- "Big Cinema": Triathletes race for gold in mixed relay
Hand in Hand, the triathletes ascended onto the podium on the Pont Alexandre III, soon after their gold medals sparkled in the blazing Parisian sunlight. Following the award ceremony in a spectacular setting between the Grand Palais and Place des Invalides, Tim Hellwig, Lisa Tertsch, Lasse Lührs, and the phenomenal Laura Lindemann happily posed for the cameras. "Quite tough," Hellwig said, "Not great for the teeth, but it feels very good to hold."
For the first time in 16 years, the German national anthem was played at an Olympic Triathlon competition, and Jan Frodeno, as a proud fan, warmly embraced the gold medal winners of the thrilling mixed relay. "So cool," said the Beijing Olympic champion to his successors, "Enjoy it! And celebrate well, there must be champagne in France."
Especially Lindemann, who secured the German victory with a brilliant final sprint in the thrilling race against the USA (2nd) and Great Britain (3rd), will likely never forget the golden Triathlon finish in Paris. "Of course, I felt the pressure, I wanted to bring it home," said the 28-year-old, who started the final running leg with a slight deficit to the American Taylor Knibb: "But of course, it was also fun. I knew: Okay, this could be something big."
Historical success
The surprising gold was more than just consolation for the disappointing individual races, in which the German triathletes had fallen short of expectations, partly due to bad luck. This time, others had bad luck. The favored French team, the Olympic hosts, finished only fourth after Pierre le Corre, their starting athlete, crashed due to a collision with the New Zealander Hayden Wilde at a 180-degree turn.
However, this did not diminish the "historical success" of the German team for chief national coach Thomas Moeller. "We had very difficult years with a lack of significance in high-performance sports," he said, "That's why we're super happy as Triathlon Germany."
Former Ironman winner thrilled
Frodeno, who won the Ironman in Hawaii three times and accompanied the games in Paris as a TV expert, was thrilled by the German team's performance in the wild Triathlon spectacle. "That's already big cinema," said the 42-year-old to dpa, "That's what you dream of, to make yourself immortal here."
The event itself, with swimming against the notorious current in the Seine and many position changes in cycling and running, also thrilled Frodeno. "That was an incredibly cool experience even as a fan," he said. The competition, in which two men and two women per nation complete a triathlon consisting of 300 meters of swimming, 7 kilometers of cycling, and 1.8 kilometers of running, celebrated its Olympic debut only three years ago in Tokyo.
On Monday morning at 8:00, 15 teams started. Belgium was missing because Claire Michel was ill. The 35-year-old was temporarily transferred to the ambulance in the Olympic Village but has since returned to her room, as reported by the news agency Belga, referring to the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee (BOIC). "Whether this is related to the Seine is speculation," said Moeller. Michel had competed in the women's individual event on Wednesday. The swimming competition took place in the Seine, whose water quality has been heavily criticized.
The planned staging of the Mixed Relay was also uncertain for a long time. It was only after new test results showed improved water quality in the Seine, within the limits accepted by the world governing body, that the green light was given just a few hours before the start. This spared the organizers a second disaster like the men's triathlon, which was postponed by a day.
"One has no choice. If the race is happening, I'll jump in and give my best," said Lisa Tertsch. With gold around her neck, she currently doesn't care much about the water quality, she added with a smile: "If I get sick in two days, that's fine by me."
Laura Lindemann, the German triathlete who secured the victory with a stunning final sprint, expressed her excitement about her historic Ironman finish in Paris. "I'm thrilled to have been a part of this," she said, "Winning the gold in such a prestigious event like the Olympics is a dream come true, just like watching Jan Frodeno, the former Ironman champion, triumph on the podium."
