Cassandre Beaugrand of France delivered a textbook run to claim an emotional win in the women’s triathlon at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, securing France’s first individual Olympic medal in the sport. The race, which received the green light following early morning pollution tests, saw Beaugrand emerge as a frontrunner from the outset. She then surged ahead with a kilometer remaining in the 10km run to take gold, crossing the finish line in a time of 1 hour, 54:55.
Julie Derron of Switzerland continued her country’s impressive Olympic triathlon legacy, finishing six seconds behind Beaugrand to add a silver medal to the golds won by Brigitte McMahon in 2000 and Nicola Spirig in 2012. Meanwhile, world champion Georgia Taylor-Brown of Great Britain further solidified Britain’s dominance in the sport, claiming bronze nine seconds behind Derron, bringing the nation’s total Olympic medals in triathlon to nine.
The women’s event got underway following a rainstorm, in contrast to the postponed men’s race on Tuesday due to poor water quality. Defending champion Flora Duffy, the winner of Bermuda’s sole Olympic gold and a remarkable participant in her fifth Olympics at the age of 36, led the 1,500-meter Seine swim. A group of nine, including all the main contenders, chased Duffy, but the heavy rain and several cobblestone sections on the bike leg created treacherous conditions, resulting in a series of crashes.
Except for Germany’s Laura Lindemann, the leaders navigated the seven-lap 40km bike route safely. The lack of hills meant the athletes arrived en masse for the 10km run. However, after the first of four 2.5 km laps, Potter, Derron, local favorites Emma Lombardi, and Beaugrand had broken away from the pack. The quartet ran together until halfway through the final lap when Beaugrand made her decisive move, securing the greatest moment of her career. Lombardi finished a frustrated fourth, while Duffy, despite a year-long absence due to a knee injury, delivered an impressive fifth-place finish.
The men’s race was scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
