GB's Ellis and Richter win triathlon golds in Paris

Dave Ellis and guide Luke Pollard finished one minute 26 seconds ahead of their competitors

Great Britain's Dave Ellis and Megan Richter won Paralympic triathlon gold in the men's PTVI and women's PTS4 events respectively as the GB team earned five medals in the races through central Paris.

Claire Cashmore won silver in the women's PTS5, with 2021 Paralympic champion Lauren Steadman claiming bronze as American Grace Norman claimed gold.

And Hannah Moore claimed PTS4 bronze behind team-mate Richter to cap a strong day for GB in the triathlon.

Ellis finished more than a minute ahead of the rest of the field to seal gold and atone for heartbreak in Tokyo three years ago.

Placed fifth after the opening swimming section, Ellis - racing in the event for visually impaired athletes alongside guide Luke Pollard - caught the leading pack during the cycling.

It was here where Ellis and Pollard's golden dreams faded in 2021, as a problem with their bike's chain caused them to abandon the race.

There were no such issues this time, with Ellis in a four-way fight for the lead after the cycle, with French triathletes Antoine Perel and Thibaut Rigaudeau, as well as Owen Cravens of the USA.

But it was in the run where Ellis showed his quality to streak away from the field and cross the line on Pont Alexandre III one minute 26 seconds clear of second.

"After one lap of the bike, I was celebrating - we made it further," Ellis said.

"This is the biggest stage for Paralympic athletes. You just want a great race on the day, and I'm really happy with the result.

"It was almost relaxing into the run, not going too hard and blowing up. I would back my run - we have been strong over the years - so coming off the bike it gave me so much confidence [to be in contention].

“It’s absolutely unreal. Obviously Tokyo was the opposite, but it’s been a tough couple of years so I’m so happy I had an awesome race today."

It means Ellis adds Paralympic gold to his world, European and Commonwealth titles.

"He's the hardest working bloke I know, a pleasure to work with him - it's what gets me up every day," Pollard said of Ellis.

"I've spent three years sorting the bike, making it bulletproof. The test event gave us confidence. We ran lower pressures on the tyres and that helped with vibrations."

Rigaudeau and Perel took silver and bronze respectively, while GB's Oscar Kelly finished seventh.

Underdog causes shock on the Richter scale

Megan Richter fell to the blue carpet in exhaustion after winning a shock gold

The final race to finish on Monday was the women's PTS4, and it finished in gold for Richter on her Paralympic debut.

The 23-year-old first raced for GB in para-swimming aged 13 before switching to triathlon four years later.

After taking a break to focus on her masters in cardiovascular science, Richter returned to competition in 2022 - and now has Paralympic gold.

She finished 40 seconds ahead of Spain's Marta Frances Gomez, with Moore, who led after swimming and cycling but faded in the run, in third.

It was a shock win for Richter, ranked ninth in her category by World Triathlon and who spent time out with a stress fracture last year.

American Kelly Elmlinger was strong favourite but did not start the race because of illness.

And it was the Briton who took full advantage, sitting second after the cycling before powering past Moore in the final stages.

“I had a plan just to go quick on the run and that’s what I did," she said. "I can’t quite believe it. I’m just in shock and happy and relieved.

"I could feel my legs starting to go; I just needed to get to the end. Everything has come together; the timing has been perfect.

"Kelly was the massive favourite. I hope she's OK and I'm so sad she's been ill. There was nothing else I could give but my all, so I'm so pleased."

Norman beats Brits Cashmore and Steadman

Lauren Steadman had to settle for bronze after winning gold three years ago

There was no gold, however, for Steadman or Cashmore, who entered their event as world and Paralympic champions respectively.

Former schoolmates turned rivals, they were both comprehensively bested on the day by Norman, for whom Steadman was a bridesmaid at the American's wedding.

Norman led from start to finish and crossed the line 1min 15secs ahead of six-time Paralympian Cashmore, who - after winning the last three world championships - had to settle for silver in Paris to add to her bronze three years ago.

Bronze, meanwhile, represents a strong result for Steadman, who suffered from long Covid earlier in 2024 and had previously taken a two-year break from triathlon after Tokyo.

There were 11 British athletes competing across seven of the triathlon categories.

Henry Urand, two days after his 22nd birthday, narrowly missed out on a medal as he finished fourth in the men's PTS3.

Alison Peasgood, silver medallist at Rio 2016, finished fourth in the women's PTVI - the same position in which she finished in Tokyo.

Michael Taylor finished sixth in the men's PTS4 with Finley Jakes 11th, as French hero and hot favourite Alexis Hainquinquant took gold in front of the delighted Paris crowd.

Hainquinquant, one of the torch carriers at the opening ceremony, continued his streak of winning every major men's PTS4 championship race since 2017.

The first to race was Melissa Nicholls, in the women's PTWC - the event for wheelchair users.

Nicholls, racing in Paralympic triathlon for the first time after competing in athletics for GB in 2012 and 2016, finished eighth.

All 11 triathlon events took place on Monday, having been delayed by 24 hours because of water quality concerns in the River Seine, where the swimming legs took place.