Leo Bergere upsets odds to win World Triathlon title

France’s Leo Bergere upset the odds to win his first World Triathlon title after finishing first in the elite men’s event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Leo Bergere of France celebrates.(File Photo) | Photo Credit: Getty Images

France’s Leo Bergere upset the odds to win his first World Triathlon title after finishing first in the elite men’s event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Bergere, who was third in the rankings going into the final race of the series, finished his race in a time of 1:44:14 to secure the gold medal and win the championship.

The championship had come down to the wire going into Saturday’s race but Bergere came out of it as the unlikely victor. Great Britain’s Alex Yee had needed to place third to win but finished three seconds behind Belgium’s Jelle Geens to place fourth.

Meanwhile New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, who had led the standings before the final race of the series, needed to place fifth and finished in sixth.

“It’s insane,” Bergere said of his success. “I don’t know what to say. I didn’t want to do the maths before the race, I just wanted to race all out and try to break away.

“We went for it as a team and I can’t thank them enough.”