SWIMRUN: The World’s Best Wrap Up Their Season at the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Cannes World Series

Cannes enjoyed calm, dry conditions on Saturday, with air temperatures reaching 27°C and the water an unusually warm 25°C. The demanding course took competitors through and around the city. In total, they covered 41 km, including 33 km of trail over 11 sections, some of them highly technical, and 8 km of swimming split into 11 sections.

The field included several of the world’s leading swimrun specialists, including French pair Mélisande Muller and Johanne Laizeau, the 2026 world champions, Sweden’s Anna Hellström and Australia’s Adriel Young. Last year’s French winners, Arnaud and Pierre de Lustrac, were also on the start line, along with Sweden’s Kristin Larsson.

© Martin Wikestad /OTILLO

© Martin Wikestad / OTILLO

For the first time, the Cannes race also served as the final round of the new Elite programme. The circuit pits the best swimrun specialists against one another throughout the season, with an overall ranking and prize money awarded at the end of the year.

The women’s field was particularly strong. Five teams were still racing together at the front after the first three swim sections. Hanna Skårbratt, racing alongside France’s Mélisande Muller, then managed to open a small gap on the Swedish team of Anna Hellström and Klara Kjellgren.

The win would come down to those two teams over the long, hilly running sections through central Cannes. The two duos never truly lost sight of each other. They were fighting not only for victory in Cannes, but also for top spot in the Elite standings, with Hanna Skårbratt holding just a one-point lead over Anna Hellström ahead of the final.

© Martin Wikestad / OTILLO

Skårbratt and Muller entered the final swim section in front, heading towards the finish line on Zamenhof Beach. Hellström and Kjellgren overtook them in the water, however, to win by 32 seconds.

Anna Hellström therefore takes the Elite title ahead of Hanna Skårbratt. For Klara Kjellgren, who has only been racing swimrun for just over a year, it was her first World Series victory. A superb finish to a 2026 season that had already seen her take fourth, third and second place in the previous World Series rounds.

© Adam Axelsson / OTILLO

The French duo of Lydie Waucquier and Camille Marchand completed the podium, just nine minutes behind the winners.

The men’s field was equally strong, featuring several of the best runners and swimmers on the Elite circuit, as well as a number of top French triathletes who regularly line up in Cannes at the end of the season.

From the start, it quickly became clear that the race would come down to two teams: defending champions Arnaud and Pierre de Lustrac, and the French duo of Tom Ralite and Emeryc Gennesson.

The de Lustrac brothers opened up a lead of around one minute by the time they reached Pointe Croisette and held the advantage through the 30-kilometre mark of the 41-kilometre race. Pierre de Lustrac then suffered cramp. Tom Ralite and Emeryc Gennesson moved past them, while making sure Pierre was okay, in keeping with the spirit of solidarity that defines swimrun. They then emptied the tank over the final 12 kilometres to take the win.

© Adam Axelsson / OTILLO

It was Emeryc Gennesson’s first team victory in a World Series race. The result also handed his one-day teammate Tom Ralite the 2026 Elite title.

It was my first race as a team with Emeryc Gennesson and my first major final, in Cannes. Everything came together perfectly for us. Our teamwork, communication and race strategy were spot on, which allowed us to win. I really enjoyed this Elite circuit. I raced five rounds with five different partners, in some amazing places. It was exciting, and I learned a lot from each of my teammates. I think it’s fantastic to be able to change partners from one round to the next and mix up the team line-ups.

In the mixed category, five-time Australian world champion Adriel Young teamed up with former Swedish world champion Amanda Nilsson, who had not raced swimrun for more than three years after suffering a shoulder injury at the 2023 world championships.

Their main challenge came from the Swedish duo of Alexander Berggren and Ulrika Eriksson, both former world champions and major figures in swimrun. Adriel Young and Amanda Nilsson took control from the start and quickly opened a gap on Berggren and Eriksson. Their lead continued to grow throughout the 41-kilometre course.

© Adam Axelsson / OTILLO

Berggren explained after the finish that his performance had been affected by the exceptionally high temperatures. Adriel Young and Amanda Nilsson eventually won ahead of Ulrika Eriksson and Alexander Berggren. The German-Swiss duo of Jonathan Thiesmeyer and Xenia Braun completed the podium.

In the men’s solo category, French Elite triathlete Boris Chenal stayed in touch with the leading men’s teams for much of the race. He took the win ahead of fellow Frenchmen Raphaël Julio and Titouan Honnart.

© Adam Axelsson / OTILLO

© Adam Axelsson / OTILLO

In the women’s solo race, France’s Nathalie Picault took the win ahead of Ireland’s Niamh Murphy, a regular winner on the ÖTILLÖ circuit. Picault finished four minutes clear, while Great Britain’s Naomi Mellor took third.

© Martin Wikestad / OTILLO