2026 Triathlon Series Final in Cabourg: First title for Issy Triathlon, another crown for Poissy Triathlon

Winners of the first three rounds, Issy Triathlon did not take the final women’s race, but they achieved the main objective: becoming French club champions for the first time in their history in Cabourg on Saturday. In the final round, the Hauts-de-Seine team finished second behind Poissy Triathlon , who relinquished a crown they had held since 2011.

In the individual race, it was Issy athlete Léonie Périault who won the Sprint-distance event after a hard-fought battle with the new U23 world champion, Poissy athlete Ilona Hadhoum.

The race got underway at 4 p.m. from Cabourg beach, directly opposite the famous Grand Hôtel de Cabourg.

© Maxime Delobel/FFTRI

The first athlete out of the English Channel was 2026 U23 world silver medallist Léa Houart (La Rochelle Triathlon), closely followed by Ilona Hadhoum and Eve Whitaker (Les Sables Vendée Triathlon).

The leading trio became a quartet early on the bike when Candice Denizot (Poissy Triathlon) bridged across. Shortly before the halfway point, the breakaway was caught by seven athletes: Jeanne Lehair, Elena Polaert and Léa Coninx (Poissy Triathlon), Mathilde Gautier (Issy Triathlon), Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal (Les Sables Vendée Triathlon), Anouk Rigaud (Metz Triathlon) and Iratze Arrenal Arribas (Vals du Dauphiné Olympic).

© Maxime Delobel / FFTRI

A formidable quartet formed at the start of the 5 km run: Léonie Périault, Ilona Hadhoum, Jeanne Lehair and Léa Houart. The latter two were the first to lose contact with Périault’s ferocious pace. Hadhoum then became the next to crack under the leader’s relentless pressure.

© Maxime Delobel/FFTRI

Périault, 2026’s fifth-ranked athlete in the world, was able to run clear to the finish, where she received a warm ovation from the large crowd.

Ilona Hadhoum and Jeanne Lehair followed her home in that order. With Elena Polaert finishing sixth, Poissy Triathlon completed a dominant team performance in the final round. Mathilde Gautier (fifth) and Audrey Merle (12th) secured second place for Issy Triathlon. La Rochelle Triathlon, led by Léa Houart, completed the podium.

With an eight-point lead heading into the final, Issy Triathlon retained top spot and claimed their first French Division 1 club title. Poissy Triathlon took silver in 2026, with Les Sables Vendée Triathlon earning bronze. Vals du Dauphiné Olympic and Metz Triathlon rounded out the top five. 

The three clubs relegated to D2 are Triathlon Club Châteauroux Métropole 36, Best Saint Nazaire Triathlon and Groupe Triathlon Vesoul Haute-Sâone 70. Promoted to D1 are Stade de Reims Triathlon, Saint-Jean-de-Monts Vendée Triathlon and US Palaiseau Triathlon, following the Division 2 final, also held in Cabourg on Saturday.

Holding a ten-point lead before the final, the Poissy Triathlon men had little to fear in the last race. With their strongest lineup in Cabourg, the Yvelines club dominated the opposition on Saturday, reclaiming a national title that had eluded them since 2022. The new French champions did, however, miss out on the individual win, which went to Spaniard Alberto Gonzalez (Saint-Jean-de-Monts Vendée Triathlon).

The tide was even higher than in the women’s race when the men plunged into the English Channel at around 5:30 p.m. Poissy Triathlon occupied the top spots out of the water. Dorian Coninx was the fastest swimmer, just ahead of teammates Igor Dupuis and Milan Larivière. 

© Maxime Delobel/FFTRI

The three Poissy athletes were among the nine men who formed a breakaway early on the bike. They were joined by Jules Rethoret (Sainte-Geneviève Triathlon), Australian Luke Willian and Japanese athlete Kenji Nener (Les Sables Vendée Triathlon), Léo Ouabdesselam, Spaniard Alberto Gonzalez (Saint-Jean-de-Monts Vendée Triathlon) and Portugal’s world number three Ricardo Batista (Valence Triathlon). The breakaway stayed away to the finish. 

© Maxime Delobel/FFTRI

Alberto Gonzalez attacked at the start of the run and quickly opened a 15-second gap. Despite struggling late on, the Spaniard, who has scored four WTCS top-10 finishes this year, held on for the win. 

After a blistering finish, Dorian Coninx came home just two seconds behind the winner. The Poissy athlete also edged out Portugal’s Ricardo Batista, who had denied him a world podium the previous week in Pontevedra, Spain.

© Maxime Delobel/FFTRI

Poissy Triathlon won the final round by a clear margin. The Yvelines club finished 19 points ahead of Triathlon Club de Liévin, led by Spaniard David Cantero Del Campo (ninth), Yanis Seguin (11th) and Harry Leleu (12th), none of whom had reached the podium this year. 

Third place went to Les Sables Vendée Triathlon , who placed two athletes in the top 10: Luke Willian in fourth and Kenji Nener in seventh. Winners of three of the four rounds, Poissy Triathlon reclaimed the French club champion’s jersey, which they had not worn since 2022. 

© Tom Visual/ FFTRI

Powered by their young French athletes, Sainte-Geneviève Triathlon enjoyed an outstanding season to finish as 2026 French runners-up. The 2026 podium was completed by Saint-Jean-de-Monts Vendée Triathlon , who reached the podium three times this year. Already fourth and fifth, Metz Triathlon and Triathlon Toulouse Métropole held on to their positions after the final. 

Best Triathlon Saint-Nazaire, La Rochelle Triathlon and Vitrolles Triathlon will race in D2 next year. Meanwhile, Les Tritons Meldois, the 2026 French D2 champions, ASPTT Mulhouse Ttri and Stade de Reims Triathlon will discover the top level of team racing next season when they join Division 1.