Dramatic season finale at ÖTILLÖ Cannes

The French Riviera presented itself once again at its absolute best for this year’s ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Cannes, the final event of the European ÖTILLÖ season. Very warm and sunny weather and the biggest World Series field in this year’s ÖTILLÖ season with more than 360 athletes, a 50% increase over the previous year. For the first time Cannes was also the final of the newly established Elite program, where the best athletes in the sport of Swimrun compete in an annual ranking for a season ending prize pot.

The weather conditions were calm and dry with air temperatures up to 27 degrees and a water temperature of very warm 25 degrees. The race course was very challenging and took the athletes on a grand tour through and around the beautiful City of Cannes. They had to complete a total race distance of 41 km with 33 km of partly very technical trail running and 8 km of swimming, split into 11 running and 11 swim sections. 

The start field featured many of the top athletes in the sport of swimrun, among them the 2026 Swimrun World Champions from France, Mélisande Muller and Johanne Laizeau, Anna Hellström from Sweden and Adriel Young from Australia. Also on the start line were previous year’s Cannes winners Arnaud and Pierre de Lustrac and Kristin Larsson. 

With 800 athletes from 37 nations taking on the Côte d’Azur, there was no shortage of action. And in the city of film, the racing delivered nothing short of a thriller. 

WOMen’s teams

The women’s field was particularly strong and for the first three swims, a group of 5 teams were racing together at the front of the course, before Hanna Skårbratt from Sweden, racing with French reigning World Champion Mélisande Muller, could open up a small gap over the Swedish team of Anna Hellström and Klara Kjellgren. From then on it became a fight for the win between those two teams over the long and very hilly running sections crossing through the city center of Cannes. The two teams were never out of sight of each other. Both teams were not only fighting for the win in the Cannes race, but also for the top position in the Elite ranking, which Hanna Skårbratt was leading with the smallest margin of just one point over Anna Hellström. The two teams were always within sight of each other, all the way down to the finish line, which Anna Hellström and Klara Kjellgren reached barely a minute ahead of Hanna Skårbratt and Mélisande Muller. Anna Hellström subsequently won the Elite ranking ahead of Hanna Skårbratt. For Klara Kjellgren, who had only picked up Swimrun racing just over a year ago, it was the first win in the World Series race, making it a great final after a strong season with a fourth, third, and second place finish in prior World Series races in 2026. The French duo of Lydie Waucquier and Camille Marchand finished in third place with an overall time of 4 hours 51 minutes, just 9 minutes behind the winners.

Anna Hellström (Winner Women ÖTILLÖ Cannes World Series, Winner Elite Ranking Women 2026) said after the race: “This win was a special one. To win together with a new star in this sport and to share, and be a part of, her first win is a big moment. The win in the total series is a fantastic bonus and the perfect way to end a super season.“

And Klara Kjellgren reflected on her ÖTLLÖ season: “This season I have raced Rugen, Engadin, Gothenburg, Åland, and Cannes. Having placed 4th, 3rd and 2nd place in previous races, and also having the unfortunate experience of a DNF at the World Championships due to SIPE, I really could not have dreamt of a better ending to the season! This win meant so much!I loved the clear water and varied running segments here in Cannes, especially the hills. I also had the best time racing with Anna who set such a great and steady pace running and who was also so encouraging, both when my nerves kicked in a bit prior to the race and during the race itself. Such great teamwork which made it the best experience from start to finish!“

MEN’s Teams

The men’s race also saw a very strong field on the start line, with many of the strongest runners and swimmers in the Elite but also a number of very strong triathletes from France who regularly join the Cannes race at the end of the season. From the start it very quickly became clear that the race would become a battle between two teams: last year’s winners Arnaud and brother Pierre de Lustrac versus Tom Ralite and Emeryc Gennesson (all French). The de Lustrac’s managed to gain a small advantage of about a minute by the time they reached Point Croisette and led the race until 29.5 of the total distance of 41km, where Pierre de Lustrac was suffering from cramps. At that point Emeryc Gennesson and Tom Ralite passed them, checking if Pierre was alright as is common in Swimrun, and then putting everything they had into the final 12km of the race to take the win. It was Emeryc Gennesson’s first ever win as a team in a World Series competition. Their win also secured the win in the 2026 Elite ranking for Tom Ralite. Their winning time was just over 4 hours, very impressive for a course this long and challenging.

Tom Ralite (Winner Men ÖTILLÖ Cannes World Series, Winner Elite Ranking Men 2026) said after the race: “This was my first race as a pair with Emeryc Gennesson, and my first big final, in Cannes. Everything went really well for us. Our understanding, communication and race strategy as a pair were perfect, which allowed us to win yesterday. I really enjoyed this Elite circuit. I raced 5 rounds with 5 different partners in beautiful locations. It was super exciting, and I learned a lot from each of my partners. I think it’s really cool to be able to change partners from one round to the next and mix up the pairs. Even though 2 or 3 of the best Swimrunners were missing from the standings of this inaugural Elite circuit, the depth and level among both men and women has increased considerably this year, judging by the times posted in each round. It’s great to see so many women’s, mixed and men’s teams fighting for the podium.” 

Mixed Teams

In the mixed category, five-time World Champion from Australia, Adriel Young, raced with former World Champion Amanda Nilsson from Sweden, who had been absent from racing in Swimrun for more than three years after a shoulder injury she sustained in the World Championship in 2023. Their main competition were the Swedish duo of Alexander Berggren and Ulrika Eriksson from Sweden, both of them former World Champions themselves and two dominant figures in the World of Swimrun. Adriel Young and Amanda Nilsson raced fiercely from the start and opened up a lead over Berggren and Eriksson early in the race which they only extended throughout the 41km long course. Berggren afterwards said his performance was affected by the exceptionally warm temperatures. Adriel Young and Amanda Nilsson won by an impressive 22 minutes and 44 seconds over Ulrika Eriksson & Alexander Berggren. The German-Swiss Duo of Jonathan Thiesmeyer and Xenia Braun finished in third place.

Adriel Young was happy to have Amanda back as a partner: “After more than 2 years Amanda made her come back to ÖTILLÖ Swimrun in exactly the fashion everyone predicted. Even after no swimming for 2 years, she pushed her strength on the runs and opened a gap early that just grew throughout the day. It was a pleasure to be her partner in her comeback to witness the strength and be part of the journey. Now we rest and focus towards Mallorca and a big season of racing together next year.“

Solo Men

In the mens solo category, French elite triathlete Boris Chenal raced with the top men’s teams for much of the race to take the win with an overall time of 4 hours and 7 minutes, just ahead of Raphäel Julio and Titouan Honiara (all from France).

Solo Women

In the women’s solo category, Nathalie Picault from France beat ÖTILLÖ serial winner Niamh Murphy from Ireland by 4 minutes ahead of Naomi Mellor from the UK.

WORLD SERIES CANNES PODIUMS:

You can find the full results of the World Series, as well as those of the 440 athletes competing in the shorter-distance ÖTILLÖ Sprint and ÖTILLÖ Experience races, below.

Women

1. Anna Hellström (SWE) & Klara Kjellgren (SWE) – 4:43:41

2. Hanna Skarbratt (SWE) & Mélisande Muller (FRA) – 4:44:14

3. Lydie Waucquier (FRA) & Camille Marchand (FRA) – 4:51:12

Men

1. Emeryc Gennesson (FRA) & Tom Ralite (FRA) – 4:07:03

2. Pierre de Lustrac (FRA) & Arnaud De Lustrac (FRA) – 4:11:33

3. Thomas Guerry (FRA) & Rémi Andrade (FRA) – 4:16:17

Mixed

1. Amanda Nilsson (SWE) & Adriel Young (AUS) – 4:21:56

2. Ulrika Eriksson (SWE) & Alexander Berggren (SWE) – 4:44:41

3. Xenia Braun (SUI) & Jonathan Thiesmeyer (GER) – 4:54:24

Solo Men

1. Boris Chenal (FRA) – 4:08:50

2. Raphaël Julio (FRA) – 4:10:31

3. Titouan Honnart (FRA) – 4:16:26

Solo Women

1. Nathalie Picault (FRA) – 5:10:14

2. Niamh Murphy (IRL) – 5:14:48

3. Naomi Mellor (GBR) – 6:06:25

Find all official race results here: