Record-extending 3rd world supertri crown for GTB

Georgia Taylor-Brown is once again the world’s leading supertri athlete after winning her 3rd world championship at NEOM in Saudi Arabia.

Rather than the traditional swimming, cycling and running stages of a regular triathlon, the supertri series repeats each element three times in shorter bursts. 

Droylsden’s GTB added to her 2021 and 2022 titles after finishing 4th in the last race of the season behind Olympic gold medallist and Crown Racing teammate, Cassandre Beaugrand. 

Taylor-Brown had won the previous three events in Chicago, London and Toulouse to take a commanding lead into NEOM. But with each triathlete’s worst result being scrubbed and extra points available for the best finishers at the grand finale, she still needed a Top 3 result to guarantee retaking the crown. 

The race began relatively slowly for GTB, who was outside the Top 10 after the first swim and bike ride. However, she clawed herself back into contention on the first run, helped by another title challenger Taylor Spivey crashing her bike. 

Crown Racing’s team manager Michael Gilliam aided Taylor-Brown by giving her the Short Chute – effectively a short cut – won by Beaugrand earlier in the race. 

Beaugrand, a slightly stronger runner than Lehair, powered away from the French-born Luxembourger to win the race, with those extra seconds gifted to GTB making all the difference. She finished two seconds ahead of compatriot Beth Potter in a sprint finish to take a record 3rd supertri title by just two points. 

The result marked a double triumph for Georgia, as her Crown Racing squad also won the team trophy by 29 points. 

Final table: 
Georgia Taylor-Brown (Crown Racing), 59pts 
Jeanne Lehair (Podium Racing), 57pts 
Cassandre Beaugrand (Crown Racing), 56pts