This past weekend may have been the most exciting and important one of French triathlon’s history. Sure, France’s triathletes have long been respected by the international triathlon community, but Vincent Luis win in Hamburg should serve notice to the already existing triathlon superpowers such as Great Britain and Spain. ITU’s article (The Spaniards heads up men’s race) published prior to the race in Hamburg shows that France as a triathlon nation still figured as an afterthought. At Trimes, with articles such as le champ libre pour les Français? we had seen the coup coming. We knew it was just a question of time and that even if we are always tempted to think that when Alistair Brownlee is in top shape he is untouchable, we had a feeling that a window of opportunity would eventually come for French triathletes.
To be brutally honest, it seems as though French triathletes only had to get past a certain psychological obstacle. Indeed, when 3-4 athletes are constantly dominating (à la Gomes, Mola, Jon and Alistair Brownlee) it becomes harder to believe in ones chances to join them, let alone beat them outright. Luis just proved that it was indeed doable.
This becomes one of the most important aspects of high level sport : belief in ones own capabilities. Such a belief takes lots of time to build but in contrast, it can crumble quite rapidly.
Vincent Luis has just given France its first ever WTS win. In this particular situation, it’s easy (and we’re tempted) to outline the individual because of the greatness of this achievement. More importantly however, (contrary to what we see in other nations such as Britain and Spain) in the case of France, we are dealing with a collective, national victory. Going further than Luis’ victory, having 4 Frenchmen in a 12 man breakaway is more than just luck..
The French Exception
We’ve often criticized decisions made by the FFtri. Just last week, injustice was cried concerning junior girls. But in the end, the criterias were known to all in advance and so long as they are clearly outlined and that the FFtri respect them we can’t do anything but accept their decisions.
This policy without a doubt has a negative impact on certain athletes, but in the same breath, it also has its advantages. High level sport is not inclusive. It’s a cruel game and those who want to play that game have to be willing to cope with its rules.
Having had discussions with many other national triathlon federations, I’ve learned that France is quite different by the fact that it is the only federation that will not necessarily use up all of its spots on the international scene.
In fact, I’ve often had discussions with ex Olympians and members of Team France. I often ask their opinion on matters such as the lack of women athletes selected for Rio’s test event. Arguments for both sides are quite strong and it’s pretty much impossible to declare a winner on this much debated topic.
Contrary to popular belief, most ex-athletes are siding with the FFtri. It took time, but I finally understood that there is a typical French way of thinking by which the athlete, who knows what the rules and selection criterias are does not try to make excuses.
The following Tweet from the German Federation brought a smile to my face..
Notice how they blame the fact that they did not podium on lady luck.
As we know, luck does not really exist in triathlon. The stronger athletes are master of all aspects of a race. If you’ve found yourself squeezed between a buoy and a pack of swimmers, or if others in your pack weren’t riding hard, it’s most likely because you weren’t strong enough to be leading the race.
Laura Lindemann caused Vicky Holland to crash because she couldn’t keep her line while dismounting from the bike. A penalty for failing to securely fasten your helmet strap in T1. These are examples of an athlete who panicked because they were in fear of getting dropped by the leaders.
A German colleague of mine pointed out to me lately that he was completely fed up with this type of reasoning. We see so many race reports from athletes who always experience an (in)convenient mishap during a race that explain why they weren’t the best on any given day. These athletes lose touch with reality by trying to justify their failures as bad luck.
Even if the FFtri has been known to be cruel towards its athletes, it has helped develop mentally strong athletes that know there is no time for excuses in this sport. They are all stern and hard on themselves. The environment they are put in requires them to be true to themselves and to the sport.
France currently has 4 athletes that are considered to be among the crème of triathletes. Interestingly, all four are currently evolving in different training environments which goes to show that the success of French athletes is not the result of a particular way of training. Rather, it is the result of a typically French way treating high level sports. Athletes stemming from the bleu-blanc-rouge have always shown they are capable of embracing the achievements of their countrymen and this, in my opinion, is because they know that their own personal success depends on themselves and no one else.