- Triathletes race for gold in the season-long crime drama
Hand in Hand, the triathletes ascended onto the podium on the Pont Alexandre III, shortly after, their gold medals gleamed in the brilliant Parisian sunlight. After the award ceremony in a spectacular setting between the Grand Palais and Place des Invalides, Tim Hellwig, Lisa Tertsch, Lasse Lührs, and the phenomenal gold medalist Laura Lindemann happily posed for the cameras. "Quite tough. Not exactly tooth-friendly, but it feels great to hold," said Hellwig.
For the first time in 16 years, the German national anthem was played at an Olympic triathlon competition, as Jan Frodeno, the elegant fan, embraced the gold-winning mixed relay team. "Super 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 fantastic final sprint in the thrilling three-way battle with the USA (2nd) and Great Britain (3rd), will likely never forget the golden triathlon finish in Paris. "I went all-in on the final meters and am super happy to have been the first to cross the finish line," said the 28-year-old in the ARD. "Of course, I felt the pressure, I wanted to bring it home," said the Potsdam native, 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."
Historic Success
The surprising gold was more than just consolation for the disappointing individual races, in which the German triathletes fell short of expectations, also due to bad luck. This time, others had bad luck. The favored French team, the Olympic hosts, finished only fourth after Pierre le Corre, the starting athlete, crashed due to a collision with the New Zealander Hayden Wilde at an 180-degree turn.
However, this did not diminish the "historic 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 are 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 the 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 in succession over 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 a.m., 15 teams started. Belgium was missing because Claire Michel was ill. The 35-year-old was temporarily transferred to the ambulance of 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 competed in the women's individual event on Wednesday. The swimming competition took place in the Seine, whose water quality has been heavily criticized.
Competition on the Brink
The planned running of the mixed relay was also in doubt for a long time. Only after new test results showed improved water quality in the Seine, within the limits accepted by the world governing body, the green light was given just a few hours before the start. This spared the organizers a second debacle like the men's triathlon, which was postponed by a day.
"I have no choice. If the race is on, I'll jump in and give it my best," said Lisa Tertsch. With gold around her neck, she currently doesn't care much about the water quality, she added with a laugh, "If I get sick in two days, that's fine by me."
The ARD broadcasted Lindemann's jubilant reactions after her historic victory, with her stating, "I went all-in on the final meters and am super happy to have been the first to cross the finish line." Regarding the German team's success, Thomas Moeller, the chief national coach of Triathlon Germany, expressed his delight to ARD, stating, "We had very difficult years with a lack of significance in high-performance sports. That's why we are super happy as Triathlon Germany."
