Photo finishes and video replays have been a theme of the last couple of days, and they both played a part in a last-minute downgrade for the British relay triathlon team, who found themselves walking up to receive bronze rather than the expected silver.

The USA’s Taylor Knibb, who changed the face of this race with a barnstorming performance in the final cycling leg, admitted afterwards that the upgrade had been a pleasant surprise, after she lined up for the medal ceremony anticipating a bronze.

After 85 minutes of absorbing racing around some of the great landmarks of Paris – which played out underneath the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower – there was only a single second separating the first three teams on the finish line.

The official timings did not run to hundredths of a second, and in fact it might have needed thousandths to separate silver from bronze. Britain’s anchorwoman Beth Potter charged back to stand all but level with Knibb on the finish line of Pont Alexandre III, with Germany’s Laura Lindemann perhaps two metres ahead.

The big screen initially flashed up “photo finish”, and organisers then gave Great Britain the benefit of the doubt, based on a still taken from the video footage. But when the official photos arrived, Knibb was fractionally ahead.

British performance director Mike Cavendish accepted the decision, saying: “They want to be able to put something up as soon as they can, and they thought it looked clear, but when you get the photo finish from both sides, it doesn’t look the same way.

“To be fair to World Triathlon, they went and got me the footage straightaway, and as soon as you zoom in you can see it’s very, very tight but it is clear.”

How did the athletes feel? “Yeah, of course they’re disappointed, they would like to win a silver not a bronze, but I think that passes pretty quickly when they realise ultimately it’s an Olympic medal. An unbelievable race, it’s a fantastic advert for our sport, and that disappointment dissipates pretty quickly.”

It looked like Great Britain had the race in their hands when individual bronze medallist Beth Potter entered the run in first position – albeit by only a few metres. A former 10,000-metre athlete who competed in that discipline in the Rio Olympics, she is known for being the best distance runner in this sport.

But there were a couple of factors against her. Firstly, the relay race only involves an 1800-metre run, which lasts around five and a half minutes for the women, as opposed to roughly half an hour for the equivalent leg of the individual triathlon.

Secondly, the good work of her team-mates had left Potter to cycle alone, whereas Lindemann enjoyed the chance to draft behind the phenomenal Knibb.

The split times in this race showed that the two British men – Alex Yee and Sam Dickinson – had outpaced their main rivals, while the two women – Potter and Georgia Taylor-Brown – compared unfavourably. But that is partly because the women had to cycle alone at the front of the field, whereas the men did not. Perversely, it is often a disadvantage in triathlon to be front-runners.

“We’ve talked about it quite a lot as a team,” said Cavendish. “Do you actually want to hand over [while] behind? But it depends who you’re behind. If you’re behind Taylor Knibb, you’re not getting back on to her.

“We felt we only really had one way to go and that was to put pressure on early, try and force mistakes. We’ve seen a mistake from the French and the New Zealanders. We got the race that we wanted and ultimately it came down to three brilliant women, three brilliant athletes, and it was just incredibly tight.”

The French had been pre-race favourites but they were undone by a coming together on the opening bike leg between Pierre Le Corre and individual silver medallist Hayden Wilde of New Zealand. Suddenly they were 40 seconds back on the leaders, a disadvantage they never managed to make up.

In perfect weather – clear and bright but not overwhelmingly hot – the Seine looked murky yet was ruled safe for competition. The early stages whittled down the 15 teams [it would have been 16 but one of the Belgians is in hospital after an E coli infection] to three for the final run, whereupon Potter was overhauled by both Knibb and Lindemann in the first couple of hundred metres.

As the athletes entered the Pont de Alexandre III for the last time, Potter found a surge of energy and it looked for a moment as if she might emulate Yee’s late dash for individual gold. The three women were all but neck-and-neck as they sprinted along the bridge, but the order stubbornly refused to change.

“The run leg was tough,” said Potter. “I think I was a bit tired from the bike. I got a bit detached on the first lap but managed to get myself back into the mix and then I was all in for the last 200 metres. I thought we might have had the silver. We got a bronze but it’s still a medal.”

Triathlon mixed relay: As it happened . . .

09:12 AM BST

Now...we really are finished

Stay tuned to our Olympic live blog throughout the day for full coverage of day 10 of Paris 2024.

09:08 AM BST

Team GB react to downgrade

09:03 AM BST

They still look chuffed...

09:01 AM BST

Confusion reigns

Initial pictures suggested Team GB had snuck the silver there but an official photo, analysed a few minutes after the finish, showed USA had it by a whisker.

08:54 AM BST

Hang on!

It appears there has been a medal change...Team GB have been awarded bronze as opposed to silver.

08:52 AM BST

That’s all folks

Another medal for Team GB. They would have been dreaming of gold heading into that final run but silver it is. Stay tuned to our Olympic live blog throughout the day for full coverage of day 10 of Paris 2024.

08:47 AM BST

Impressive effort

Hats off to the French for their effort in that. The accident for Pierre Le Corre on the first leg torpedoed their medal chance but to come fourth after being so far behind is quite remarkable.

08:41 AM BST

Team GB speak to BBC Sport

Alex Yee: “I’m so proud of the team. What an amazing day for our sport, what a day.”

Sam Dickinson: “Very happy with that. Just a clinical relay performance from start to finish, no mistakes. It’s so important to be at the front in a relay as we saw today. I had full faith handing to Beth, she had the hardest leg and she smashed it.”

Georgia Taylor-Brown: “It was nice to be at the front, take your own line and commit. We all had our own individual plans and we all executed them pretty well.

“As a collective we walk away with a silver and it’s an incredible effort from the team, but pretty stressful watching.”

Beth Potter: “I found something on the bridge and bridged the gap to the girls. I sat and kicked - I had just enough to get the silver.”

08:39 AM BST

What a race

That had everything. An early crash involving the favourites, a false start, a superb performance from Alex Yee and a three-way battle for the gold medal. What a superb addition to the Olympics this event has been.

08:33 AM BST

WATCH: the closing stages

08:31 AM BST

Final standings

1. Germany - 1:25:39

2. Great Britain - 1:25:40

3. USA - 1:25:40

4. France - 1:26:47

5. Portugal - 1:27:08

6. Italy - 1:27:11

7. Switzerland - 1:27:16

8. Brazil - 1:27:23

9. Spain - 1:27:30

10. Netherlands - 12:37

08:28 AM BST

Silver for Team GB

A superb effort in the closing stages from Beth Potter. She clearly didn’t have her best on that run but gritted it out in the final 200 metres.

08:26 AM BST

GERMANY TAKE GOLD

A photo between Team GB and USA for silver. That was so tight on the line.

08:25 AM BST

Lindemann takes the lead...

...Potter is responding.

08:25 AM BST

Gap to Potter is extending...

...can she come from behind here? It would be one hell of a rope-a-dope if she can.

08:23 AM BST

Here comes the bell...

...Potter is just a few metres ioff the front two. Alex Yee screams ‘BELIEVE’ to Potter as she passes.

08:22 AM BST

The top three are locked together...

...Potter sits in third. Stalking Knibb and Lindemann. Is she struggling a touch? She might be you know.

08:20 AM BST

Final transition upcoming...

Taylor Knibb, Laura Lindemann and Beth Potter begin the run together.

Poor transitions from Knibb and Lindemann though and Potter leads.

08:19 AM BST

Knibb and Lindemann...

...are closing in on Beth Potter now. They sail past Potter. She has to hang on to these two now.

08:16 AM BST

Team GB fans awaiting finale

08:15 AM BST

The gap for Potter...

...is 12 seconds. Any lead heading into the run will be an added bonus.

08:14 AM BST

Taylor Knibb...

...jokingly described herself as “probably the worst bike handler” after an error-strewn performance in the time trial in which she crashed four times.

08:13 AM BST

Team GB’s lead...

...looks to be growing here. It was seven seconds at transition but looks to be as much as 20 to the eye now. We’ll confirm that gap shortly.

08:11 AM BST

‘Potter is the stronger runner’

Interesting to see Taylor Knibb in third now for the USA. She is such a good cyclist that one could see her making up the 18 second deficit on Potter. Even if she does, though, Potter is the stronger runner: an athlete who competed in the 10,000 metres on the track in Rio.

08:10 AM BST

Great transition from Potter...

...7kms to go on the bike and she has a healthy lead!

08:09 AM BST

Beth Potter has...

...a seven-second lead over Laura Lindemann, with Taylor Knibb of the USA in third.

08:06 AM BST

Beth Potter...

...goes wide as she takes the turn around the buoys. A reminder, Potter won bronze in the individual last week. Laura Lindemann of Germany is in hot pursuit.

08:04 AM BST

Take. A. Bow

08:03 AM BST

Dickinson opens up a gap!

Superb from Dickinson. Perhaps those fresher legs are having an effect. He’s taken 30-40 metres out of Lührs as he hands over to Beth Potter.

08:02 AM BST

‘Talcum powder in all directions’

Talcum powder in all directions as Sam Dickinson goes into the run a few metres ahead of the German. He’s not the quickest runner over the full Olympic triathlon distance of 10km, but he’s an explosive athlete so I’m interested to see if he can chew up this 1.8km sprint distance.

*talcum powder is what they use to get their trainers on quickly with minimum friction

08:01 AM BST

Dickinson takes the bell...

...with Lührs right on his heels. This a great run from the Briton so far.

07:59 AM BST

‘The French are miles back’

Barring some act of god, this is Germany v Team GB for the gold and silver. The French are miles back (an insurmountable 55 seconds) but our Australian on-site commentator is trying to enthuse the local fans by claiming that they are “right back in it”!

07:59 AM BST

Transition upcoming

Team GB have small lead as the leg-three run begins. A vital five minutes coming up here.

07:57 AM BST

Lührs the better runner

Team GB’s chances of gold here will depend in large part as to how well Sam Dickinson goes in this run. The German is the stronger runner, of that there is no doubt, but as long as Dickinson can mitigate the size of the gap, Beth Potter will have something to work with on the final leg.

07:53 AM BST

Dickinson and Lührs...

...begin the second lap on the bike. They enjoy a 17-second lead over the chasing pack.

07:51 AM BST

A reminder...

...Sam Dickinson did not finish the individual race after entering mainly as a pilot for Alex Yee. It remains to be seen whether that rest will assist him on the run.

07:49 AM BST

Dickinson and Lührs...

...exit transition together. These two will have to work together to consolidate this lead on the bike.

07:47 AM BST

Sam Dickinson...

...re-establishes Team GB’s lead in the water as he exits alongside Lasse Lührs or Germany and Sylvain Fridelance of Switzerland.

07:46 AM BST

‘Germany probably favourites now’

Great leg from Germany’s Lisa Tertsch to take eight seconds out of Taylor-Brown. In the end, maybe it hurt Taylor-Brown to cycle solo while the chasing pack worked together to save their legs for the run. Germany have a strong last two competitors to come so they are now probably the favourites.

07:43 AM BST

Lisa Tertsch...

...overtakes Taylor-Brown at the changeover. What a run from the German. Taylor-Brown hands over to Sam Dickinson.

07:41 AM BST

Team GB took the bell...

....in the lead on leg one and do so again on leg two. Julie Derron of Switzerland is cutting into this lead however.

07:37 AM BST

Taylor-Brown has...

...around a 20-second cushion as she prepares for transition. This is a vital point of this race. She dismounts and transitions very smoothly. Her lead is 14-seconds.

07:35 AM BST

Nailed their strategy

Team GB have nailed their strategy here, with Taylor-Brown - a stronger cyclist than bronze medallist Beth Potter – exactly the right person to build on Yee’s fast start. Their man on the third leg, Sam Dickinson, is the possible weak link for GB so any time gained here will be crucial. Emma Lombardi still nowhere for France, with the unfortunate Natalie van Coeverden bringing up the rear for Australia.

07:34 AM BST

Group of ten...

...is working smartly together to reduce the lead of Taylor-Brown. She is now in the sights of the chasing pack.

07:32 AM BST

‘No impact on the swim’

Emma Lombardi, the French No 2, made no impact on the swim and was still more than 40 seconds back after transition. She gets on the bike alongside Natalie van Coevorden, the Australian, who – ahem – loses her balance and faceplants as she attempts to mount up.

07:31 AM BST

Stunning from Taylor-Brown...

...she’s shot clear of her pursuers. Just waiting for the split to tell us by exactly how much but this is looking very good for Team GB at present.

07:30 AM BST

How things stand

1. Team GB

2. Germany

3. Italy

4. Spain

5. Switzerland

07:28 AM BST

Expert view

By John MacLeary

As incredible as these triathletes are, watching the cycling leg will be painful viewing for any British ‘testers’ or aerodynamicists out there. Riding on their hoods while sat up making their frontal areas the size of the sails being used in the kite race down in Marseille later this morning is just baffling. Riding on the drops, especially on the lightly cobbled roads around Paris, would give them better stability and bike handling, while also making them more aerodynamic. Either way, they are pressing on at a decent lick and, in all honesty, probably know what they are doing more than us keyboard warriors. 

07:28 AM BST

Sting in the tail

After exiting the water, the athletes have to sprint up 36 stone steps to get to the transition area. That appears to have strung the field out as the ride begins on leg two.

07:25 AM BST

Excellent swim from Taylor-Brown...

...she has a seven-second cushion to Germany in second.

07:24 AM BST

WATCH: Disaster for France

07:23 AM BST

Lisa Tertsch of Germany...

...takes a clever angle going into the turn of the swim, allowing the current to naturally curve her round the buoy. She’s right on Taylor-Brown’s heels now.

07:21 AM BST

Team GB lead at the changover!

Georgia Taylor-Brown dives into the Seine. France are dead-last at the start of the second leg.

07:20 AM BST

Yee pulling clear

He’s taken about three seconds out of Studer and Germany’s Tim Hellwig with that injection of pace.

“Alex Yee, individual gold medallist, has now taken control of the mixed relay” says the Australian commentator on the PA. That’s the sentence we all wanted to hear! Yee had a substantial 40-second margin over Pierre Le Corre coming through transition on the run.

07:19 AM BST

Alex Yee takes over...

...at the bell. He wants to give as much as a cushion as he can to Georgia Taylor-Brown. Max Studer of Switzerland is attempting to stay with Yee.

07:17 AM BST

Blow for France

A disaster for the favourites as Pierre Le Corre is involved in an issue at the u-turn with Hayden Wilde.

Wilde went down and Le Corre rode straight into him. Serious issues for two of the big medal hopes early on here.

Wow two of the biggest names on this first leg collided there, which gives GB a little margin going into the first run. Hayden Wilde (silver medallist in the individual discipline, from NZ) and Pierre le Corre (from France). Alex Yee was a bit slow in transition as he tried to tug his trainers on, lost a second or two.

07:15 AM BST

The riders approach transition...

...you can already see them starting to prepare. Hayden Wilde of New Zealand has hauled himself to the front of the pack after a poor swim.

07:13 AM BST

‘Top spot in transition’

Great Britain have the top spot in transition – I don’t actually know why! In other words, their bikes are in the last position before the green line which indicates that you are allowed to mount up. They don’t need to spend much time on that bike-wheeling skill –one hand on the saddle – which I’ve never mastered when taking my bike on the underground.

07:09 AM BST

A small peloton forms...

...as the main body of the field sets off in chase of Gonzalez and soon swallows him up. France’s Pierre Le Corre and Alex Yee move into more prominent positions.

07:06 AM BST

Spain’s Alberto Gonzalez Garcia...

...is first to exit the water. Alex Yee is seventh as the ride begins.

07:05 AM BST

‘Every bit as spectacular as Copacabana’

Glorious morning in Paris for the triathlon relay, crowds gathered on the Pont Alexandre III and the neighbouring Pont de la Concorde. It’s every bit as spectacular a setting as the Copacabana beach, which hosted the triathlon at the Rio Olympics.

07:03 AM BST

Alex Yee is midpack...

...as the swimmers take the turn and head to the bank of the Seine where the current is less powerful.

07:01 AM BST

This swim...

...is a real sprint, just 300m. A stone’s throw for athletes of this quality.

07:00 AM BST

And they’re off!

Alex Yee leads of for Team GB.

06:55 AM BST

Here come the 16 teams...

...out onto the pontoon at Pont Alexandre III. The favourites here are the French team consisting of Pierre Le Corre, Emma Lombardi, Léo Bergere and Cassandre Beaugrand.

06:53 AM BST

No Belgian team

With Claire Michel in hospital with E.coli, Belgium have been forced to withdraw from this race as they have no available replacement.

“The BOIC and Belgian Triathlon hope that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions,” a statement from the Belgian Olympic Committee said. “We are thinking of training days that can be guaranteed, competition days and formats that are clear in advance and circumstances that do not lead to uncertainty among athletes, entourage and fans.”

06:50 AM BST

Lovely morning in Paris

The French capital is bathed in early-morning sunshine ahead of the start of this race.

06:46 AM BST

How Team GB line up

Alex Yee, Beth Potter, Sam Dickinson and George Taylor-Brown are the four athletes entrusted with defending the gold medal Britain won in Tokyo.

06:35 AM BST

Full IOC press release...

...on Seine water quality.

06:33 AM BST

How a mixed relay works

Four triathletes (two male and two female) will race one after the other. The winning team is the one whose fourth triathlete crosses the line first. In Paris they will race male, female, male, female, the opposite to Tokyo where a male triathlete raced the final leg.

Triathletes will all complete a 300m swim, a two-lap 7km bike and a two-lap 1.8km run before handing over to their teammate.

06:14 AM BST

Preview

The final week of the Olympic Games is upon us and what better way to start than a return to the somewhat dubious water quality of the River Seine.

Like the individual events before it, the mixed triathlon has been dogged in recent days by concerns over whether the river is in a fit state to host the swimming leg.

On Sunday, it was confirmed that two athletes who swam in the river last week were now suffering illness, with one, Belgium’s Claire Michel, in hospital with E.coli.

While impossible at this stage to link those respective illnesses to the Seine itself, the news has plunged the event back into the spotlight ahead of this morning’s mixed triathlon.

The race will go ahead as planned after an IOC press release confirmed that: The latest test results confirm that Seine water quality levels at the triathlon venue have improved in recent hours. As a result, World Triathlon has taken the decision on Sunday evening to go ahead with the competition.”

For Team GB, the news presents another big opportunity for a medal. Second favourites for the mixed relay behind France, the team is composed of Olympic men’s champion Alex Yee, women’s bronze medallist Beth Potter, Sam Dickinson and Georgia Taylor-Brown.