Team GB claimed triathlon mixed relay bronze to open day 10 in thrilling fashion with a photo finish on Pont Alexandre III.
The quartet of Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Sam Dickinson and Beth Potter were always in the mix, before it came down to a sprint finish between Potter and American Taylor Knibb for second.
Germany claimed gold and Team GB were initially awarded silver before a review lodged by the USA saw that Knibb had finished millimetres ahead of Potter as Team GB claimed bronze.
Their bronze sees GB add to the gold won at Tokyo 2020 as they and the USA become the only two nations to win medals at both Olympic stagings of the relay.
Men’s individual Olympic champion Yee took on the first leg and emerged out of the River Seine in eighth position and was quickly part of the front group on the bike.
Yee made it round the 7km bike course safely while individual silver medallist Hayden Wilde of New Zealand crashed on a turn and took one of the favourites for a medal Pierre Le Corre of France with him to harm home hopes of a medal.
“I'm so proud of the team,” Yee said. “What an amazing day for our sport. I hope we all put on a show for you guys.
An absolutely thrilling finish in the mixed triathlon relay! 😮
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 5, 2024
Beth Potter gave it everything in that final leg but it's Germany who take the gold. #BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/dvuKgpmnyG
“Just an amazing day really.”
On the run was where Yee built a slim lead as the Lewisham native stretched ahead of Germany giving Taylor-Brown a three-second advantage as she took over on the second leg.
A strong swim from Taylor-Brown, who alongside Yee won mixed relay gold in Tokyo, set her up to build a clear lead on the bike and was only overtaken as she and German’y Lisa Tertsch head into the tag point for the third leg.
Taylor-Brown added: “It was quite nice to be at the front. Do your own thing, take your own lines and just commit.
“We all had our individual plans, and I think we executed them pretty well today.”
Dickinson then took over to deliver on the role he had been selected for having pulled out of the run in the men’s individual race.
And he did deliver – putting in the fastest run of the third leg to hand over to individual bronze medallist Potter with a five-second lead.
“Very happy with that,” the York native said.
“A clinical relay performance start to finish really, no mistakes.
“When you’re relaying, it's important to be at the front, and I think we showed that today with a cracking team performance.
“I handed over to Beth with full faith in her, but she has got the hardest leg of the day going at the end and she smashed it.”
The Scottish athlete held a lead until the bike leg when she was overtaken by Germany’s Laura Lindemann and Taylor Knibb of the USA, who has also competed in road cycling in Paris.
Potter stayed in touching distance on the bike and led out of the transition before being overtaken on the 1.9km run.
Just like Yee in the individual event, Potter had to dig deep to close the two-second gap on Knibb and the pair were neck-and-neck right until the finish with Knibb getting the call for silver on review.
Team GB’s bronze also means that Great Britain have claimed three medals in triathlon as they have done at the last two Games.
Sportsbeat 2024