Alex Yee wins Olympic triathlon gold for Team GB in Paris after Beth Potter's bronze (2024)

Published

31 July 2024

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Great Britain’s Alex Yee produced a sensational sprint finish to claim Olympic triathlon gold, after Beth Potter battled to bronze in the women's race.

In a dramatic conclusion on the banks of the River Seine, Yee upgraded his Tokyo silver as he overhauled rival Hayden Wilde in the closing stages.

Yee, 26, crossed the line after one hour 43 minutes 33 seconds to finish six seconds clear of New Zealand's Wilde, who won bronze three years ago and looked set to triumph after opening a 15-second lead on the run.

However, Yee displayed his class to time his finish to perfection after being led out superbly on the bike leg by team-mate Sam Dickinson, who sacrificed himself to aid Yee's bid.

"I’m so grateful to everyone who's been in my corner for the past three years. That was for them," Yee told BBC Sport.

"At 5km [on the run leg] I was going through a really bad patch and with 2.5km to go I thought 'I'm going to give myself one last chance at this and not give up', and here we are."

That success came two hours after world champion Potter, 32, held on for third as Cassandre Beaugrand emerged victorious from a lead group of four to deliver gold for host nation France, who also celebrated Leo Bergere's men's bronze.

Beaugrand, 27, crossed the line in one hour 54 minute 55 seconds to win the women's race, six seconds ahead of Switzerland's Julie Derron and 15 clear of Potter, who finished 34th in the women's 10,000m at Rio 2016.

Both races only went ahead after early morning tests on Wednesday showed the water quality in the Seine had reached adequate standards for the swim leg to take place.

The men's race had been postponed by 24 hours on Tuesday after heavy rainfall over the weekend contributed to increased pollution in the river.

The men had their Olympic preparations disrupted after their race was postponed less than five hours before it was due to start on Tuesday.

But the streets of central Paris were lined by outstanding support for a bumper morning of triathlon action, which delivered double medal delight for Team GB.

Great Britain have won more triathlon medals than any nation since the sport obtained Olympic status at Sydney 2000, with Yee's triumph the nation's fourth gold and ninth medal overall in seven Games - with the mixed relay to come.

His gold medal owed much to the stunningly unselfish Dickinson.

In a move to aid his team-mate's bid for victory, Dickinson - selected for Paris over Jonny Brownlee - pushed the pace on the 40km bike leg and pressed on at the start of the 10km run before easing up and pointing at Yee to signal it was now over to him.

Only Wilde - winner of bronze behind Yee in Tokyo - could follow that planned move, but it was the 26-year-old New Zealander who appeared to have superior legs and established a 15-second advantage at halfway in a two-man race for gold.

Yee's deficit was 14 seconds at the start of the final 2.5km lap. He continued to track Wilde before making his decisive move inside the final 500m as Wilde began to tire, leaving his rival unable to respond in the final metres as he completed a remarkable fightback.

It meant Yee, who clutched the tape in disbelief as he crossed the line, emulated two-time champion Alistair Brownlee as the second Briton to win the individual men's triathlon title at an Olympic Games.

"Anything can happen. I am still just that normal guy, I work hard at my sport and I just love what I'm doing," Yee said.

"For me it's amazing I can be in this position and [my team] have worked so hard for me. They came and they lined the streets and everyone gave me a push to get to Hayden."

One of the most remarkable moments in recent triathlon history helped inspire Potter to make the switch to the multi-sport event, following her first taste of Olympic action in 2016.

When she watched as Alistair Brownlee helped carry struggling younger brother Jonny over the finish line in a dramatic conclusion to the 2016 world series, she knew where her future lay.

Moving to Leeds to train with the Brownlees, former physics teacher Potter has maintained an upward trajectory and won her first major medal with Commonwealth bronze in 2022 before securing a first world title in 2023.

With that success asserting her as one of the Olympic gold-medal favourites in Paris, Potter lined up with the additional confidence gained by winning the Olympic test event here last August.

In the end, with her chances of victory gone, the Briton gauged her final effort to perfection to outlast France's Emma Lombardi to secure her first Olympic medal.

"I'm so happy. I was going for the gold but Cassandre and Julie were just too good for me today and I'm super happy to come away with the bronze," Potter told BBC Sport.

“I've come a long way in eight years. I did it for me but I also did it for everyone who has helped me in eight years and believed in me from day one. It is for them back home as well."

Defending champion Flora Duffy, of Bermuda, dominated the opening 1500m swim during which many athletes struggled against the river's current.

But she faded after a chaotic 40km bike leg, which featured several falls on roads greased by morning rain, and ended fifth, behind an intense race for gold.

Beaugrand eventually broke the resistance of her gold medal rivals to delight the huge home crowds lining the streets, and it was Derron and Potter who were able to find the strength at the conclusion of a gruelling race to make the podium.

Tokyo runner-up Georgia Taylor-Brown was sixth - 85 seconds off the medals - while Olympic debutant Kate Waugh was 15th.

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