabel Knoll;
- Justus Nieschlag.
