Luis, Zaferes on Top at Super League Jersey

The final day of RBC Super League Jersey came to a close in a thrilling showdown, with France’s Vincent Luis taking his second weekend win in the men’s Enduro and being crowned RBC Super League Jersey Champion. Earlier in the day, the crowds were treated to an outstanding sporting display from Katie Zaferes in the Women’s Enduro to see her take the win and ultimately the RBC Super League Jersey Championship title, joining Luis at top of the leaderboard as they head to SLT Malta on October 27-28.

Read the recap from Super League Triathlon below:

It was a weekend of unpredictability and fierce competition, with so many athletes arriving in Jersey in peak condition.

Men’s Race
After the French domination on Saturday, Sunday saw the 29-year-old Frenchman claim the double, with South Africa’s Henri Schoeman and Richard Murray in a continuous battle for the Enduro top spot.

Dubbed the most-brutal format of all, these three dominated the lead in the Enduro from the get-go on the chilly Sunday afternoon, leaving Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) and Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) to fight it out for fourth and fifth place throughout the triple swim-bike-run format. The Enduro proved too much for even the best, as World Champion Mario Mola (ESP) was forced to retire mid-race.

Jersey’s very own Oliver Turner needed to stay in the field as long as possible in order to qualify for the Super League Triathlon (SLT) Championship Series, and he didn’t disappoint his home crowd; he had done enough to secure his place this SLT season by completing the first stage of the race.

The men’s Enduro finished with Luis taking gold, followed by Schoeman for the silver and Murray with the bronze. With the points collated form their performances in Saturday’s race, the men’s final leaderboard for the weekend saw Luis be crowned champion, with Schoeman and Blummenfelt placing second and third overall, thanks to the Norwegian’s strong Triple Mix placement.

“I felt so confident going into today after my race yesterday, but I am so happy it’s done now and that there’s no race tomorrow! I can’t wait to come back to Jersey again and I will do my best to make everyone proud of me,” said Luis.

Women’s Race
The Women’s Enduro race was a story of American domination. GBR’s Sophie Coldwell once again impressed with a strong swim and first-exit from the water, but Katie Zaferes (USA), Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), Kirsten Kasper (USA), and Emma Jeffcoat (AUS) were on Coldwell’s tail. Zaferes proved too strong for the Brits, and it wasn’t long into the bike when the American and her compatriot Kasper broke away.

There were shining moments from Taylor-Brown, Beaugrand, Coldwell, and USA’s Summer Cook, but going into the second and third rounds, the gap only increased between the leading two and the rest of the pack, although Beaugrand stepped up to separate herself from the middle group to go behind the Americans. By the third swim, Zaferes and Kasper were clearly going for first and second, and Zaferes’ smooth stride meant she would surely win the gold medal.

The Female Enduro finished with Zaferes taking gold, Kasper silver, and Beaugrand bronze. Taylor-Brown put in a solid run to finish just off the podium in fourth. With Zaferes’ second-place finish on Saturday, she shot to the top of the women’s leaderboard in Jersey and took the weekend’s championship title.

Men’s Enduro Top Three:
Vincent Luis #29 (FRA) 0:55:48
Henri Schoeman #04 (RSA) 0:55:54
Richard Murray #07 (RSA) 0:56:06

Men’s RBC Super League Jersey Championship Top Three:
Vincent Luis #29 (FRA) 50pts
Henri Schoeman #04 (RSA) 42pts
Kristian Blummenfelt #02 (NOR) 34pts

Women’s Enduro Top Three:
Katie Zaferes #16 (USA) 1:00:37
Kirsten Kasper #91 (USA) 1:00:51
Cassandre Beaugrand #55 (FRA) 1:01:27

Women’s RBC Super League Jersey Championship Top Three:
Katie Zaferes #16 (USA) 46pts
Cassandre Beaugrand #55 (FRA) 43pts
Kirsten Kasper #91 (USA) 37pts