Short-course legend Vincent Luis on his Paris 2024 snub, best-ever race and transition to T100

Four days shy of his 17th birthday, Vincent Luis, of Vesoul in France, finished fifth in the 2006 European junior champs, his first full race as a pro (one Alistair Brownlee, a year older than Luis, would finish third). 

Almost 20 years later – with an astonishing 69 top-five World Triathlon finishes from 126 starts, seven world titles, two supertri titles and an Olympic bronze medal to his name – one of tri’s most consistent and powerful athletes crossed his last short-course finish line at supertri NEOM.

Like many sporting greats, Luis’ career has been marked by epic highs and devastating lows, not least being sidelined for his home Olympics in Paris this summer. And while the three-time Olympian will always carry the esteemed title of being an Olympic medallist, he was cruelly denied the chance to battle for an individual title in 2021 thanks to the pandemic and injury. 

Had the Olympics taken place as planned in 2020, Luis was a surefire, and fighting fit, favourite. In Tokyo, he would place 13th. 

But Luis has no time for regrets. Yes he knows he can no longer match the pace of the Yees and Wildes of the world, but the booming 100k format could be prime hunting ground for the tough competitor. 

So will he get a T100 wild card in 2025? Well, he’s certainly dropping all the hints…

220: It’s been an incredibly emotional year for you. Can you sum up what it felt like crossing the WTCS line for the last time?

Vincent Luis: I was a bit emotional for sure, crossing the line for my last race with the French team. To wear this suit for one last time was a big moment for me. I raced how I like, at the front end, trying to break the race. I enjoyed every single second of it. It was a really special moment and I’m glad I got to spend it with the people I love. 

It was a great race from a performance and sport point of view, but it was also great for me to have people like my parents there for my last race.

220: What will you miss most about the short-course race circuit?

VL: Mostly the people, not seeing them is going to be difficult. The traveling I won’t miss so much! It was actually a lot. But I think also the adrenaline of short-course racing, you know like the technical aspects, the cornering and everything, it was really intense. The rush of racing neck to neck and everyone wants to beat each other, that’s a good feeling and I’m going to miss it.

220: Just how hard was it being in Paris that day?

VL: I wasn’t actually planning on watching the men’s race but with it being postponed I ended up seeing both. 

I was there to watch [girlfriend] Georgia [Taylor-Brown] race, and of course I was really happy for [Olympic champion] Cass [Beaugrand]. I’ve known her for 10 years now, so I was really happy to see her grow. She decided to leave the federal system to do her own training and she actually got a lot better as soon as she did that.

And I’ve always had a good relationship with Léo [Bergere, who won bronze], and I try to be a bit like the older brother and try to help him when he has to make decisions. And again he’s an athlete that creates his own training environment and it’s working for him. So yeah, I was really happy for them.

But yeah, it was actually quite hard [to be there], but as soon as the start was done, that was it, now it was just time to focus on the future.

Luis’ best bits

Since he started his pro career back in 2006, Luis has consistently mixed it at the very top. Here are his greatest short-course achievements… 

European junior champion, 2008

World junior champion, 2008 

3 x Olympian (London, 11th; Rio, 7th; Tokyo, 13th)

4 x mixed relay world champion  (2015, 2018, 2019, 2022)

European sprint champion, 2016

2 x supertri champion (2018, 2019)

2 x World Triathlon champion (2019, 2020)

2020 Olympic mixed team relay bronze medallist 

220: How has Georgia provided support to you this year?

VL: She was really supportive around the Olympic selection period. It’s not been easy, but you know I was really prepared to get the bad news, so my mindset was to really try to be there for her, whatever happens on my side. And I actually did the final prep with her, it was important for me to be present and make sure that my non-selection would not impact her. But yeah, she’s always had good advice, especially when I’m not sure about my decisions.

220: Just a few words on Georgia’s year last year?

VL: Her year has been really good. I mean, she’s won the supertri title and she’s been back on the podium for the World Series. The Olympics was a bit of a disappointment. She was really ready and fit, I could see that, but you know it’s a one-day race. She managed to get on the podium with the team, so she was happy with that. 

But yeah, overall, her year was a success. She did everything right to come back [from injury] and perform at her best.

220: What lessons has the sport taught you?

VL: That you have to make your own decisions. It’s your career and you have to put performance first. When you make a decision, it’s not about what a federation will advise you to do or anything because your performance is what matters. For them it’s the job that matters. And if tomorrow you’re not racing anymore they still get the paycheck, but you won’t. 

So it’s really important that you make decisions that make you happy and make you perform better. You don’t have to please people. It’s obviously you that has to be happy in your life.

So if I have any advice, to anyone that wants to race short course, it’s to make decisions that matter to you and that will impact your performance positively. You have to be selfish sometimes and think about what’s best for you, that’s important.

220: What do you hope your legacy in the sport will be?

VL: I hope I inspired a few people to believe in themselves. I came into the sport as a swimmer. Many, many people, including some at the [French triathlon] federation, told me I would never be fast enough on the run to make it to the Olympics. And if I go, I will only go as a pilot. It was good to prove them wrong.

220: What’s your proudest achievement in the sport?

VL: My two world titles for sure. It was really nice to win them back to back in 2019 and 2020. I also really liked winning the supertri races. It was a great format and we were really well taken care of. The athletes are really involved in the process.

220: What’s the one race that stands out to you in your career and why?

VL: The Grand Final in Gold Coast in 2018. I could feel that I was really fit and I decided to spend seven weeks at altitude in Flagstaff when other people were racing in Montreal, I think. I decided to pass and really focus and prepare for the Grand Final. Every session was going really, really well and I was happy I delivered because something can always happen. I was just flying and nothing could stop me from getting that win.

220: Who are you excited to watch in 2025?

VL: Yeah, I want to see who is stacking up in the short-course racing. I know Alex [Yee] wants to do a bit more running and Hayden [Wilde] is going to get tempted by middle-distance. 

So yeah, it’ll be interesting. 

And for long course, Marten Van Riel is the new big dog for the T100, so that’ll be fun to watch.

220: What are your plans now, post-season?

VL: Well we still have a race to go in Bahrain [29 November, which both Luis and Taylor-Brown would win]. That will be my first 70.3 for over two years [Luis won the 2022 race]! 

I’ve been training hard in Dubai, adapting to the heat and to the time-trial position and everything. 

And then after that Georgia and I will go to Brazil for two weeks. My sister lives there and I will get to see my two nieces, so it’ll be great to spend a bit of time with them. And then it’s Girona for Christmas.

220: Do you have a race plan for 2025?

VL: I haven’t any confirmations as yet but I would definitely like to race the T100. I was here in Dubai to watch it, and that was amazing.

I think I can actually be an X factor in this type of racing. So, yeah, I’m keeping my fingers crossed to get a wild card for next year. I would also like to do a full-distance race. My dad did Roth as his first full distance so if I can continue the legacy and do Roth as my first that would be amazing.

220: What are you most looking forward to about the switch up in distance?

VL: It’s a new challenge, new equipment, and I’m quite nerdy. So I’ll be happy to try a few things, see if I get things right.

And also, you know, meeting new people, and going to new destinations – I raced the World Series in Yokohama for the past 10 years so I’m a bit bored of racing there now! I love Japan, but I’ve been there so many times. 

So yeah, having new races, new people to race, a new format and being on the learning curve, it’s always exciting. 

And also having a lot more freedom in picking stuff, like the race suits or the sponsors or the hotels, there’s a lot more freedom now. 

Obviously it comes with a cost because now nothing is covered by the federation, but at least I have a hundred percent control in what I want to do and who I want to work with. So that’s really good. 

New challenge 

Luis has raced short-course for over two decades, so how will his training change with the switch in distance? 

Volume and swim

“In terms of total volume you can’t really train much more. I train 30 to 32 hours every week, but I will definitely swim less. I will go from 25K a week to maybe 20.”

Bike 

“I’ll probably do 14-16hrs a week but with different sessions. Less technical or crit sessions and a bit more time spent in the TT position and at threshold.”

Run

“I’ll have to ease up on the pace. There’s no more need to run at 2:50 or 2:55 per K now, but we’ll have to improve our threshold and make sure I feel really easy around 3:10.”

Location and crew

“I’ll stay in Girona.. I really like it there. I have the perfect conditions for training. I’ll go on camps, most likely at the end of January, early February, and maybe another one in March and April.

“I’ll keep being coached by Joel Filliol. It’s been amazing for the past seven years now. It’s a new challenge for us, he’s coached a few long-distance athletes, but I think he has more skin in the game now and it will be an interesting challenge for him too. ”