British world champion Beth Potter took bronze in the women’s triathlon behind local hero Cassandre Beaugrand.
Potter, who won the test competition in the streets of Paris last year, was one of the favorites for Olympic gold, but ultimately she could not keep up with the pace of the winner Beaugrand. Swiss rider Julie Derron came in second.
The women’s race was able to take place as planned after the water quality in the Seine was deemed safe for swimming. The delayed men’s race was scheduled shortly afterwards.
Tokyo silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown finished sixth, while the third British athlete, Kate Waugh, finished 15th.
Finally, the organizers’ meeting early Wednesday morning brought good news: the river was reopened for swimming for the first time since flooding on Friday led to increased bacteria levels.
Rain continued to fall on Tuesday evening, but the skies cleared as the athletes jumped into the water beneath the Pont Alexandre III, with the Eiffel Tower providing the spectacular backdrop that had prompted the organisers to take such a big risk.
Defending champion Flora Duffy of Bermuda, who was named a lady at the 2022 New York Honours following her triumph in Tokyo, took the lead early in the swim, but Potter and Taylor-Brown made sure she stayed close.
Potter came out of the water in fifth place, Taylor-Brown in tenth, and after Duffy was caught on the second lap, a leading group of ten riders formed on the bike.
Several athletes slipped and fell on the wet streets of central Paris, but the leading competitors all remained upright for the 40 kilometers and then set off for the 10 km race.
The pace was enormous from the start and Taylor-Brown was one of those who could not keep up when a leading group of four riders formed.
Beaugrand launched her attack early in the final lap and Potter was unable to keep up. The British athlete also lost contact with Derron and often looked back at France’s Emma Lombardi just behind her.
But Potter took home a medal, Britain’s third in a row in the women’s triathlon at the Olympic Games, and was delighted.
She said: “I wanted gold, but Cassandre (Beaugrand) and Julie (Derron) were just too good for me today. I’m super happy to come away with bronze.”
“My coach told me to stay in the top five and try to stay up front and I stayed out of trouble for the most part. I fell behind a few times on the bike but managed to stay upright and just tried to be sensible and not do anything crazy. Just play it safe.”
On dealing with the slippery track, she said: “It was obviously very wet. I live and train in Leeds so I’m used to these conditions and I’ve done a lot of training sessions with the guys in the wet so I was prepared. I just didn’t want to make any silly mistakes and just tried to stay as safe as possible.”
