Mike Cavendish explains Team GB's silver medal being downgraded after 'rare' moment

Team GB's Mike Cavendish explained the rarity of a triathlon photo finish led to the confusion following the mixed relay. The quartet of Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Sam Dickinson and Beth Potter were awarded silver after a thrilling race on Monday morning.

Potter crossed the line in a photo finish for second. It was initially given to her a few seconds after the end, but a further review determined that USA's Taylor Knibb had crossed before her, with GB downgraded to bronze.

Cavendish, Britain's performance director, pointed out that such a close finish isn't usual in the discipline, hence the lack of technology for a decisive and swift decision. "When it's as close as that, you're always going to have to go to a photo finish, and it's relatively rare in triathlon that it goes to a photo finish. That's probably why it takes a little bit longer," he said.

Speaking to the BBC, Cavendish went on: "I think what's happened is that, when they've come across the line, we'll look at a video still which isn't the most accurate picture. Then it's gone to the official photo finish and it's shown the Americans have got it just by an absolute whisker ahead of us.

"They might be a little bit disappointed, but ultimately a bronze medal is an amazing achievement. To be completely frank, it was just an incredible advert for the sport to have such a brilliant finish and a brilliant race."

The relay race was a nail-biting affair, with Germany's Laura Lindemann emerging victorious ahead of Knibb and Potter. Team GB were kitted out to collect their silvers when the result was changed.

Despite the change in results, Yee, Taylor-Brown, Dickinson and Potter were still beaming on the podium. They had led for a significant portion of the contest, entering as reigning champions from Tokyo 2020.

Men's champion Yee managed to recover well after dropping his swimming cap and having to stop to retrieve it before the cycling leg. Both Taylor-Brown and Dickinson handed over in the lead, but women's bronze medallist Potter couldn't quite hold onto it.

Team GB supporters were also left feeling aggrieved on Sunday following a contentious incident in the women's skeet shooting final. Amber Rutter narrowly missed out on gold in a shoot-off with Chile's Francisca Crovetto Chadid after one of her successful hits was ruled a miss.