Tokyo Olympics: GB's Georgia Taylor-Brown takes silver in triathlon despite suffering a puncture
Bermuda's Flora Duffy finished first after a spectacular run, winning the nation's first ever gold.
Tuesday 27 July 2021 11:49, UK
Georgia Taylor-Brown has won silver for Team GB in the women's triathlon, despite a flat tyre during the cycling section.
The Mancunian lost 22 seconds after hitting a pothole and suffering a puncture on the final lap, leaving her fifth.
Taylor-Brown, who may have challenged for gold but for the flat tyre, secured silver after coming back and passing Team USA's Katie Zaferes.
Bermuda's Flora Duffy took gold, Bermuda's first-ever Olympic champion.
The 27-year-old told Sky News: "As a kid I always wanted one of these medals. I just wanted to be an Olympian.
"But then you think 'that's a dream I had as a 10-year-old. I'm 27, is it ever going to become a reality?' And yeah this morning it did."
Her medal comes on her Olympic debut and just 12 weeks after being injured and left on crutches in the build-up to the Games.
Taylor-Brown suffered a stress fracture in her leg and had to undergo a fitness test just to get to Tokyo 2020.
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She said her medal was the result of a "long journey" full of "highs and lows".
She added: "This is a medal for my family and my support team around me because they are the ones who have essentially got me here today in one piece, fit, healthy with a smile on my face."
Taylor-Brown's parents Beverley and Darren told Sky's Kay Burley they knew there was something up when their daughter started to "drop" behind the race frontrunners.
Nevertheless, they said Taylor-Brown was proud of the way she dealt with the set back when they spoke to her over the phone from Tokyo.
Her father said: "She was just so excited. She said 'I wanted an Olympic medal and I've come away with one' and she was just so proud of what she has done herself in terms of the puncture… and dealing with that at that moment in time… She was absolutely made up."
Taylor-Brown's silver is Team GB's fourth of the Games. The nation has won 10 medals in total.
During the race world champion Duffy surged ahead to take the gold medal.
After a close swim and cycle, with five in the leading pack, she pulled in front, leading comfortably the whole way.
Duffy was beaming as she crossed the finish line with a time of 1:55:37 with Taylor-Brown, finishing just over one minute behind Duffy.
Taylor-Brown's silver medal is the second Team GB silver in the triathlon after Alex Yee took second in the men's event on day three.
It's also Great Britain's seventh Olympic triathlon medal - no other nation has won as many Olympic medals in the sport.
Bermuda is the lowest populous nation to win gold and it's the nation's first medal since Montreal 1976.
It was a disappointing morning for the other Brits in the triathlon, with Vicky Holland finishing 13th and Jess Learmonth finishing ninth, after falling back in the run despite being in the leading pack for much of the event.
Team GB made it through to the semi-finals of the rugby 7s following a sensational comeback against the USA.
Britain were 21-0 down early in the first half but several tries brought the score back to 21-26 at the Tokyo Stadium.
Earlier, hosts Japan suffered their third loss in as many matches with a 36-12 defeat at the hands of Canada.