On Saturday, July 31, the Grand Prix Series and Quebec Cup returned to Lac Leamy beach after an absence of over a year. As always in Gatineau, the organizing committee rose to the occasion and produced a perfect copy to celebrate the return to competition.

Olympic triathlon

First into action on this sunny day were the Olympic participants. Although this year the Canadian army forces were absent (they’ll be back for sure in 2022), some well-known names in Quebec triathlon were on hand to guarantee a strong race. Starting with the winner, Jérémie Toutant (2:01:30), who won ahead of Philippe Reynolds (2:03:39) and Josh Bird (2:06:07). In the women’s race, victory went to Astrid Peregord (2:21:24), while Lisanne Guerin (2:22:06) and Jessica Huza completed the podium (2:23:57).

Grand Prix series

Next, it was time for the Grand Prix Series athletes to break the ice in a sprint format with furrowing. With several Ontarians on the start list, and a total of 74 athletes, the competition promised to be stiff for both men and women. The men were the first to start, and it was Charles Paquet, the announced favourite for the event, who was first out of the water in 9’33”, closely followed by Thomas Bilodeau. The two Rouge et Or athletes tried to play their cards right on the bike, but were pursued by a pack of around ten athletes who caught up with them on the last lap. The decision came down to the race. Accelerating with 2km to go, Charles Paquet broke away from his pursuers to take the gold medal and $500 prize money for his performance. He was joined on the podium by young Mathis Beaulieu and Filip Mainville. Nicolas Harvey and Léo Roy rounded out the Rouge et Or ‘s group, taking^4th and^5th place respectively.
In the women’s race, as expected, Kira Balthazar dominated the swim portion (9’48”) and entered transition alone with a twenty-second lead over her closest pursuer, Emy Legault. On the bike, the Tri-O-Lac athlete managed to close the gap and worked with the Ontarian to maintain her lead over a second pack led by Maïra Carreau. In the run, it was finally the C3 athlete who came out on top, winning in 1:01:10. Emy Legault (1:01:30) came second, ahead of Maïra Carreau (1:02:10). Local Noémie Beaulieu took^4th place ahead of Kamille Larocque.

Quebec Cup – Quebec Distance Sprint Championship

Once everyone was out of transition, it was time for the participants in Stage¹ of the Coupe Québec 2021 to set off for this Provincial Sprint Distance Championship. A little novelty, Covid obliges, the start was given in “rolling start” in order to respect the distance. In the men’s race, victory went to Bionick Triathlon‘s Antoine Michaud (1:01:12), who took the title of Quebec champion. Joining him on the podium were Etienne Chevrier (1:02:33) from Tri-O-Lacs and Nicholas Lambert (1:03:18). In the women’s category, Rouge et Or athlete Alice Cote-Allard (1:06:26) took the 2021 title, ahead of fellow Rouge et Or athlete Maud Marel (1:07:55) and Mathilde Bernard (1:08:44).

Quebec Youth Cup – U13/U15

The U13 and U15 athletes also completed the first stage of the series in rolling start. The U15 women’s race was won by Samantha Wood, followed by Charlotte Fournier (00:35:00) and Agathe Richard (00:36:02). In the men’s U15 category, Léandre Binette (00:31:02) took top honours, followed by Léo Savoie (00:32:41) and Léo Plamondon (00:32:44). In the U13 women’s category, Sophie Ironside (00:38:20) took top spot, followed by Allyson Lavallé (00:38:53) and Catherine Chevrier (00:39:24). Finally, in the U13 men’s race, Vincent Leduc (00:34:51), Robi Racine (00:35:23) and Matisse Émond (00:36:28) respectively made up the top 3.

Find all the results here!

See all the photos of the event here!