Favourites and surprise champions feature at the FISU Championship Triathlon in Poland

These were two days with totally different weather conditions, but with some repeat winners on the podium, as France and Poland dominated the Gdansk 2024 FISU World University Championship Triathlon, winning medals in both individual and team races. The competition in Poland, provided lots of sun, emotions, and dynamic rivalry in the Baltic Sea, and on the cycling and running courses in the vicinity of the seaside district of Brzeźno.

Competition began Friday morning with the women’s individual race. Host favourite, and highest-ranked participant, Roksana Słupek (WSG University) did not disappoint from the start. She emerged from the Baltic Sea in the top three and remained in the lead group after the bike ride.

However, it was her excellent run that secured her the gold medal. She won with a time of 57:28, 12 seconds ahead of second-placed Robin Dreijling of the Netherlands, who finished in a time of 57:40. With a clocking of 58:04, Japan’s Manami Hayashi took third place.

“On paper, I was the favourite, but we know how it often goes in sport. I can’t hide that this period after the Olympic Games is hard for me. That’s why this race required me to have the mental toughness to give it my all because my body is already screaming ‘stop’ a little bit,” she said after the finish.

For Słupek, her win in Gdansk again made Polish triathlon history and capped a wonderful summer. In July she finished 13th in Paris, the best-ever result for a Polish triathlete at the Olympic Games.

“It’s been an exhausting year for me, but I really wanted to add this medal to my good result in Paris. Especially since the competition was held in Poland, and currently I very rarely have the opportunity to compete in my home country. I am terribly tired, but those shouts of ‘Roksi, Roksi’ on the route from the Polish fans gave me a lot of strength today,” she added.

While there were no surprises in the women’s competition, the outcome of the men’s race was unexpected. Top-ranked Jason Ng, of Hong Kong, China, struggled in the swim and was unable to catch up with the frontrunners in the bike and run, ultimately finishing 25^th.

The battle for top spot was between two triathletes – Enzo Bourdon of France and Michael Gar of the United Kingdom – both born in 2004 and classified much lower in the world ranking than Ng. In the end, the Frenchman came out on top in 51:57, the Briton took silver in a time of 52:07, and the bronze went to Ryan Luczak of the United States in 52:10.

“It is the best result in my life. I had a lot of disappointments before and today’s success is all because of my hard work that I do every day during the training with my coach and also with my parents,” said Bourdon, who is currently studying for his Bachelor of Business Administration at EDHEC Business School.

Overnight, the weather changed drastically as stronger winds arrived, and the temperature dropped ten degrees. However, the less favourable weather conditions did not affect the mood of the triathletes before the mixed relay race, in which some countries, including the hosts, put in two teams.

The official introduction of the participants allowed the athletes to show their creativity. The United Kingdom decided to make sandcastles, whereas France was inspired by a goal celebration attributed to football star Kylian Mbappé.

Like Mbappe on the football pitch, his compatriots showed great class during the race. Before the final transition, their lead was so large that even the great run by Poland’s Joanna Wozniak’s did not threaten them.

The French team won in 01:16:26, but the Poles, with Słupek earning her second medal in two days, could also be very satisfied with their race taking second place in a time of 01:16:34, as could the Americans with their third place finish in 01:16:39.

“The relay was a very short distance, so it was really like about 20 minutes for each of us. It is a little bit different from the individual race. But I am really glad because I led after swimming and while finishing running, I built up a 10-second gap,” said Bourdon, claimed his second gold medal in Gdansk in the relay.

This year’s competition was the 33^rd FISU World University Championship to be held in Poland. The country will host once again in 2026 as the FISU Championship Futsal will come to Poznań.

Women
1. Roksana Słupek (Poland) – 00:57:28
2. Robin Dreijling (Netherlands) – 00:57:40
3. Manami Hayashi (Japan) – 00:58:04

Men
1. Enzo Bourdon (France) – 00:51:57
2. Michael Gar (United Kingdom) – 00:52:07
3. Ryan Luczak (United States) – 00:52:10

Mixed Team Relay
1. France – 01:16:26
2. Poland – 01:16:34
3. United States – 01:16:39

Women’s points classification
1. Poland
2. Czech Republic
3. Germany

Men’s points classification – Men
1. Germany
2. United Kingdom
3. United States

Full event results available here.

Written by Piotrek Przyborowski, FISU Young Reporter