Olympics 2024 LIVE: Beth Potter wins gutsy triathlon bronze before Alex Yee races for Team GB

Here’s the new Olympic champion in the women’s triathlon, hometown star Cassandre Beaugrand – who lives and trains in England – who clocked a time of 1:54:55 to claim gold.

“I just can’t believe it, I need someone to pinch me! It’s not just my medal, it’s all of France. I want to say thank you to them for accepting me and pushing me all the way.

“I used to ride in the rain, my very bad memory from Tokyo when I didn’t finish the race, I was out of my comfort zone when it was wet. I feel like English people have helped me a lot!

“It was hard to stay focused because the crowd, I couldn’t hear any more it was so mad! Georgia [Taylor-Brown] said to me to enjoy it, it’s one time in your life, she was right.”

“I was happy to make the front pack and the girls were amazing. The girls went on the run and I had nothing in me. It was a great race.

“The water was horrible! It was not fun on the way back in under the bridge, that was really hard. You don’t think about ti during the race you just battle through and get it done!”

“I’m going to cry the first time I get interviewed! I was in a really good position at the swim and at the first buoy I got caught in the chaos. I decided to go all-in on the bike, knew I was out of the medals but just went all in.

“It shows the stregth we have in GB, very pleased for Beth. She’s one of the hardest workers out there and very inspiring.”

All three Brits have crossed the line now with some tremendous finishes across the board. Taylor-Brown in seventh, +1:40; Kate Waugh in 15th, +2:53.

Emma Lombardi is the unfortunate but brilliant athlete today though – in the group leading throughout but finishing fourth and without a medal.

Here are the GB trio talking to BBC Sport!

Beth Potter takes the bronze medal and she’s up first:

“I’m so happy, I was going for gold but they were too good for me. Ive 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.”

Almost a wobble for Beaugrand as she comes oto the bridge – but she gathers herself and powers home over the finish line!

She’s down, finish flag wrapped around her, emotional and triumphant.

Derrons comes in second six seconds later… and it’s bronze for Beth Potter! Another GB medal as she beats out Lombardi, six seconds clear of the the second Frenchwoman over the line.

Brilliant race from the Brit.

Potter is in a real battle now to hang onto third, she’s looking spent if we’re judging on facial expressions. She just needs to keep it together to edge out Lombardi and stay on the podium spots.

Cassandre Beaugrand is powering home, down to the final stretch – there’s never been a French Olympic triathlon champion. What a time for it to happen!

“It’s impossible to quantify, but the delirious French crowd have surely played a big part in this race. They have made an incredible noise on every part of the circuit and Beaugrand has responded magnificently. She’s almost home.”

Beaugrand in the lead. Derron, Potter, Lombardi respectively chasing but they are all very close still – nobody has been able to pull away but the Parisian Beaugrand is just starting to try to do so. She’s looking very, very strong right now – and this gap is indeed widening.

That gold medal is well within her sights!

Potter in bronze at the moment but she’s going to have to really work hard at this if she wants anything higher, it’s looking tough right now.

Five seconds the gap from Beaugrand to Derrons! The crowd cheering her on furiously.

Around the final bend of the third and it’s just over 2.5km to the finish line for this leading pack – still all four of them in the hunt – Derron tries to take a stride away, Beaugrand reacts to push forward in front and the other two simply follow, the speed raised and the stakes couldn’t be higher!

Potter in third as they turn back on themselves and the crowd are roaring on the quartet – or at least the two French athletes. Allez les Bleues ringing out over and over.

It is going to be some finish here as they go over the bridge, the end of lap three. Two-and-a-half km to go.

Lawrence Ostlere in prime position to offer another update and a great photo too:

“Potter has just gone past in this lead group of tour, by an electronic sign signalling there are only two laps left. She looks relatively composed and calm in second place behind Derron of Switzerland. The medals could be decided by a sprint finish here…”

Taylor-Brown has fallen away from that pack of course then, about 25 to 30 seconds or so back from this leading quartet as they hit the halfway point of the run. Duffy, Spivey and one or two others have similarly fallen off the pace.

The leaders have in fact just lapped those trailing from the back after the bike transition.

We’ll have medal-winners crossing the line within the next 20 minutes or so.

One main photo left, of course, and that’s crossing the finish line. Who will be doing it first to be claiming gold?

Can tell you that already the group of nine from the bikes has become four, possibly five, in the run.

It’s very quickly looking like one out of GB’s Beth Potter, Swiss Julie Derron and two French athletes, Cassandre Beaugrand and Emma Lombardi, will be triumphing here today.

Also given it’s four of them, one will be going very close to winning but ending up without a medal. Brutal. This promises to be an epic finale to the women’s triathlon.