MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay— Noémie Beaulieu and Mathis Beaulieu continued their golden seasons by winning the junior individual races, and leading Canada to a five-medal day at the Americas Triathlon Championships in Montevideo, Uruguay on Saturday.
While the Quebec-based duo have no relation, they do have winning in common, and have proven they are two of the hottest prospects in the three-discipline sport.
Noémie Beaulieu won her third straight race in the junior women’s event. Mathis Beaulieu racked up his seventh straight victory in junior men’s action.
Two other Quebecers, Emy Legault and Charles Paquet, both ran their way to the bronze-medal step of the podium in the women’s and men’s elite races. Brock Hoel, of West Kelowna, B.C., was tops in the men’s U23 category.
After a fourth-place finish at the World Triathlon Sprint Championships in June, the 18-year-old Noémie Beaulieu racked up a Canadian Championship title along with a golden performace at the Americas Triathlon Cup earlier this month in Stockton.
I’m really happy with my race, it went really well,” beamed Beaulieu. “There was a little bit of nerves at the beginning of the race but I’m really happy with how I managed my effort on the bike, and then on the run I managed my effort to catch up with the girls.”
Beaulieu played her tactics to near perfection again on Saturday powering her way to the top of the field in the 750-metre swim, 20-kilometre bike and five-kilometre run with a time of 1:06:31.
“I’m really happy with how the race went. It ends the season on a good note. Of course there is the relay tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to showing what I can do in that race,” added the Canadian teen.
Faith Dasso of the United States was the next best finisher at 1:06:56. Mexicio’s Maria Lopez Faraudo placed third at 1:07:07 in the field of 31 athletes.
Mathis Beaulieu has been unbeatable this summer.
The Quebec City teen won his seventh straight junior race on Saturday – a string that includes back-to-back European junior victories, a Canadian Championship title, two wins at the Canada Summer Games and one more gold at the Americas Triathlon Cup Stockton two weeks ago.
The hot prospect continued his sizzling streak in Montevideo after stomping the 55-man field in a winning time of 55:45.
“My season has been great. I’ve had a lot of wins and I’ve had a lot of fun and I think that’s what it’s all about,” said Beaulieu. “It’s been more fun than medals but I’m looking forward to the next season for the World Cup racing,” said Beaulieu.
Braxton Legg, of the United States, was the next best finisher 36 seconds behind at 56:21. Mexico’s Yael Vladimir Gonzalez Melendez rounded out the men’s podium after stopping the clock at 56:31.
Canucks Claim Double Bronze in Elite Racing
Emy Legault and Charles Paquet matched third-place finishes in the elite races which were scarred by a couple of crashes on the bike.
Legault, a 26-year-old from L’Île-Perrot, Que., scrapped her way through the challenging conditions to clock a time of 2:02:41 in the 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-kiloemtre bike and 10-kilometre run course.
“The race went well,” beamed Legault. “The swim was very long and choppy, so the girls were fighting a lot. The bike went well and after that it was all about being strategic on the run since it was very windy. I tried to hide as long as possible, but it all got decided at around the 7 kilometre mark.”
Legault shared the podium with two athletes from Brazil. Luisa Baptista was crowed the winner of the Americas Triathlon Championships in the women’s race with a time of 2:02:18. Vittoria Lopes was second at 2:02:31.
The 2022 season has also been a memorable one for Legault and her coach Kyla Rollinson. A career-best top-10 finish at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Hamburg, Germany, she also won three silver medals earlier this spring in America’s Cup races while lining up against some of the top names in the sport before alss capturing her first career World Cup podium when she finished second in Huatulco. Legault thrilled the hometown crowd in Quebec at the end of June with a 12th place finish in the individual of the Word Triathlon Sprint Championships, one day before leading the Canadians to an impressive fifth-place finish in the mixed relay event.
The elite men put an exclamation mark on a stellar day for the Canadians Saturday. Charles Paquet, of Port Cartier, Que., rocked a third-place finish with a time of 1:51:27. Paquet climbed into the top-five with teammate, Jeremy Briand of Montreal, who was fourth. Briand finished 17 seconds off the podium pace in fourth at 1:51:44.
Mexico’s Crisanto Grajales finished on top of the 70-man field, clocking a winning time of 1:51:12. Chile’s Diego Moya punched the clock at 1:51:24 for second place.
Canada’s Brock Hoel was the fastest male in the U23 category, thanks to an eighth-place finish overall at 1:52:30.
Complete Amercias Triathlon Championship Results:
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Triathlon Canada
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