Olympic Distance, Men1

The years since the Tokyo Olympics had coincided with a rise in French triathlon performance, with Léo Bergère and Dorian Coninx winning consecutive World titles in 2022 and 2023. Tokyo medalists Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde had also cemented their places as part of the triathlon elite.

The race was due to be held on the 30th of July, but was postponed for a day when the heavy rain that affected the opening ceremony washed pollution into the river, and water quality suffered as a result. It was decided to host the race as a doubleheader with the women’s race on the following day. This was eventually confirmed after early morning tests of the river water. It started from the Alexandre III Pontoon, with the cycling and running phases including sections of the Champs-Elysées.

As they emerged from the Seine onto dry land, a group of six triathletes were led by swim specialist Alessio Crociani, but this soon grew to 20, and then to 32, as successive chase packs caught up with them. With that number in the leading peloton, it was no surprise that the race calmed down noticeably for the second half on the cycling phase.

The transition between the cycling and running portions appeared to prove decisive, as Yee and Wilde broke away from the other competitors, with Coninx and Bergère forming a second pair some 15 seconds behind the leaders. Yee is acknowledged as one of the fastest runners in the sport, so it came as a shock when Wilde put in a kick at the quarter way distance of the 10 km run and pulled out a lead that went up to 14 seconds, as the bell sounded for the final lap. Interest was beginning to be focused on whether Yee would be caught by his French rivals. Then, in the final 2 km, Wilde began to noticeably tire and the Briton sensed blood. They ran down a tree-lined boulevard, with Yee gaining from shadow to shadow and, as they approached the final turn into the carpeted area, the Briton was suddenly in front and pulling away. Yee won by six seconds, with Wilde holding off the fast-finishing Bergère by a further four seconds.

The 2021 Champion, Kristian Blummenfelt, finished 12th. He won the Ironman Frankfurt race just two weeks after the Paris Olympics, although rumors persisted that he would make a permanent change towards a career in cycling.