Sam Laidlow praised the ‘home’ crowd for getting him over the line as he won his first race of the T100 Triathlon World Tour in London.
The English-born Frenchman said his surprise win was made extra special that he had all his family and friends willing him on at the ExCeL centre in his pursuit of victory.
He will look to draw on his unexpected win to spur him on in a season which has seen him have a rockier start than he might have hoped for.
“What an amazing day,” Laidlow said. “ It’s always when you least expect it.
“I’ve had a really rough season start and you start doubting your ability and the training you’ve been doing.
“To be back where I thought I was really meaning a lot to me, I really needed that one.”
Last year saw Laidlow win Challenge London on the same course as the T100 race, as well as the Ironman World Championships, a title he will look to defend in October.
Ahead of the race, the 26-year-old said he would be happy with a fifth-place finish and could never have expected victory in this pool of 20 athletes.
“I really wasn’t expecting to win,” he added. “I wasn’t playing it down, fifth or sixth is really where I thought I would be. So, I’m very happy.
“I don’t think winning in London last year helped, it was a much stronger field today.
“I never really expected to win a T100 race, my goal was just to podium, so it’s been an amazing day.”
Laidlow decided not to wear a wetsuit for the swim to regulate his body temperature, a decision which raised a few eyebrows amongst the other athletes.
Despite coming out of the water in 18th, he said the decision paid off, as he felt like he could go harder on the cycle from the offset.
With four different winners from the first four races of the tour, Laidlow believes the T100 series lends itself to this variation.
“I think now what we’re really noticing, the season is quite long and there’s more racing,” he added. “So, nobody is at the top all the time.
“You can’t win every race you have good days and bad days. Today I had a very good day, but so far this season I haven’t had good days.
“Hopefully, I haven’t just peaked for this race. I’m sure I’ll have more bad races but hopefully I’ll be winning again too.”
He lauded the amazing support in London, in the country he was born in and started his triathlon journey.
“Yes For sure [we can call it a home win],” he added. “All my family lives in the UK, it’s only parents who live in France. Although I love living in France, I love the British people.
“My parents have had a triathlon training camp, so we’ve had so many people from around the UK come to our house for 20 years. They’ve seen me do triathlon since I was four years old.
“So, there were lots of familiar faces on the course and I think that definitely brought me something extra. The reason ‘why’ was a bit bigger today.”
The first London T100 Triathlon weekend on 27-28 July is entirely free for spectators and includes a dedicated T100 Watch Party venue at the ExCel London Exhibition Centre for the very first time. Where fans will be able to see the world’s best triathletes come past at least 10 times during the 100km race format (2km swim, 80km run, 18 km swim). As well as being able to follow them live, out on the course, thanks to a big screen.
