From Underdog to Silver Medalist: Julie Derron Wins Olympic Triathlon Silver
“I believed in myself, and I think that made the difference today.” – Julie Derron claims the first medal for On athletes at the Paris Olympic Games
Paris, France, July 31, 2024 – Julie Derron, a name not many expected to see on the podium at the Paris 2024 women’s triathlon event, secured her first Olympic medal, finishing second in a time of 1:55.01.
The race was marked by strong currents, a crash-laden bike segment, and a run that decided the medalist's order on the last lap.
Derron, originally from Zurich, Switzerland, was in the top 15 after the swim and advanced to the front during the bike segment. As the bike segment concluded, she even led ahead of Duffy, Potter, Beaugrand, Lombardi, Taylor-Brown, Lindemann, Spivey, Maya Kingma, and Kuttor-Bragmayer.
First, in and out of the second transition, Derron was soon caught by Beaugrand, Lombardi, and Potter on the run. The four triathletes remained together, with Derron leading for long stretches of the run and together built a comfortable gap ahead of the chase pack. As the bell rang out, Derron found herself a meter or two ahead, but Beaugrand (FRA) surged ahead, leaving the others behind.
Usually more comfortable in the sprint distance, Derron had never stood on a podium in a World Triathlon Series Championship and is currently ranked 10th in the world. Having to let Beaugrand go as she pulled away, Derron stayed strong, pulling ahead of Beth Potter to secure the silver medal.
Speaking about her race and silver medal, Derron said:
“I pretty much had a perfect race today – from start to finish. To have the best race of my career at the Olympics, it’s just amazing. To walk away with the silver medal, I’m so happy. Not too many people thought of me as a medal contender. But I believed in myself and I think that made the difference today.”
Triathlon Athlete Manager at On, Maria Ortega, was in the stands as Derron crossed the finish line:
“There is always something special at the Olympic race. This time it was Julie Derron. The rookie, the underdog, Nicola’s Spirig successor. Julie Derron has brought back Switzerland and On to the Olympic Triathlon Podium. She was fighting from the beginning of the race and she topped her performance off with an impressive run.”
Fellow On athlete Lisa Tertsch started strong and remained in the top 10 as the athletes left the water. Rain on the morning of the race made the roads slippery, and multiple athletes, including Tertsch, were caught up in a crash. Despite the crash, Tertsch continued the race, finishing in a strong ninth place.
Two Top 10 Finishes in Men’s Triathlon Final
After being postponed a day due to bad water quality, the men lined up to compete in the triathlon final following the conclusion of the women’s race. Five On athletes, including Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), Pierre Le Corre (FRA), Alberto Gonzalez Garcia (ESP), Max Studer (SUI) and Rostyslav Petsov (AZE) stood at the start line with the hope of an Olympic Medal.
Having had the benefit of watching the women swim through the currents of the Seine, the men set off with Pierre Le Corre (FRA), leaving the water alongside his French compatriots in the top 10.
With the roads now dried up, no crashes were recorded as a pack of six, including Le Corre and Gonzalez Garcia, made their way through the streets of Paris. But it didn’t take long for the rest of the group to catch up, with the lead pack growing to 19 athletes. As the fourth lap ended, the pack had grown to 30, with many pre-race favorites and the entire podium from the Tokyo Games up front.
Blummenfelt led the 32-athlete strong pack as they headed into transition two, with fellow athletes close on his heels. Yee (GBR) kicked early, setting the pace for the rest of the race. Only one man responded Wilde (NZL), and the two would continue to lead for the remainder of the race. Frenchman Le Corre remained in the chase pack with his teammate Bergere but had to settle for fourth place as Bergere pulled away to claim bronze.
“I did the best I could do. It was a crazy race, the fans were great. I’m obvioulsy slightly frustrated not to ger a medal, but no regrets for today. The heat and humidity were really tough to manage, especially since we didn’t expect to race so late in the day.”
Alberto Gonzalez Garcia finished strong, gaining an Olympic Diploma as he crossed the finish line in eighth place in a time of 1:44.22. Blummenfelt finished five seconds later in 12th place.
About On
On was born in the Swiss Alps in 2010 with the mission to ignite the human spirit through movement – a mission that still guides the brand today. Fourteen years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, training, all-day activities and tennis. On’s award-winning CloudTec® innovation, purposeful design and groundbreaking strides within the circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base – inspiring humans to explore, discover and Dream On.
On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on.com.