Luis wins Super League Triathlon despite earlier flat tyre
Vincent Luis had thought his hopes of winning the overall Super League Triathlon men's crown were "definitely gone" after a flat tyre in the first round had put him out of contention in the Eliminator race on Saturday.
But the Frenchman, who was the men's leader of the four-stop series ahead of the two-day Singapore finale, mounted a spectacular comeback yesterday to win the men's Enduro race and clinch the overall title with 107 points - just two more than his closest challenger Henri Schoeman of South Africa.
Yesterday's Enduro race at One°15 Marina featured 23 male competitors in three continuous rounds, each comprising a 300m swim, a 5km bike ride and a 1.6km run. The two slowest athletes at the end of each discipline were eliminated.
The 29-year-old Luis, who was the overall winner in three previous legs in Jersey, Malta and Mallorca, was in disbelief after his triumph as he was unsure about racing yesterday after Saturday's setback.
He said: "You work so hard for months and some bad things happen like a staple on the road.
"But that's racing, you can have a puncture yesterday and win today. That's sport and that's why we love it."
Yesterday's race was a tactical one for Luis, who led for most of the final 1.6km run and finished eight seconds ahead of runner-up Jonathan Brownlee.
The Englishman, who won the Eliminator race on Saturday, was third in the overall series standings with 96 points.
Rio Olympic bronze medallist Schoeman, who finished third in the Enduro race, was pleased with his performance despite struggling with a sinus issue since he arrived last week.
He said: "To round out a solid second - I'm happy with that. What happened yesterday with Luis was definitely mine to lose."
Women's series leader Katie Zaferes was the overall champion with 113 points, despite coming in second to Cassandre Beaugrand of France in yesterday's women's Enduro race.
The latter finished third overall with 65 points, while Dutchwoman Rachel Klamer was second with 76 points. - NICOLE CHIA
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