Team GB's Alex Yee wins men's triathlon gold

Alex Yee makes a triumphant return to win the gold medal for Team Great Britain in the men's triathlon event with a time of 45 minutes.

Alex Yee from Team GB managed to overtake Hayden Wilde from New Zealand, who was in the lead by 14 seconds going into the last 2.5km. (0:45)

On July 31, 2024 at 11:43 in the morning, the blog was published.

PARIS -- Alex Yee made an exciting last-minute push to secure the gold medal in the men's triathlon on Wednesday with an impressive sprint to the finish line. Meanwhile, Beth Potter won the bronze medal in the women's race, adding to Team GB's triumphant day at the Olympic Games.

Yee was in a good position to win the gold medal in both swimming and cycling, but he started the 10-kilometer run at a slower pace. New Zealand's Hyden Wilde took the lead with a 14-second gap.

However, the 26-year-old British athlete made a powerful sprint during the last 2.5km lap, narrowing the distance between her and Wilde before passing her just before the finish line.

Yee successfully defended his silver medal in the men's individual event from Tokyo, where he also clinched gold in the mixed team competition.

Team GB has shown once again that they are the top competitors in this event by winning three gold medals in the men's division in the last four Games. With Potter's bronze medal, Britain has now earned a total of eight medals in this sport since it was introduced at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Potter competed in a tough race where she completed the swimming portion in fifth place but managed to take the lead during the bike race. The 32-year-old athlete triumphed in the previous year's trial event in Paris, thanks to her strong running abilities. She was accompanied by fellow countrywoman Georgia Taylor-Brown in the group leading the final 10km run.

The outcome of the race was unclear for a while as a small group of four athletes, including Potter, Cassandre Beaugrand, Flora Duffy from Bermuda, and Julie Derron from Switzerland, took the lead. But in the end, it was the French competitor who displayed the most determination and won the gold medal, with Derron finishing in second place.

Taylor-Brown came in sixth position.

Potter expressed his joy in an interview with the BBC, stating, "I had hoped to win the gold, but Cassandre and Julie outperformed me today. Nevertheless, I am extremely pleased to have won the bronze. It has been a journey of many years, and I am ecstatic to have achieved a medal at this moment."

All three winners fell to the ground after finishing the race.

The Paris government devoted €1.5 billion ($1.4bn) to a plan to purify the Seine river, as it will be used for the Olympic triathlon races and marathon swim. Nevertheless, ongoing worries about pollution in the water caused officials to have only a "60% confidence" that the races would happen as scheduled.

Officials received additional sample data results at 4 a.m. in the morning and decided that the race could go on as planned. The men's race, which was supposed to happen on Tuesday, was delayed because of worries about the water's cleanliness.

Therefore, everyone was focused on the swimming portion, where Duffy emerged from the water in first place and Potter in fifth. However, it was the cycling section that presented the triathletes with the most immediate difficulties.

During the night, rain fell on the course with cobblestones, causing it to become slippery. This resulted in several riders crashing, most notably Norway's Lottie Miller, who fell twice and had to withdraw from the race.

Potter mentioned that the weather forecast predicted a dry day, but it turned out to be very wet. Living and training in Leeds has prepared him for such conditions, as he has completed numerous sessions in the rain with his teammates.

"I was ready and didn't want to make any foolish errors, so I made sure to remain on the right path and prioritize safety at all times."

Potter achieved Olympic redemption after transitioning from track to triathlon following her 34th place finish in the 10,000-metres at Rio 2016.

Shortly after Yee finished the race, the women's quadruple sculls final in rowing had an intense finish that saw Team GB narrowly beat the Netherlands at the last moment after trailing for the entire race.

Team Great Britain earned another diving medal on Wednesday, with Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson securing the bronze in the synchronized women's 10-meter platform event.

Lingering near the top positions, the duo's last dive propelled them to third place, where they held steady through a tense period of uncertainty.