Potter was one of many athletes riding CADEX at the Paris Olympics. Lisa Tertsch also took home a medal, with her German squad winning gold in the mixed relay.
Racing in front of huge crowds on the streets of Paris for the women’s individual race, Potter was part of a thrilling battle that came down to the final kilometer. The field of 55 women faced challenging conditions with strong currents in the Seine river for the 1500-meter swim and wet roads during the 40km bike.
Potter represented Great Britain as a runner at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and had been focused on Paris ever since she made the transition to triathlon several years ago. She won the Paris Test Event Triathlon last year and followed that up by becoming the first Brit since 2018 to win the World Triathlon Championship Series. Her upward trajectory coming into the 2024 Olympics made her a favorite in Paris.
Potter got off to a solid start in the swim, getting herself in a chase behind early leader Flora Duffy. From there, she hopped on her Factor bike with a CADEX 50 Ultra WheelSystem to join a lead group on the slick roads of Paris.
“[There were] definitely some challenges, obviously with it being really wet,” Potter said. “That obviously throws a spanner in the works. You have to be a bit more careful and just take good lines and be a bit cautious in the corners.”
Finding that balance between charging hard on the bike while also avoiding any troubles, Potter played it to perfection, hitting the run in a lead pack with eventual winner Cassandre Beaugrand (France), Julie Derron (Switzerland), Maya Kingma (the Netherlands) and Emma Lombardi (France).
It all came down to the final kilometer, with Beaugrand pulling away for gold, Derron grabbing silver, and Potter taking the bronze just 9 seconds behind.
“I’m so happy to come away with a medal and just over the moon,” Potter said afterward. “I knew I wanted a medal, so that was really driving me on. And I think that was the thing that was keeping me going. I’m just happy I can put the Olympics to bed now. I’ve had a good performance and I’m really happy with it.”
Five days later, Potter doubled her medal collection when she anchored the British team in the mixed relay event, helping them win the bronze behind Germany and the USA. In an event that debuted at the Tokyo Games in 2021, teams consisted of two men and two women, each swimming 300 meters, cycling 6.8km, and running 2km. The format led to tight back-and-forth battles and a final dash to the line in Paris.
Gold For Tertsch!
The German team consisted of Tim Hellwig on leg one, Tertsch on leg two, Lasse Luhrs on leg three, and Laura Lindemann on the final leg. Tertsch, riding her Liv bike with a CADEX 50 Ultra WheelSystem, put in a fast ride in pursuit of Great Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown. The German then unleashed a remarkable run, catching and passing Taylor-Brown to put her team in the lead.
It all came down to the final leg, when Tertsch’s teammate Lindemann barely edged out American Taylor Knibb and Potter to secure gold for the Germans.
CADEX Athletes Potter and Tertsch Win Olympic Medals!
mardi 13 août 2024
British triathlete Beth Potter led the way for CADEX-sponsored Olympians at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, scoring bronze medals in the women’s individual triathlon and the mixed relay.