With four golds out of four point-scoring races, there can be no doubt that Cassandre Beaugrand was the star of the show in 2024. But with the Championship Series and Finals, Olympic Games and Continental Championships all counting in the hunt to become world champion, there were stories galore among the 104 women from 38 countries to hit a WTCS start line this year.

Of course, Paris had a huge part to play in deciding who would race what and when in 2024. For those still hunting an Olympic start right up to the final WTCS of the qualification period in Cagliari, every result and position would prove crucial. And there was to be one major factor that nobody could have predicted making an early-season impact: Mother Nature.

Curtain-raiser delayed in the desert  

Major storms in and around the UAE region on 8 March would force the cancellation of the eagerly awaited WTCS Abu Dhabi season opener. Suddenly there was a two-month window until WTCS Yokohama, and the athletes and teams found themselves searching for the races that could provide those essential early season hit-outs, rather than reflecting on what needed to be improved. Meanwhile Weihai, China, was confirmed to make the step up from World Cup to WTCS in September and fill the gap in the Series.

The Periault show in Yokohama

Anticipation was at fever pitch by the time WTCS Yokohama rolled into view on 11 May, even with world number one and two Beth Potter and Cassandre Beaugrand continuing their Paris preparations elsewhere. Emma Lombardi wore the number one, Flora Duffy made her first start since the 2022 Finals Abu Dhabi, and the US women were out in force to chase their Olympic place.

In the end it was France’s Leonie Periault underlining her Paris credentials with an outstanding run to her first Series gold and 1,000 Championship points, Taylor Knibb scoring the silver ahead of Lombardi. Meanwhile, Flora Duffy finished 7th and set tongues wagging about a possible Olympic defence. Season up and running.

Pressure ramps up in Cagliari

Periault was wearing the one, but all eyes were on Beaugrand, Potter and Tertsch in Cagliari at the end of May, and the trio began to look every bit the dominant force for 2024 as they set about putting on a grandstand finish in Italy. Towards the end of a draining 10km run, Lombardi and Jeanne Lehair were right there too before fading as the pace picked up.

It was a strong message from Beaugrand to pull away to the tape for her first Olympic-distance Series triumph two months out from the Games and leave Tertsch and Potter chasing her shadow. Series leader Periault could only manage 26th on a day of surprises, with no US athletes making the top 10.

Beaugrand hammers home in Hamburg

If the men’s top two weren't racing Hamburg, there were no such absences for the women’s World and Olympic favourites. Lombardi wore the one, the Cagliari podium arrived in full and was ready to do battle once more. Sprint-distance fireworks ensued.

For ‘fireworks’, read one-woman masterclass. Back on the course she scored her first Series gold way back in 2018, Beaugrand was imperious, firing out the loudest of warning shots to her rivals as she pulled 11 seconds clear to win another gold and another 750 Series points. The battle for silver was again won by Tertsch, suddenly looking like a real title contender in every sense two weeks out from Paris.

Pitch perfect in Paris

Pressure? What pressure. The thousands of adoring fans, the home Olympics, the prospect of a swim into the unknown. Cass Beaugrand took it all in her stride on the biggest day of her life, pulling an Olympic-grade performance out of the fires and leaving the Pont Alexandre III with the gold medal and a huge smile.

Seemingly effortless as she ground down her rivals over the final lap, it was Julie Derron with the silver and Beth Potter the bronze, but Beaugrand tightening her grip on the world title with a further 1,000 points and a lead of over 300 at the top of the rankings with two races to go.

Tertsch takes Weihai by storm

Bouncing back from her Olympic disappointment, Lisa Tertsch was flawless in Weihai, leading out of the water, smashing the bike and out-running the likes of Beth Potter and Georgia-Taylor Brown to win her first Series gold. That performance took her to third in the overall rankings, just behind Potter and only 132 points off the leader Beaugrand heading to the Finals.

It was a controlled display, running solo for the majority of the 10km, while USA’s Gwen Jorgensen scored sixth, her best result at the top level since her comeback. Elsewhere, Tanja Neubert was the surprise package, finishing just one place off the podium as German triathlon discovered another star.

The Finals piece of the puzzle

She was in the world title box seat heading into the Finals, but Beaugrand also led at the same stage 12 months previously when Beth Potter won the race and the title. When she veered wildly off course at the start of the swim, it looked like the Olympic Champion was going to have a day to forget.

But Beaugrand 2.0 doesn’t dwell. Instead, she powered through the waves to catch on to the back of the pack by the first buoy, move into the middle of the field by the halfway point, and be right where she needed to be at the end of the swim - ahead of Potter. After a composed bike showing from the 12 leaders, Beaugrand would explode the run on lap two of four and took gold and the world by a remarkable 40 seconds, Potter with silver and Series second, Lombardi bronze and overall third.  

“I just wanted this world title so badly and have dreamed about it for so many years,” said a breathless Beaugrand. “Last year I was very disappointed finishing second. Nobody can take this away from me now. I was training hard and fighting all year for this one.”

You can watch back the entire 2024 Series on TriathlonLive.tv