Winning British Triathletes Disqualified After Crossing Finish Line Holding Hands
Two British triathletes were disqualified after crossing the finish line together in a test event for next year's Olympics in Tokyo.
Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown held hands as they crossed the line and the pair was disqualified shortly thereafter. Bermuda's Flora Duffy was moved up to first in the race, which also served as an Olympic qualifier. Italy's Alice Betto was second and Britain's Vicky Holland rounded out the podium in the aftermath of the results shakeup.
Learmonth and Taylor-Brown were kicked off the podium due to the International Triathlon Union (ITU) rule that states athletes must not "finish in a contrived tie situation where no effort to separate the finish times has been made."
All five British competitors were in the top 11 finishers.
"It’s obviously disappointing to have Jess and Georgia disqualified but it’s a testament to the depth of our female squad that we still have another athlete on the podium," Mike Cavendish, British triathlon national performance director, said. "What the athletes delivered today has told us a lot ahead of next year and to have five athletes in the top 11 is great.”
