Paris Olympics: Team USA goes from gold to bronze to silver in wild mixed relay triathlon ending

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When Team USA ran into the final stretch of the mixed relay triathlon at the Paris Olympics, they were in gold medal position.

When they surrounded anchor Taylor Knibb as she gasped behind the finish line, they were announced as bronze medalists.

When they walked onto the podium at Pont Alexandre III, they were given a silver medal.

The mixed team triathlon ended in chaos on Monday, despite all three members of the podium being clear. It took a late surge from Germany's Laura Lindemann for the reigning world champions to capture gold, moving up from third after the cycling-to-running change.

As for the Team USA and the other member of the front pack, Great Britain, it took a while to figure out what happened. Knibb had clung to a lead for nearly the entire running segment, with Lindemann right behind her Great Britain's Beth Potter lurking a few yards behind.

When Lindemann made her move, so did Potter. In the final 100 meters, Lindemann was a few steps ahead, while Knibb and Potter were neck-and-neck. Seconds after the trio crossed the finish line, Great Britain was announced as the silver medalists in a photo finish.

However, Team USA felt Knibb had beat out Potter, and urged officials to re-examine the photo, which showed a margin not dissimilar from the one that saw Noah Lyles win gold in the 100-meter dash.

Team USA didn't know their push was successful until they lined up for the podium, when they were told to move to the other side.

From The Athletic:

"(I found out) when we were lining up," Knibb said. "We were on (bronze) side and they're like, 'You're on the wrong side.'

"(The team) were all confident (they'd won silver). They're like, 'we saw the photo, it looks like it'. I don't know. I was in it, I wasn't really focused on where Beth was."

The gold medalists' time: 1:25:39. The silver and bronze medalists' time: 1:25:40.

Adding to the drama was the fate of host France, which was expected to reach the podium, but saw its hopes dashed by a crash on the opening bike leg between Pierre le Corre and New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde. They ended up finishing fourth, a little over a minute after the top trio.

The proceedings put an end to what has been a highly controversial triathlon program in Paris, where postponements caused by pollution in the Seine became a regular story. That issue potentially affected the relay as well, with Belgium pulling out due to member Claire Michel falling ill.