Swiss athlete Julie Derron lands silver in Olympics triathlon
Julie Derron was delighted with her second-place finish in Paris on Wednesday.
Keystone / Anthony Anex
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Listening: Swiss athlete Julie Derron lands silver in Olympics triathlon
Switzerland has won a second medal at the Paris Games after Julie Derron finished runner-up in the women’s triathlon on Wednesday.
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Derron caused something of a surprise with her Olympic podium finish. The 27-year-old from Zurich, who is more at home in the sprint format, has never made it onto the podium at a world championships.
Derron, whose victory in the European championships in 2021 in Valencia marks her greatest achievement to date, was edged out by six seconds in Paris by the favourite, Frenchwoman Cassandre Beaugrand. Beth Potter from Great Britain took bronze, nine seconds further back.
After having perfectly limited the damage in the swim part of the triathlon in the Seine, Derron quickly took the lead on the bike, before setting a strong pace in the run.
The leading pack, made up of nine athletes after the cycling part of the course, quickly dwindled under the Zurich women’s impetus. This left just four athletes in contention for the podium before the final 2.5km lap. Beaugrand managed to pull away with just over a kilometre to go, but Derron held on to secure a podium spot which was as deserved as it was unexpected.
“It’s quite incredible,” said the Swiss athlete shortly after the finish. Derron is only 10th in the world rankings, and 28th in the World Series.
It’s the fifth Olympic medal won by Swiss women in triathlon events. The previous winners were Brigitte McMahon (gold in 2000), Nicola Spirig (gold in 2012 and silver in 2016) and Magali Messmer (bronze in 2000).
Adapted from French by DeepL/dos
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