Georgia Taylor-Brown clinches record third supertri title, Alex Yee finishes with a flourish in Neom
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Published 03/11/2024 at 14:48 GMT
Georgia Taylor-Brown, the most decorated female triathlete in Olympic Games history, added a record third supertri title to her collection. But the Brit did not do it the easy way, finishing two seconds ahead of Team GB team-mate Beth Potter to seal the crown despite crossing the line in fourth. Alex Yee clinched his second win of the season in Neom via a dramatic three-way sprint finish.
Beaugrand seals ‘perfect race’ with win in Neom as Taylor-Brown scoops supertri title
Video credit: TNT Sports
Georgia Taylor-Brown clinched a record third supertri title by two seconds, despite finishing fourth in the final race of the season in Neom, Saudi Arabia.
Olympic champion and Crown Racing team-mate Cassandre Beaugrand claimed her first individual win of the season, crossing the line in a time of 53:25 in sweltering conditions.
Taylor-Brown was counting on the French triathlete pipping closest overall challenger Jeanne Lehair to the top of the podium, with fifth place not enough to secure the title outright.
Third-place Leonie Periault overtook the Brit on the final run, but Taylor-Brown dug deep to hold off Beth Potter by two seconds and become the first athlete to win three supertri crowns.
“I really did do it the hard way,” Taylor-Brown told Eurosport. “I thought I needed third and then Non [Stanford] told me I just needed fourth. So I was hanging on for that fourth spot today.
“When Leonie [Periault] went past me, I was like, I don’t have anything anymore. I was kind of out the back the whole race and not the best day for me.
“It’s weird winning the title and not being on the podium for the individual race. But I got the title and that’s all I came for today.
“It’s really special. No one has ever won three titles in history so I’m really quite proud of this one, especially after the hard year post Olympics. So it’s nice to know that I can still be up there and still do it.”
Despite becoming the most decorated female triathlete at the Olympics with a bronze in the mixed relay, there was disappointment for the 30-year-old in the women’s race.
Taylor-Brown failed to upgrade her silver medal from Tokyo and came sixth, with Potter scooping bronze behind Beaugrand and Julie Derron.
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Yee finishes with a flourish but misses overall podium
Two-time Olympic champion Alex Yee won a three-way sprint to the line to get his second race win of the supertri season on the board.
An indifferent middle stretch after winning the season opener in Boston meant Yee was out of contention for the overall title, taken by Paris silver medallist Hayden Wilde.
And Yee, who climbed to overall fourth, pipped Wilde to the line on Sunday, as well as overall runner-up Leo Bergere, who joined the pair on the podium.
The 26-year-old admitted that his two-medal haul in the French capital over the summer hampered his supertri goals, but was pleased to go out with a bang.
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‘Does it get any better than that?!’ - Yee sprints to supertri success in Neom
Video credit: TNT Sports
“These guys have been putting on a show for the last few races and I haven’t been there so I’m glad I could take part this time,” Yee told Eurosport.
“I came in here with no expectations, trying to have fun, wanting to put on a show for the people back home, make people smile and enjoy our racing.
“The first and last race were a sign of what could have been. But if I’m being honest, I probably let the emotions of winning the Olympics take its toll in the middle of the year.
“I’ve come over that little blip and I’m absolutely loving being back racing and the simplicity of what the sport’s all about.”
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