Georgia Taylor-Brown left wondering what might have been at Paris 2024

By James Toney in Paris

Manchester's Georgia Taylor-Brown was left to reflect on what might have been after just missing the triathlon medals in Paris.

Taylor-Brown is ranked just outside the world's top 20 but was right in the mix after the swim and bike.

But she faded on the run, admitting she was puzzled why her good form evaporated as France's Cassandre Beaugrand took gold, ahead of Switzerland's Julie Derron and Team GB's Beth Potter.

She crossed the line in 1:56:35, just under two minutes behind the gold medallist.

"I would have loved to walk away with an individual medal but I know that after the past eight months - with the injury problems I've had - that's all I could have done,” said Taylor-Brown, who is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – which has been vital on their pathway to the Paris 2024 Games. .

"I just had nothing in the legs unfortunately, they felt totally empty, but it is what it is.

"I just didn't have it on the run, but I gave it everything. I've been feeling really good in the lead up to this and been training the best that I have ever probably, so I don't know what happened. We're not robots, we do have bad days sometimes."

The water quality in the Seine has been the talking point of recent days, despite the high-profile efforts of French authorities to clean it up at a reported cost of £1bn.

The men's race was already delayed 24 hours and Taylor-Brown, went to bed not knowing whether she'd race in the morning.

Organisers got their wish, the race a two-hour television showcase for Paris' postcard landmarks, a grand stage for a French leading lady, who crossed the line on the Pont Alexander III to cheers that rumbled across the city.

But the question remains at what cost?

The staging of the Games has forced politicians to finally act on the embarrassing water quality of the Seine, where swimming has been banned since 1923 due to pollution levels.

But many of these athletes are due to race again in next week's team event - if they can stay healthy.

Taylor-Brown took a cocktail of pre and probiotics and lined her stomach with peptobismol, she'd barely caught her breath before she was gurgling mouthwash.

"In a way it was kind of nice and relaxed you a little bit more because you just went with the flow and didn't know what was going to happen," she added.

"I woke up and saw that it was on and so got myself ready, in the zone and ready to race."

France and Great Britain look the ones to beat in the team event, with Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee likely to be the only returning members of the gold medal winning quartet from Tokyo.

"Hopefully I can get a start in the relay team, but we will see how it goes," said Taylor-Brown. "I'd love to go back out there and get another Olympic medal; we've got a really strong team, so we've got to focus on that now."

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