Nice Britain claimed a 3rd triathlon medal in Paris within the combined relay however have been downgraded from silver to bronze after a dramatic photograph end.
Britain received the inaugural Olympic title within the format in Tokyo and appeared in a really sturdy place when particular person bronze medallist Beth Potter started the final leg within the lead.
However Potter couldn’t match the tempo of Germany’s Laura Lindemann on the ultimate dash and was simply pipped by Taylor Knibb of the USA in a photograph end.
Potter was initially given second place, however following a assessment of the photograph end by race officers she was downgraded to 3rd.
“The run leg was tough, I think I was a bit tired from the bike,” Potter mentioned. “I got a bit detached in the first leg, but managed to get myself back into the mix, and then was just all in for the last 200 metres.
“I believed we’d have had the silver, however we bought a bronze. Nonetheless a medal.”
Particular person males’s champion Alex Yee gave the British crew the right begin, whereas Georgia Taylor-Brown – like Yee a member of the Tokyo quartet – and Sam Dickinson saved them in entrance across the streets of Paris.
There was once more doubt about whether or not the race would happen as scheduled after one other drop in water high quality within the Seine, whereas Belgium have been compelled to withdraw due to sickness to certainly one of their athletes, Claire Michel.
Belgian media reported Michel was affected by an E. Coli an infection following the person race. Belgian Triathlon has been contacted for remark.
Switzerland additionally made a substitution to their supposed line-up after Adrian Briffod fell sick, intensifying the highlight on the organising committee’s resolution to make swimming within the Seine such a central a part of the Video games.
After victory within the ladies’s race for Cassandre Beaugrand, France would have been assured of one other gold right here, however catastrophe struck for them late on the second lap of the bike when Pierre Le Corre tangled with Hayden Wilde and fell.
Nice Britain’s Beth Potter and Samuel Dickinson following the Combined Relay Triathlon
Yee shortly took the lead on the run and handed over to Taylor-Brown with a small benefit, whereas Le Corre was 40 seconds down, his crew already out of competition.
Taylor-Brown prolonged the lead on the swim however paid for having to do a solo time trial on the bike and pale on the finish of the run, with Germany’s Lisa Tertsch overtaking her.
Sam Dickinson pulled out throughout the person race after serving to Yee, and he made a robust begin within the water earlier than working effectively with Germany’s Lasse Luehrs to tug away on the entrance.
Dickinson handed over to Potter with a five-second lead, which she initially prolonged earlier than being caught by Knibb and Lindemann late within the bike leg.
Potter is a really sturdy runner however the brief distance, only one.9 kilometres in comparison with 10km within the full triathlon, favoured Lindemann.
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