The China Mail - Keep me away from the pool, Kipyegon tells triathlete Beaugrand

Kipyegon is a true legend of the track, the Kenyan having won three Olympic and four world 1,500m titles in a storied career.

Beaugrand's background is somewhat different, the 29-year-old having been crowned Olympic triathlon champion at the 2024 Paris Games, combining swimming and cycling to running.

Beaugrand, who has recently switched her training centre from the English sporting university hub of Loughborough to Girona, Spain, is, however, no stranger to the track, competitive running having been a part of her childhood.

But she has taken a big step forward, her appearance in Monaco coming just a few weeks after breaking the French 5,000m record.

"I'm happy to hear her story," said Kipyegon. "It's encouraging, it's inspiring.

"To see you on the track running 3,000m, it's incredible."

Beaugrand was quick to interrupt: "You might not see me a lot!"

The Frenchwoman is the only female triathlete (and the second ever after Alistair Brownlee) to have won a gold medal in the three major competitions -- 2024 Olympics, 2024 world champs and 2022 European champs.

But Beaugrand, still registered with a Monaco track and field club and a former French youth champion over 4x1,000m relay, said she needed a change after claiming Olympic triathlon gold.

"Last year was a bit challenging for me with the post-Olympic year," she said. "I searched a new challenge.

"After such a high, it was like what's next? The next Olympics are so far away, I think it was very challenging to just go back and be like 'I want to be world champion'," Beaugrand said.

- Something different -

The triathlete said she "just needed something different and something that would make me want to wake up in the morning and be so excited about".

"It's exactly the thing I wanted to do: racing in Monaco.

"I tested myself before in a few events to make sure I still have my place here. It'll be very challenging tomorrow. I might be a little shy!"

Beaugrand added that she would make a decision about focusing on competing in the European championships after her run-out in Monaco.

Further afield, she confirmed she would return to triathlon for 2028, with the Olympic Games set to be held in Los Angeles that year.

"After that, if I'm not too old, I can explore more the track and field world," she said.

The men's Olympic triathlon champion from Paris, Alex Yee, is also in competition on Friday, the Briton running in a loaded men's 5,000m in a bid to improve his personal best.

"We definitely talk," Beaugrand said of Yee, who finished 14th in the 2025 London Marathon and went on to time 2:06:38 when finishing seventh in the Valencia Marathon in December, which placed him second on the British all-time list behind only Mo Farah.

"It's him who made me want to do more different things this year. I was looking at him a lot doing his marathon experience last year.

"I was a bit jealous and I was like 'I wish I actually did that'. I tried to copy him but I'm not ready for marathon yet, so do some different events.

"It will be cool to see him racing."

As for Kipyegon, the Kenyan insisted that triathlon was certainly not high on her potential cross-over sports.

"If you put me in the pool, I'd drown!" she laughed.

D.Peng--ThChM