Outlook Sports Desk
Cassandre Beaugrand of France won the women's triathlon at the Paris Olympics in front of thousands of home crowd.
Beaugrand claimed the gold medal with a time of an hour, 54 minutes & 55 seconds edging Julie Derron of Switzerland by six seconds. Britain's Beth Potter captured bronze.32
Great Britain's Alex Yee clinched the gold medal in men's individual triathlon race at the Paris Games 2024.
Yee overtook New Zealand's Hayden Wilde in the final stretch to win by six seconds.
Podium:
Alex Yee (Great Britain): 1:43:33
Hayden Wilde (New Zealand): 1:43:39
Leo Bergere (France): 1:43:43
With win in the men's triathlon on Wednesday, July 31, Alex Yee becomes the only athlete to win both the individual (at Paris 2024) and mixed relay (at Tokyo 2020) triathlon at the Olympic Games.
The triathlon event faced controversies, concerns, threats and delays due to elevated bacteria levels in the Seine River, a body of water where swimming had been banned for over a century. However, after last-minute tests confirmed the water met safety standards, the swimming portion of the triathlon was held in the historic waters. This was a major milestone for the Paris Olympics!
The athletes kicked off the swimming portion of the Triathlon near the Pont Alexandre III, a bridge that spans the famed Paris waterway. Some of the triathletes dipped their swim goggles in the Seine before putting them on. A memorable swim it was indeed!
The project to clean the Seine costed 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in infrastructure improvements. Giant underground storage tanks were constructed to capture stormwater during heavy rains, preventing it from overwhelming the sewer system and flowing into the river.
A glimpse from the cycling part of the women's triathlon at the Paris Games 2024.