Team GB wins bronze medal at Paris Olympics in women’s triathlon after controversial event is allowed to go ahead

BETH POTTER has been crowned as an Olympic medallist after claiming bronze in the women’s triathlon.

It comes following days of uncertainty after practice sessions were cancelled and the men’s event was postponed due to water pollution in the river Seine.

But as organisers controversially gave the go-ahead for the race to take place, the British contingent hoped to add more medals following a strong Monday and Tuesday showing from Team GB.

The world champion emerged from the 1.5km swimming leg of the event 20 seconds off the lead of Bermuda’s Flora Duffy and down in fifth place.

Tricky conditions in the 40km bike ride saw a number of riders fall off their bikes as they tried to navigate the Paris cobbles.

A fall for Brazil’s Lopes Vittoria Lopes saw Potter forced to quickly weave out of the way to avoid crashing while going round one corner.

The 32-year-old showed great skill to power on and get herself to the front of the pack as a number of other riders also fell victim to the weather – with Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair left in tears at the road side as she retired from the race.

She then vied for the lead with Duffy in the leading pack, which fellow Brit Georgia Taylor-Brown had also managed to bring herself into.

Potter kept herself in the medal mix in the leading pack for the remainder of the bike leg alongside Taylor-Brown.

The changeover from the bike to 10km run then saw them manage to keep pace with the leading pack, with Potter close on the heels while Taylor-Brown dropped off.

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But on the final lap, Potter appeared to be struggling as Cassandre Beaugrand won gold and Julie Derron claimed silver.

Taylor-Brown went on to finish a respectable sixth place after a year hampered by injury.

Team GB’s third star of the event, Kate Waugh, also finished in 15th.

Reacting to her achievement, Potter told BBC Sport: “I’m so happy, I was going for gold but they were too good for me.

“I’ve come a long way in eight years and I’m so happy to be here,” she said.

“I feel like I did it for everyone who backed me and helped me in the last eight years and for everyone back home. I dug really deep and found something else to get over the line.

“I tried to stay in the top five, my coaches told me stay near the front and out the way. I avoided a couple of crashes and it was just about staying safe.

“They said it was going to be dry, obviously it was wet. But I live in Leeds, I’m used to that! Just wanted to avoid silly mistakes really.”

Alex Yee and Sam Dickinson will be hoping to emulate her success when the rearranged men’s triathlon gets underway at 9.45am.

The event was originally due to take place yesterday, but was rearranged to today after the river Seine was deemed to have unsafe water quality levels.

More than £1billion had been spent on getting the waterway up to standard.

However, rainfall last week saw the water quality levels drop dramatically.