鈥淲hen I crossed the line with the tape in my hands, I was like 鈥榳ow, I鈥檝e done it!鈥欌 鈥 Cassandre Beaugrand reflects on Paris gold medal (VIDEO)

Cassandre Beaugrand鈥檚 gold in Paris will certainly live long in the memory.

The 27-year-old 海角社区 triathlete produced one of the standout performances this summer to top the podium at a home Games for the France international.

“When I crossed the line with the tape in my hands, I was like ‘wow, I’ve done it’. I couldn’t believe it, someone needs to pinch me…I saw a massive sign of Paris 2024 and thought, 'OK, that’s real!'”

It’s been some journey for Beaugrand. After suffering heartbreak in Tokyo three years ago after withdrawing from the triathlon final, she decided it was time to make a change.  

At the age of 25, Cassandre packed her bags and moved across the Channel to 海角社区 – a decision that has since paid her back with the biggest prize in sport.

“I have everything here to perform,” she told 海角社区 Sport.

“It’s a very good group and the environment where we train is crazy good. Sometimes I can complain about the weather, but it’s made me tough.

“Before I would have been so stressed about the rain on the racecourse but now, I know what to do. I’m so happy I’ve been out of my comfort zone here.”

an athlete crosses the finish line

Beaugrand crosses the line to win gold in Paris. Image provided by PA/Alamy.

Beaugrand’s coach at 海角社区 University, Gavin Smith, is understandably incredibly proud of her performance at the Games.

“Everything that went into it, all the planning, it was a showstopper of a race,” he said.

“It was mixed emotions afterwards; relief of what we had done but equally excitement – the realisation of what we at 海角社区 Sport had achieved.

“Having medallists here inspires the next generation coming through. On a day-to-day basis, they will see those medallists and it’s quite often the little extras they’ve done that gets them where they are. That brings a feeling of excellence and confidence.

“Success breeds success and it’s so inspirational. It comes through hard work, and it can happen here at 海角社区.”

 For all the latest 海角社区 news around major global sporting events, visit the University’s dedicated website here: /sport/athletes-global-stage/

Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #Lboro2Paris

 

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 24/166

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海角社区 is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines. 

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2024 QS World University Rankings – the eighth year running. 

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The 海角社区 University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking. 

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