Today marked the Olympic debut of triathlon’s mixed team relay. And the fast, short, strategic format delivered an exciting nail-biter of a race.
While Great Britain appeared to have pulled ahead of the U.S. and the rest of the field, France’s indomitable Vincent Luis closed the gap on his anchor leg—setting up a brutal final two-kilometer battle between Luis and super runners Britain’s Alex Yee and American Morgan Pearson.
It was Yee first to the finish, followed by the U.S., and then France. See the full race recap here.
The first leg of the 17 teams competing in the inaugural Olympic mixed relay dive in.
A four-person breakway, with Britain’s Jessica Learmonth and America’s Katie Zaferes, got away on the bike and stayed away.
Spectators lined the roads for the mixed relay. Word got out that triathlon was the only event Tokyo residents would really be able to watch.
Learmonth transitions on the first leg of the relay. In such a short event, quick transitions are key.
Jonny Brownlee does a running dive in for the second leg of the relay. He ultimately was able to create a gap for Team GB.
American Kevin McDowell hung in with the four-person group on the second leg, and handed off in second.
For the first two legs of the relay, it was all about these four teams. But things can change quickly.
Athletes fought extra deep to be there for their team and their country.
By the time the third leg rolled around, American Taylor Knibb and France’s Cassandra Beaugrand were trying to close a gap to Britain in first.
After a hard charge out of transition, Great Britain’s Alex Yee ran away with the final leg.
The British cheer on their teammates and greet their anchor at the finish line.
The American team of Katie Zaferes, Kevin McDowell, Taylor Knibb, and Morgan Pearson claim second.
The British team (Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Jessica Learmonth, and Jonny Brownlee) win the first-ever Olympic gold medal in team relay.