Georgia Taylor-Brown made it two silver medals in two days as the Olympic champion brought Great Britain back to secure a stunning second place in the mixed relay at the AJ Bell World Triathlon Series in Leeds.
Having taken silver in the individual event, Taylor-Brown took over on the final leg of the mixed relay with plenty to do as Britain lay in eighth, 45 seconds off the pace.
But the 28-year-old wasted no time getting back into the mix and eventually worked her way up to second, with just Germany able to hold off Taylor-Brown – the only member of Team GB’s gold medal-winning mixed relay team from Tokyo who was racing on Sunday.
And with this event seeing a change in format with the women running the anchor leg, Taylor-Brown admitted there was some added pressure on her shoulders.
She said: “I’ve always wanted the glory leg, the boys always get it. But then when it became our turn, it’s quite nerve-wracking because that’s it, there is no more to be done. It’s a nerve-wracking leg but it was exciting to be on that last leg and the chase is always quite exciting.”
The comeback queen! 👑
— Team GB (@TeamGB) June 12, 2022
Relive the moment @georgiatb clinched a remarkable silver on the last leg of the triathlon mixed relay#WTCSLeedspic.twitter.com/9KxqkBDPGt
It was a different line-up to the one that would have been expected coming into the weekend, with Olympic champions Alex Yee and Jonny Brownlee both absent after crashes on Saturday.
That meant that Tom Bishop and Grant Sheldon filled in, while Sophie Coldwell, a reserve in Tokyo last summer and a bronze-medallist in the individual, produced an impressive second leg to keep Great Britain in the hunt.
On Saturday Taylor-Brown and Sophie Coldwell gave the home crowd plenty to cheer as they earned podium finishes in the women’s event.
Taylor-Brown took silver and Coldwell bronze on an action-packed day in Rounday Park, with the Olympic individual silver medallist recovering from a ‘rubbish start’ to battle her way through a crowded field.
A determined run saw the 28-year-old reel in her compatriot and though she couldn’t quite close the gap on eventual winner Cassandre Beaugrand, a runners-up finish extended Taylor-Brown’s lead in the overall world series standings following victory in Yokohama last time out.
She said: “I’m so proud of Soph, and it’s so nice to share the podium with another Brit. The crowd were incredible, you just hear your name all over the course and they keep pushing you all the way to the end. They definitely got us round.”
Coldwell set the pace in the water and on the bike and held off a late surge from Taylor Spivey to seal her second successive bronze medal in Leeds.
“It feels pretty epic,” she said. “I don’t know why I was so nervous coming into this race.
“I’m so glad to be back racing and to get back on the podium, especially here. I’m over the moon, I can’t ask for anything more.”
Beth Potter finished fifth after recording the third-quickest split time on the run, with Sian Rainsley 15th and Kate Waugh 29th on her Leeds debut.
In the men’s race, defending champion Yee was unable to defend his crown after a multi-bike collision ended the afternoon prematurely for both the 23-year-old and Brownlee.