Great Britain claimed a third triathlon medal in Paris in the mixed relay but were downgraded from silver to bronze after a dramatic photo finish.
Britain won the inaugural Olympic title in the format in Tokyo and looked in a very strong position when individual bronze medallist Beth Potter began the last leg in the lead.
But Potter could not match the pace of Germany’s Laura Lindemann on the final sprint and was just pipped by Taylor Knibb of the United States in a photo finish.
Potter was initially given second place, but following a review of the photo finish by race officials she was downgraded to third.
Individual men’s champion Alex Yee gave the British team the perfect start, while Georgia Taylor-Brown – like Yee a member of the Tokyo quartet – and Sam Dickinson kept them in front around the streets of Paris.
There was again doubt about whether the race would take place as scheduled after another drop in water quality in the Seine, while Belgium were forced to withdrew because of illness to one of their athletes, Claire Michel.
Belgian media reported Michel was suffering from an E. Coli infection following the individual race. Belgian Triathlon has been contacted for comment.
Great Britain have been downgraded from silver to bronze in the mixed relay following a review of the photo finish by race officials
Switzerland also made a substitution to their intended line-up after Adrian Briffod fell ill, intensifying the spotlight on the organising committee’s decision to make swimming in the Seine such a central part of the Games.
After victory in the women’s race for Cassandre Beaugrand, France would have been confident of another gold here, but disaster struck for them late on the second lap of the bike when Pierre Le Corre tangled with Hayden Wilde and fell.
Yee quickly took the lead on the run and handed over to Taylor-Brown with a small advantage, while Le Corre was 40 seconds down, his team already out of contention.
Taylor-Brown extended the lead on the swim but paid for having to do a solo time trial on the bike and faded at the end of the run, with Germany’s Lisa Tertsch overtaking her.
Great Britain’s Beth Potter and Samuel Dickinson following the Mixed Relay Triathlon
Sam Dickinson pulled out during the individual race after helping Yee, and he made a strong start in the water before working well with Germany’s Lasse Luehrs to pull away at the front.
Dickinson handed over to Potter with a five-second lead, which she initially extended before being caught by Knibb and Lindemann late in the bike leg.
Potter is a very strong runner but the short distance, only 1.9 kilometres compared to 10km in the full triathlon, favoured Lindemann.
How to follow the Olympics on Sky
Keep up to date with the action from the Paris 2024 Olympics across Sky Sports‘ digital platforms and Sky Sports News every day between now and Sunday August 11.
Alongside live news blogs and updates as records are broken and medals won on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app, Sky Sports News will also have dedicated reporters on the scene in Paris during the Games to gather the latest news both inside and outside the arenas in France as well as reaction to the big moments from medal winners, coaches, relatives and pundits.
Launching this August, Sky Sports+ will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app – giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Stream The new EFL season, Test cricket and more top sport with NOW.
