Charles Paquet had a good outing last week at the Triathlon World Cup in Rome, Italy, finishing in sixth place. The Port-Cartier athlete did it again on Sunday, in Brasilia, Brazil, winning the first World Cup medal of his career thanks to his third place in the elite men’s race.
“It feels so good. I knew I was capable of getting a podium in the World Cup. It took the right conditions at the right time and it happened today [Sunday]. The level is very high in triathlon, I missed the podium by 10 seconds a week ago and I didn’t want to miss my chance again,” rejoiced Paquet in an interview with Sportcom.
During this event contested over Olympic distance, Paquet stood out from the swimming portion, leaving the water in fifth place. The 26-year-old continued his momentum during the 40-kilometer bike ride as he remained in the lead group heading into the final segment of the day.
“I had a really good start in swimming! I was first in the first 500 meters or so, which is definitely not usual for me. I didn’t need to fight in the buoys, I was able to conserve my energy and that certainly helped me later,” continued Paquet.
In the running race, Brazilian Miguel Hidalgo pleased the local fans by breaking away from his closest pursuers to head straight for victory. Behind him, the fight was hot between Paquet and the Spaniard Antonio Serrat Seoane for second place.
The two men were side by side for a good part of the race, but it was ultimately Serrat Seoane (26 seconds) who had the advantage over the Quebecer by crossing the finish line 9 seconds faster.
Paquet then finished third and reached the podium for the first time in his World Cup career. He covered the distance in 1 hour 48 minutes and 36 seconds (35 seconds).
“It was a very demanding race, it was really hot and the course was special, there were hardly any flat sections. Before the run, I didn’t feel great, but it seems that the others didn’t feel in great shape either. I found my rhythm and I believed in it until the end. »
His sixth place the previous week had, at that point, matched the best result of his World Cup career. He previously finished sixth at the stage in Karlovy Vary, Czechia, in September 2021.
It was the last race of the season for Paquet who said he was extremely satisfied with everything he was able to achieve over the last few months.
“I’ve been in good form all season and that’s very encouraging. I avoided injuries and fatigue wasn’t a huge factor. I’m already really excited for the next season,” concluded Paquet.
His sixth place the previous week had, at that point, matched the best result of his World Cup career. He previously finished sixth at the stage in Karlovy Vary, Czechia, in September 2021.
Alberta’s Chris Gregor, the only other Canadian registered in the men’s race, placed 28th.
On the women’s side, Emy Legault took 10th place in the elite race, exactly 2 minutes behind the winner, Italian Alice Betto.
From the start in swimming, Legault found himself very close to another athlete and this little struggle caused him to lose precious time in the first meters of the race. She managed to get back on track little by little afterward, but part of the damage had already been done.
“The start of the race was physically difficult, I managed to get back up after the first buoy, but there was already a good gap. I worked with a few other girls during the bike to continue to gain a few places in the rankings,” explained Legault.
In a less suitable running course for her, Legault still managed to stand out to climb to the top 10 at the very end of the race.
“Normally, I’m not the best when there are slopes when running and that was the case today [Sunday]. There were a lot of ups and downs during the race. I managed to limit the damage to conclude with a result that was not bad. Maybe I wanted to finish in the top 5 though,” she added.
This was Legault’s first race on the international scene since the test event for the Paris Olympic Games held on August 17. With a season strewn with injuries and health problems, the Quebecer made the decision to put her energies into training to be able to finish the season strong.
“I spent the last two months training. We made the decision not to travel to Europe at the end of the summer to take the time to do training blocks at altitude to end the year in style,” she concluded.
Alice Betto was accompanied on the podium by the American Katie Zaferes (10 seconds) and the Mexican Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal (22 seconds).
Legault will now head to Santiago, Chile for the Pan American Games. The triathlon events will take place on November 2 and 4.