Team GB have stormed to five more medals at the Olympics on a wonderful ‘winning Wednesday’ that has seen Britain’s athletes make their best ever start to the games.
Spectacular last-gasp victories in the men’s triathlon and women’s rowing were accompanied by an impressive silver in the BMX and historic third places in the women’s triathlon and diving.
The medal rush has brought Great Britain’s told number of medals up to 17 – with six golds, six silvers and five bronzes pushing Team GB up to fourth in the medal table, with USA, Australia and Republic of Korea following in our wake.
Kieran Reilly became the latest athlete to get in on the medal action, earning a superb second place finish in the Freestyle BMX this afternoon, snatching a silver from France with the very last performance of the day.
Team GB star Alex Yee had staged a remarkable comeback in the Men’s Triathlon to sprint to victory in the dying stages of a tortuous race in the centre of Paris to take the first gold of the day.
Moments later he was one-upped by the women’s quadruple sculls team of Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw, who claimed Britain’s first every gold in the event by surging past the Netherlands with the final stroke to win in a photo finish.
Hours earlier Scottish athlete Beth Potter persevered through a treacherous and crash-hit women’s triathlon to take a bronze medal in her first Olympic appearance in the event.
And there was further success in the pool, as Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix – daughter of TV chef Fred Sirieix – and Lois Toulson earned a hard-fought bronze medal in the women’s synchronised 10m platform event.
Kieran Reilly of Team GB celebrates while being lifted into the air by his coach after winning silver in the Men’s BMX Freestyle
Reilly, who is the World Champion in the event, snatched second place from the French as Argentina stormed to victory
His silver brings Team GB’s medal haul up to 17 and pushes the country up to fourth in the overall medal table
Kieran Reilly smiles as he stands on the podium with his silver medal and medals certificate
Keiran Reilly holds his silver medal after finishing second in the BMX freestyle this afternoon
Gold medalists Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw of Team GB’s rowing team celebrate on the podium
Princess Anne congratulates gold medalists Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw of Team GB
Britain’s Alex Yee celebrates after receiving the gold medal in the triathlon
Gold medalist Alex Yee throws his head back in disbelief as he wins the men’s individual triathlon competition
Gold medalist Alex Yee of Team GB (C), Silver medalist Hayden Wilde of Team New Zealand (L) and Bronze medalist Leo Bergere of Team France (R)
Fred Sirieix with his daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and her diving partner Lois Toulson following their Bronze-medal win
Bronze medallists Britain’s Andrea Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson react in front of the platform following the women’s synchronised 10m platform diving final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Beth Potter claimed a bronze medal in the women’s triathlon on Wednesday morning
There is a chance Team GB could add even more medals to their already impressive tally later, with British hopes in the men's artistic gymnastics and the woman's canoe slalom.
For Gateshead-born Reilly, his dream has come true after a storming final run in the men's BMX freestyle earned him a silver medal.
The 23-year-old is the reigning world champion in the event was last in the running order having topped qualifying on Tuesday.
He packed his pair of 60-second runs full of tricks, launching himself past France's Jeanjean, providing yet more heartbreak for the host nation on the bike after Tom Pidcock's last-gasp victory over Victor Koretzky in the Mountain Biking.
Although he finished behind Argentina's Torres Gil, who wowed the judges with his creative routine, Reilly was all smiles as he and his team celebrated the silver medal.
Hours earlier Team GB's women pulled off what could be the most dramatic gold medal heists of the entire games in the quadruple sculls at Stade nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne.
With just 250 metres remaining the Brits trailed the Netherlands by more than half a boat length, seemingly destined for second place.
But a truly incredible effort from the quartet of Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw saw them overhaul the Dutch, pushing past them with the final stroke.
The finish was so tight that a photo finish was needed to separate the boats, but the Brits were soon celebrating on the water as the footage showed they 0.15 seconds clear of their rivals.
The quartet finished the race in a time of 6min 16.31sec, and repeated their victory in the 2023 world championships by beating out the Dutch to claim gold.
Germany completed the podium places in 6:19.70.
'The crew today, Georgie, Lauren and Lola were amazing,' said Scott.
'We played it so cool up until the end. We had the confidence, we have done so many hard miles in training.'
Britain have won the women's quadruple sculls rowing gold for the first time at the Olympics
Gold medalists Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw of Team Great Britain pose after the Rowing Women's Quadruple Sculls medal ceremony
The photo finish showed the British crew, below, had narrowly edged ahead to clinch gold
There was British delight and Dutch devastation when the final result was confirmed
Gold medallists Lauren Henry of Britain, Hannah Scott of Britain, Lola Anderson of Britain and Georgina Brayshaw of Britain hug, as they celebrate on the podium after winning
Team GB's women's quadruple sculls made history after a late surge took them past the Netherlands to win the event for the first time at the Olympic Games
Princess Anne attends the rowing women's quadruple sculls medal ceremony on day five of the Olympic Games
Gold medalists Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw
It's all smiles for Team GB's women's quad sculls who take home gold medals in the final after a nail biting finish
Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw celebrate with their gold medals following the quadruple sculls final
Princess Anne attends the rowing women's quadruple sculls medal ceremony today
They would be given their medals by none other than Princess Anne, who is the president of the British Olympic Association and a member of the International Olympic Committee.
The result means Britain have already improved on their gold medal tally from the previous Olympics, after coming away from Tokyo where they won only one silver and bronze in the rowing.
Social media users were quick to comment on the sensational wins today, with one saying Team GB is 'on a roll'.
One 'X' user said: 'Hasn't it been amazing! Mum has had no meetings this morning so has been able to have it on in the background whilst she works in the garden. Team GB are on a roll now!'
'Team GB's Medal Rush Morning has been fantastic' added another.
Another said: 'What an emotional morning in Paris. The comeback, the sportsmanship, the sheer happiness and pride on the podium. Sport, at its best!'
Team GB's Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix — daughter of TV chef Fred Sirieix — and Lois Toulson earned a hard-fought bronze medal in the women's synchronised 10m platform event.
The pair jumped into second at the end of round two, but entering the more difficult dives, they could only post 60.3 in the third round, causing them to tumble into fifth.
They responded well in the final rounds, scoring a 77.76 on their final dive and following a nervous wait their spot on the podium was all but confirmed after nearest rivals Canada could only score 68.16 on their last dive.
Chinese pair Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan successfully defended their Olympic gold, while North Korea pair Jo Jin Mi and Kim Mirae earned silver.
Taking to 'X' following the dive, Fred Sirieix said: 'What emotions! What a beautiful moment! How many tears!!!!
'I'm bursting with pride, joy and happiness. Well done and congrats Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson.'
Bronze medallists Lois Toulson of Britain and Andrea Spendolini Sirieix of Britain pose with their medals
Fred Sirieix, father of GB's Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix celebrates at the Aquatics Centre following his daughter's Bronze medal win
Team GB star Alex Yee secured a superb gold medal with victory in the men's triathlon at the Paris Olympics.
Yee, forced to settle for silver in Tokyo three years ago, surpassed Hayden Wilde of New Zealand in the final stages of a thrilling race to snatch a last-gasp victory.
He finished in 1hr 43min 33sec to seal Team GB's fifth gold of the Games in the French capital.
Yee was 14 seconds down on Wilde going into the final 2km of the run but caught Wilde and surged past the New Zealander, who crossed six seconds behind the Brit.
The bronze medal went to Leo Bergere of France.
Gold medalist Alex Yee of Team Great Britain poses for a photo during the triathlon medal ceremony
Alex Yee is the Olympic men's triathlon champion after winning the men's race in Paris
Gold medalist Alex Yee of Team GB celebrates on the podium
Yee caught New Zealand's Hayden Wilde (left) in the final stages of a thrilling race
The Team GB star celebrates a stunning triumph as he banished his Tokyo 2020 demons
An exhausted Yee is seen at the finish line after surging past Wilde in dramatic fashion
Victory saw Yee emulate Alistair Brownlee as Britain's second Olympic triathlon champion.
The 26-year-old won relay gold in Tokyo but had set his sights on individual glory in Paris.
And he achieved it in stunning fashion on the streets of the city. With less than a kilometre of the 10km race to go it looked as though Yee would again be left with the silver medal, although at one stage he was being challenged by Bergere.
But Yee put on the afterburners and sprinted clear as he realised his Olympic dream in one of the sport's most memorable comebacks.
Yee looked exhausted after his triumph, with the gruelling 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run clearly taking its toll on the athletes.
The men's race had been due to take place on Tuesday but was cancelled at only a few hours' notice after water quality in the Seine was still deemed not up to scratch.
It was not confirmed that the races would be able to go ahead on Wednesday under the early hours, with the men pushed back to after the women's race.
Organisers said samples taken showed 'much lower' levels of bacteria than the threshold for the event to take place, with the hope now that the future events in the river, the triathlon mixed relay and marathon swimming, will not face such uncertainty.
Having seen his compatriot Beth Potter take bronze, Yee dived into the Seine and managed to keep in touch with the leaders, heading through the first transition in 16th place and quickly joining a big front group for the 40 kilometre bike leg around the centre of Paris.
Wilde was in the second pack so Yee tried to help drive the pace rather than sit in, but the two groups came together with three laps to go.
Team GB's Alex Yee beams for the camera as he is pictured with his gold medal
Alex Yee storms to the finish line to win the men's triathlon
Yee crosses the finish line to win the men's individual triathlon race at the Paris Olympics
Alex Yee (pictured centre) with Samuel Dickinson of Britain and his team
The pace took its toll on one athlete in particular as Tyler Mislawchuk was seen vomiting at the finish
Wilde and Yee speak after a gruelling men's triathlon race on the streets of Paris
The Team GB athlete couldn't believe his triumph as he crossed the line six seconds clear
Team GB's women's quad sculls kiss their gold medals
Princess Anne presents the gold medals to Team GB's Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw
Sam Dickinson, making his Olympic debut for Britain, led the way onto the 10km run, with Yee well placed in fourth, and the Tokyo silver medalist soon surged into the lead as his team-mate called for crowd support.
Yee is a former British champion over 10,000m, and he sped off into the distance but Wilde refused to let him get away and put in a big effort to catch up.
The New Zealander was not content to sit with Yee, though, and quickly passed him, with the British athlete seemingly unable to respond as temperatures rose into the high 20s.
Yee settled into second, comfortably holding off France's Bergere behind him, but he had a final surprise in store as he surged to a second Olympic gold having also topped the podium as part of the mixed relay in Tokyo.
In the women's triathlon, Team GB's Beth Potter took home a brilliant bronze medal amid concerns the event would take place over the water quality in the Seine.
Potter emerged from the swimming leg of the race in the lead pack, and maintained her position in the cycling, with four women left battling for three medals in the 10km run.
She was alongside two Frenchwomen and a Swiss athlete in the final stages, with pre-race favourite Cassandre Beaugrand kicking for home to take a decisive lead and become France's first-ever Olympic triathlon champion.
Gold medalists Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw celebrate following their win
Team GB celebrate their win in the women's quad sculls, with silver medalists The Netherlands and bronze medalists Germany
Bronze medalists Maren Voelz of Germany, Tabea Schendekehl of Germany, Leonie Menzel of Germany and Pia Greiten of Germany celebrate on the podium
Silver medalists Laila Youssifou of Netherlands, Bente Paulis of Netherlands, Roos de Jong of Netherlands and Tessa Dullemans of Netherlands celebrate on the podium
Potter (left) collapsed to the ground in exhaustion after crossing the finish line following nearly two hours of racing
Cassandre Beaugrand took gold - becoming France's first-ever Olympic triathlon champion
Switzerland's Julie Derron just pipped Potter to the silver medal in the French capital
But Potter refused to go away, and managed to secure a brilliant third-place behind Switzerland's Julie Derron after holding off France's Emma Lombardi to earn Team GB their 13th medal of the Olympics.
Potter collapsed to the ground in exhaustion as she crossed the finish line after almost two hours of racing.
Reflecting on her performance, Potter told the BBC: 'I'm so happy, I was going for the gold but Cassandre and Julie were just too good for me today but I'm super happy to come away with the bronze. I've come a long way in eight years and I am so happy to be here with a bronze medal.
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix (left) and Lois Toulson (right) picked up a Bronze medal in the women's synchronised 10m platform event in Paris today
Alex Yee pictured with his girlfriend Olivia Mathias
'I did it for me but I also did it for everyone who has helped me in eight years and believed in me from day one. It is for them back home as well.
'I dug deep and found something else.'
Potter's fellow Brits also performed well, with Georgia Taylor-Brown - a silver medalist in Tokyo - coming sixth, while rising star Kate Waugh was 15th.
