CAGLIARI, Ita.—Canada’s Charles Paquet is delivering the performances of his life on the World Triathlon Championship Series with the 2024 Olympic Summer Games less than two months away.
The 26-year-old surged to a seventh-place finish at the final Olympic qualification race in Cagliari, Italy on Saturday. He posted a career-best fifth-place finish two weeks in Yokohama, Japan.
“I am pretty pleased with the race. The fitness is good right now and I’m really happy with that,” said Paquet.
The Port Cartier, Que. resident matched strides with the top names in the sport to clock a time of 1:40:43 in the Olympic distance race.
Paquet was in the podium hunt through all three legs of the triple sport test. He came out of the water after the two-lap, 1.5-kilometre swim in 16th place, 15 seconds back of the top swimmer. A group of 20 athletes rode together for the first half of a 10-lap bike course that dwindled to a group of 17 before the world’s best jumped out of the pedals and into transition two.
“Today was a bit bittersweet because I had the worst transition of my life after the bike, and I think it cost me a couple of positions, but I need to be happy with a seventh place,” added Paquet. “Last year I would have been over the moon with that.”
With a lead group of three surging out front early in the 10-kilometre run, Paquet matched strides with an a elite group of 10 athletes.
Working to reel in the frontrunners, Paquet’s group of five caught the third-place athlete to set up a two-lap foot-race for the bronze medal. The group spread out over the final 2.5-kilometre lap where the Canuck crossed the finish line in seventh place.
Alex Yee, of Great Britain, broke the finishing tape to take the gold medal with a time of 1:39:44. Hayden Wilde, of New Zealand, clocked a time of 1:39:46. Hungary’s Csongor Lehmann won the race for third place, clocking-in at 1:40:27.
Prince Edward Island’s Martin Sobey was 34th at 1:45:12. Tyler Mislawchuk, of Oak Bluff, Man., pulled out of the race following the swim leg.
Emy Legault, of L’Île Perrot, Que., was the top Canadian in the women’s elite race, battling to 43rd spot at 1:54:09. Dominika Jamnicky, of Guelph, Ont., was 48th at 1:56:58.
Cassandra Beaugrand, of France, charged to the top of the women’s podium with a time of 1:47:25.
Complete World Triathlon Championship Series – Cagliari Results
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