Triathlon: a top 5 for the Canadian relay

“We are probably not the favorites, but we will definitely have a competitive team,” shared Emy Legault on Saturday, in anticipation of the mixed relay of the World Sprint and Triathlon Relay Championships.

Triathlon: a top 5 for the Canadian relay

“We are probably not the favorites, but we will definitely have a competitive team,” shared Emy Legault on Saturday, in anticipation of the mixed relay of the World Sprint and Triathlon Relay Championships. The Quebecer went from words to deeds on Sunday alongside Tyler Mislawchuk, Charles Paquet and Dominika Jamnicky by signing an impressive top 5 in Montreal.

• Read also: Triathlon Worlds: an unexpected result for Emy Legault

In front of a smaller crowd than the day before, but whose encouragement was just as appreciated, Mislawchuk was the first to start and was among the top 10 when he gave the baton to Emy Legault.

The athlete from Île-Perrot had the mandate to bring his team back to the leaders, otherwise the slope would be difficult to climb for Charles Paquet.

“I knew the Norwegian was a good swimmer and good cyclist, so that was my cue to join the front of the race. My goal was to watch his feet in the water and his wheel on the bike, explained Legault. It was absolutely necessary that I stay with her, otherwise, we would continue backwards for the rest of the race.

This is what she managed to do despite the cumulative fatigue over the past few days. A fatigue that she especially felt when running, where she felt "to have concrete instead of thighs."

When his turn came, Charles Paquet knew full well that he was in a strong group thanks to his teammate and that he was going to have to work hard.

“I had to hang on (to swimming), unfortunately I was not able. I got my way blocked. It looks easy from the outside, but in the water, you can't see very well!” he confided, laughing.

Silver medalist in the individual race on Saturday, the Frenchwoman Cassandre Beaugrand held a considerable lead over her pursuers at the end of the course. Although this gap has decreased in running, Beaugrand has never been worried. With a time of 1h 27 min 14 s, the French won the gold medal, in addition to ensuring their country's participation in this event at the 2024 Olympic Games, which will be held at home in Paris. .

The British (23 seconds) ensured their qualification as well, while the Americans (30 seconds) completed the podium.

As far as the Canadians go, this is a well-regarded top 5 at home.

“It exceeds my expectations, admitted Charles Paquet. It's been a while since Canada had such a performance in the relay. There were some good teams today! I think we can be really proud.”

"It's one of my favorite races. It's fun to see everyone present around to encourage us and bring us to the finish line. I really loved the weekend,” added Emy Legault.

The two Quebecers will now prepare for the World Series in Hamburg, Germany, scheduled for July 9 and 10.

As he did throughout the weekend, the athlete from Port-Cartier stood out in the cycling portion. Well positioned among the chasing group, he collaborated with the other cyclists to close the gap to the leaders. Paquet felt he didn't have "the same stride as Saturday in the run." This did not prevent him from improving his fate to take the provisional fourth place.

Dominika Jamnicky was then 50 seconds from the lead to close the competition. She was fighting for a place in the top-5 and took advantage of a penalty awarded to Switzerland to finish fifth.

In the end, the Canadian team signed a cumulative time of 1 h 29 min 6 s.

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