Beth Potter relieved to have toughed it out for a triathlon bronze medal

Great Britain’s world champion Beth Potter was relieved to come away with an Olympic medal after claiming bronze in the women’s triathlon behind home favourite Cassandre Beaugrand.

Potter, who won the test event around the streets of Paris last year, was one of the favourites for Olympic gold but ultimately she could not match the pace of winner Beaugrand, with Switzerland’s Julie Derron in second.

“Just relief,” said Potter when asked about her emotions. “This day has been in the calendar for a long time and to come away with a medal, I’m just over the moon.

“I just knew that I could tough it out longer than someone else. Gold was in my mind but I just wasn’t good enough today. I’m happy. Gold would have been great but I got a medal.”

The women’s race was able to take place as scheduled after the water quality in the Seine was deemed safe for swimming, with the delayed men’s race slotted in shortly after.

Tokyo silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown finished sixth, with the third British athlete Kate Waugh in 15th.

Finally, the early morning organisers’ meeting on Wednesday brought good news, with the river deemed swimmable for the first time since Friday’s deluge caused elevated levels of bacteria.

There was more rain on Tuesday night but the skies cleared as the athletes dived into the water below Pont Alexandre III, the Eiffel Tower providing the spectacular backdrop that had convinced organisers to take such a big gamble.

Potter shrugged off the water problems, saying she had “no issues” swimming in the Seine, with the only real difficulty provided by the strong current.

Defending champion Flora Duffy from Bermuda, who was made a Dame in the 2022 New York Honours following her Tokyo triumph, took the lead early in the swim but Potter and Taylor-Brown made sure they stayed in touch.

Potter emerged from the water in fifth, with Taylor-Brown 10th, and a lead group of 10 formed on the bike after Duffy was reeled in on the second lap.

The wet roads around central Paris caused several riders to slip and fall but the leading contenders all stayed upright through the 40 kilometres  and headed off on the 10km run.

The pace from the start was fierce and Taylor-Brown was among those unable to cling on as a lead group of four formed.

Beaugrand, who lives and trains in Loughborough, made her move early in the final lap and Potter could not go with her, the British athlete also losing touch with Derron and looking round often at France’s Emma Lombardi just behind her.

But Potter hung on for a medal, Britain’s third in a row in women’s triathlon at the Olympics.

The Scot was making her Olympic debut in triathlon but raced in the 10,000 metres on the track in Rio eight years ago before making the switch.

Potter trains with the Brownlee brothers in Leeds, and two-time Olympic champion Alistair was among those watching from the Paris roadside.

She hailed their influence on her career, saying: “The Brownlees have been a massive part of my journey, and they’re the reason I moved to do triathlon. I train with Alistair day in, day out, and he’s such a big part of my journey, and Jonny as well.

“I moved in with Jonny when I first moved to Leeds. They’re always the first to message me before and after races and they believe in me.”

There was disappointment for Taylor-Brown, who had battled to overcome a calf injury in time to make the team but could not add another medal to her individual silver and relay gold from Tokyo.

“I’m disappointed to not walk away with a medal but I always say all I can do is give it my everything and that’s exactly what I did,” she said.

“I just had nothing today, I had nothing on the run, which is a shame, obviously. The timing’s not great to have empty legs but it is what it is.”