Léo Bergere

An underdog heading into the race – with the contest billed as a showdown between Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde – the French star took the tape after a breakaway on the bike leg that distanced the favourites. 

Remarkably, it was Bergere’s first World Series win and after some quick calculations it also secured him the world title by the closest of margins. But if he wasn’t tipped as a world champion it didn’t mean that Bergere’s short course career hadn’t already impressed. 

Crowned European champion two months earlier, he’d already notched seven World Series podiums and been marked out as one of the most consistent swim, bike, run stars in the world. That calibre had already been hinted at in Super League appearances in 2018 and 2019, where in six events only once had he finished outside the top seven. Now returning to Super League for 2023 alongside Kristian Blummenfelt and Matt Hauser on the Santara Tech Eagles, it makes for arguably the most formidable men’s roster of any squad in this year’s series.

Bergere also has one of the more unique stories in sport as a boy who grew up in the jungle and became a world-class triathlete. Born in France, when his mum landed a job as a teacher, the family moved to the jungle of New Caledonia and little Leo lived in the remote French territory in the South Pacific for three years up to the age of 10.

The tribe in his village lived an outdoors lifestyle and Bergere was often away from his family for days, fishing, wind-surfing and climbing trees. They also enjoyed many breakdance battles, as was the culture for young people in New Caledonia at that time.

Moving back to France was a culture shock but ignited Bergere’s passion for sport on a competitive level. After five years of gymnastics and cycling, he discovered triathlon aged 15. He quickly won European Championship gold as a member of the French junior mixed relay squad and got his chance in World Cup races in 2016, having collected a podium finish in the Junior World Championships in Chicago.

Success at elite level followed including playing a key role in France’s all-conquering mixed relay squad that won the Mixed Relay World Championship in Hamburg in 2019 and 2020. This year his consistency on the World Series has remained with sixth, fifth and third places in an improving sequence as he looks to defend his title and try and secure Olympic selection for next year’s home Olympics in Paris. 

There has also been a chance to put an early season Ironman 70.3 into the schedule, and Bergere currently sits two from two having won in Lanzarote last year and Oceanside in California in April.  It again underlined that his abilities stretch across all three disciplines and at just 27 years of age his present and future in the sport looks very bright indeed.