The French triathlon federation (La Fédération Française de Triathlon) announced its Olympic team that will represent France at this summer’s Olympic Games. Leading the men’s team is the always dangerous Frederic Belaubre, who last month won his third European championship. In 2006 he won the Beijing world cup and was fifth at the Athens Olympics. He’ll be joined by Tony Moulai, who was runner-up to Belaubre in Lisbon at the European championships and was the top Frenchman at the world championships. Rounding out the men’s team is Laurent Vidal, who has a pair of top-8 world cup finishes and was 16th at the world championships. French veteran and noted swim-biker Stephane Poulat was named the alternate.
The big surprise on the women’s side weren’t the athletes named to the team but the number of women France qualified. Despite leading Austria by close to 300 points going into the world championships, Olympic champion Kate Allen brought Austria back into the top-8 countries and knocked France into ninth. With her eighth place finish in Vancouver, coupled with Marion Lorblanchet’s 31st place finish, France only qualified two women for Beijing.
With the two spots, the French federation selected Jessica Harrison and Carole Peon. Born in Sheffield, England but now competing for France, Harrison will make her Olympic debut in Beijing. She was 19th at the world championships in Vancouver and ninth at the European championships last month in Lisbon. Like Harrison, Peon will compete in her first Olympic Games. She was the top Frenchwoman at the world championships, finishing in 13th place and tying her best ever world championship performance. Last year in Cancun, Peon made her first appearance on the world cup podium.
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New Olympic selections Frederic Belaubre and Tony Moulai at the European championships last month in Lisbon