"Cool Show" - Triathletes finish medal races spectacularly
In a thrilling competition, the German mixed relay team secures the anticipated medal. Favorable water conditions in the Seine allow for the long-awaited start. This is only the third Olympic medal for the German Triathlon Union in the Summer Games.
Laura Lindemann blinked away tears, her gold medal gleaming in the morning sun. On the imposing Pont Alexandre III, with a view of the Eiffel Tower, the newly crowned relay champion had to sort out her feelings. "It still hasn't quite sunk in yet," said the anchor of the German triathletes after the awards ceremony, "everyone delivered well and put me in the perfect position. That we managed to do it is incredible."
With her spectacular final sprint onto the famous Seine Bridge with its golden bronze figures, the 28-year-old completed what Tim Hellwig, Lisa Tertsch, and Lasse Luhrs had prepared: After 16 years, the medal drought at the Olympic Games ended spectacularly. "They've made themselves immortal here," raved Jan Frodeno, who won the first German triathlon gold in 2008 in Beijing, at the finish line.
Lindemann pulled the trigger before the last curve because she wanted to enter the bridge on the inside. "I thought: Now I have to push through," reported the Berliner, who collapsed exhausted at the finish line. Like her teammates, she started with a chip on her shoulder after finishing eighth in the individual race due to bad luck. This time, the favorite France crashed in the first cycling section, and it was only a battle against the USA and Great Britain for the medals.
"But ultimately, you don't have a choice"
Only ten hours before the start, the green light was given because the water values in the Seine were below the limit. Belgium withdrew because Claire Michel fell ill after swimming in the brown soup of the city river. The Germans were not bothered by the whole fuss. "I had nothing, but ultimately, you don't have a choice," said Tertsch, laughing, "If I'm sick in two days, it's fine for me too."
The 25-year-old found her own recipe for the difficult swimming conditions: She surprised the competition by turning particularly sharply at the first buoy and letting the strong current, almost one meter per second, carry her to the second. "Everyone knew the current would be a problem," said the Darmstadt native, "I found a pretty good way for myself."
"We're glad we could swim"
So good that she even handed over to Luhrs as the leader after her 300 meters of swimming, seven kilometers of cycling, and 1.8 kilometers of running. The 28-year-old did his job: "Stay with it as long as possible." The Bonn native had a five-second deficit on the Brits when he sent Lindemann on her way. The two-time European champion fell back a bit in the swim, caught up with the leading Brit Beth Potter on the bike with the American Taylor Knibb, and then played her strength in the run on the last 150 meters.
After the national anthem, the four inspected their gold medals. Hellwig wanted to be sure and bit into his. "Quite hard, not good for the teeth," he judged, laughing. And Luhrs shrugged his shoulders at the last glance at the dirty Seine, which had prevented training several times due to high bacterial contamination. "We're glad we could swim," he said, "It made for a cool show."
The triumph of the German mixed relay team at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris marked a significant milestone for their Triathlon Union, making it their third silverware in the Summer Games. Spectators and competitors alike were in awe as Laura Lindemann, the anchor of the team, crossed the finish line on the Seine, securing the gold medal for Germany.
