How to care for and store your equipment
February 28, 2024 | 5 reading min.
Extend the life of your wetsuit by following these tips and continue enjoying it as if it were brand new
Clément Mignon, the new guy
April 2, 2024 | 10 reading min.
New addition to the BMC professional long-distance triathlon team
French athlete Clément Mignon, a rising figure in the long-distance category of world triathlon, has joined the ranks of the BMC professional team. Crowned WT World Champion last year in Ibiza when he completed the 3000m swim, the 116km bike and the 30km run in 5h and 17min, he expressed his ambition to conquer the Kona World Cup in a recent interview with Orca in Lanzarote.
Born in 1999, Clément has been swimming since the age of 6. However, the monotony of hours spent in the pool prompted him to transition into triathlon at 16. He started in the short distance, racing in the French Championships and representing the national team in the junior category of European Cups. In his final year of juniors, he made the decision to race the Lanzarote Ironman 70.3 in age groups and crossed the finish line 10th overall, which propelled his professional career into the middle distance. His 2020 debut in Les Sables d’Olonne marked the beginning of a career already highlighted with numerous podiums and Kona qualifications. To date, he is the youngest triathlete to compete in a PRO world champion in Hawaii at the age of 23.
In 2024, Clément joins the BMC professional triathlon team, with whom he is spending several weeks of training on the island of Lanzarote, where we caught up with him for a few minutes.
Clément, what has changed in your routine?
Being a part of a team is a good opportunity for me because the team is very professional, so we have access to many important things, such as nutrition, recovery and training. In this moment of concentration, everything has to be optimal.
Does training with your teammates help you?
I like to train with others because it is more motivating, especially when you do a lot of volume, because it is very tiring.
How do you hope to grow and improve as a triathlete?
I think that to improve you need to be very consistent in the three disciplines, especially in swimming. Since I was a swimmer, swimming was my best part, and I focused a lot on improving my cycling and running, and I lost my skill in the water. Now I know that it is very important to swim well to be able to lead the race from the beginning, so I have returned to focus equally on swimming.
Has your swimming style changed from pool to open water? What do you like most about your relationship with Orca?
Swimming in a pool is not the same style or technique as in open water. That’s why I need to do at least one session a week in open water, and Orca products make it easier for me. The wetsuit is very thin on the arms and very flexible on the shoulders. They also have swimming goggles for pools and open water, where it is very important to see others and the buoys in the races.
When I swim in open water, it is very different from the pool because I feel freer, and it is a different feeling because you don’t stop. For me, that is very interesting, also for performance. I think the best feeling is to be free.
