Paris, 31 July 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Cassandra Beaugrand attacked in the closing stages to claim gold in the Olympic women's triathlon in front of an ecstatic French home crowd, with the event going ahead after the Seine was declared safe to swim in a few hours earlier.

World ranking leader Beaugrand broke a four-strong leader group to get France's sixth gold of the Paris Games, six seconds ahead of Swiss Julie Derron. Britain's Beth Potter got bronze as the second French athlete, Emma Lombardi, missed out in fourth.

Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Flora Duffy of Bermuda led the 1.5 km swim but was caught in the 40 km cycling portion before a nine-strong leader group was soon split early in the concluding 10 km run.

Conditions were treacherous, with athletes facing a nasty current in the Seine, and slippery roads on the bike after overnight rain which led to several crashes which included German medal contender Laura Lindemann. Norway's Lotte Miller even fell twice.

Organizers had confirmed earlier that the races could go ahead as planned after the Seine was deemed clean enough to swim in. Water quality issues had led to the postponement of the men's race from Tuesday to later Wednesday.

Photo: EPA