“I just can’t believe it,” said Cassandre Beaugrand – one of the best French triathlon athletes who won a medal at the Tokyo Olympics – after winning France’s sixth gold medal of the Games. Born in Livry-Gargan in May 1997, Beaugrand grew up doing sports like her mother, who runs, and her father, who coaches at a running club in their hometown. Beaugrand is now 27 years old and is 5 ‘8″ tall. She started her journey at a very young age.

After trying different sports like pole vaulting, she chose triathlon because she likes swimming and running. Although Cassandre started competing in triathlon races on the ITU circuit in 2012, she was the French champion for youth cross-country racing in 2013 and 2014. During those years, she set new national records for running 1500 meters and 10 kilometers in her age group.

All about Cassandre Beaugrand’s early life, family, and triathlon career

Beaugrand comes from a family that loves sports. Her mother, Laure Guillevin, was a middle-distance runner. She has played an important part in Cassandre reaching the top level in triathlon races. Cassandre’s father, Ludovic Beaugrand, helped young athletes at a club when she started in sports. He also helped coach Cassandre when she became a professional triathlete after winning her first individual gold medal at the Junior European Cup event at Eton Dorney in 2013. She started participating in top elite senior-level races, finishing second at the Sprint Triathlon European Cup in Bratislava just days before her 17th birthday. Since then, she has kept getting on award stands at ITU/World Triathlon events.

Even though she has gone through some tough times when competing in top-level races, she is still one of the most talked-about young athletes. Cassandre won the European Junior race in 2016. That same year she got bronze at the European sprint race. She was behind two athletes from Britain. The young French Sprinter won the French Triathlon national race in 2017. The next year, she showed that she was the best in her home country again by winning the sprint national race. A few months later, one of her first World Triathlon Series wins was in Hamburg, Germany. She beat Laura Lindemann. Winning with France in the mixed relay world race made it two wins in two days. More success came at the European Championships weeks later in Glasgow, Scotland – another mixed relay gold and a bronze in the individual race.

Major achievements and Olympic history of the Paris Olympics gold medalist

France won the mixed relay world championship in 2019 and 2020, with Cassandre Beaugrand a key part of their three consecutive victories. In 2022, France continued its dominance in mixed relay events, with Cassandre helping the team win gold at the European and World Championships. In 2019, Cassandre excelled in the World Triathlon Series, including winning the Tokyo Olympics qualifying mixed relay race. France secured bronze at the 2020 Games. Cassandre finished 5th in the 2022 WTCS rankings, highlighted by a dominant win in Leeds and a second-place finish in Montreal behind Georgia Taylor-Brown.

Cassandre has also competed in Super League Triathlon events, winning in Singapore and Jersey and finishing third and fourth overall in 2018 and 2019. Recently, she won in London at the Championship Series race and the Arena Games triathlon in 2022. In 2023, Beaugrand moved to Loughborough, setting high expectations for the Paris 2024 Olympics after her strong performance in Tokyo. On July 31, France’s Cassandre Beaugrand clinched gold in the triathlon at the Paris Olympics.

Julie Derron of Switzerland pushed hard for silver, while Great Britain’s Beth Potter took bronze. Cheered on by thousands, the 27-year-old Beaugrand crossed the finish line in 1:54:55 and collapsed in joy. “It was the longest 1500m of my life, but I never doubted at the end,” she said. The race saw six athletes initially, with Derron leading and two British competitors close behind. Duffy and Taylor-Brown fell back, leaving just four women fighting for medals. After securing her sixth gold medal, Beaugrand could hardly believe she was now an Olympic champion.