PARIS -- Alex Yee produced a dramatic last-gasp flourish to win gold in the men's triathlon on Wednesday with a sensational sprint finish, while Beth Potter claimed bronze in the women's race in what is shaping up to be Team GB's most successful day of the Olympic Games so far.
Yee was in gold medal contention in both the swimming and cycling legs, but he went slow at the beginning of the 10 kilometre run while New Zealand's Hyden Wilde opened up a 14-second gap out in front.
But the 26-year-old Brit delivered a mammoth sprint on the final 2.5km lap, closing the gap on Wilde before overtaking just before the home stretch.
Yee completed his bid to improve on his men's individual silver from Tokyo, where he also won gold in the mixed team event.
"At 5km I was going through a really bad patch but with 2.5km to go I started to find my legs and thought 'I'm going to give myself one last chance at this and not give up', and here we are," Yee said after winning his country's record-extending 10th medal in the sport.
Yee's double medal haul in Tokyo was of course on the empty streets and he said that made him all the more appreciative of the crowds who turned out on Wednesday.
"They came and they lined the streets and everyone gave me a push today to get to Hayden," he said.
"I also appreciate Hayden for just giving me that push and really extracting everything out of my body."
It also means Team GB continued their dominance in the event having now won three men's golds in the last four Games. Including Potter's bronze, Britain has won eight medals in the sport since it debuted at Sydney 2000.
Potter ran a gritty race in which she finished the swimming leg in fifth but led at one stage of the bike race. The 32-year-old won last year's test event in Paris, due in part to the strength of her running, and she was joined by compatriot Georgia Taylor-Brown in the lead pack for the final 10km run.
It looked uncertain who would walk away with the gold for a period as a group of four -- Potter, Cassandre Beaugrand, Bermuda's Flora Duffy and Switzerland's Julie Derron -- pulled away. However, it was the French woman who showed the most fight and came away with gold, followed by Derron.
Taylor-Brown finished in sixth place.
"I'm so happy," Potter told the BBC. "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."
All three medallists collapsed to the floor after crossing the line.
The city of Paris spent €1.5 billion ($1.4bn) on a project to clean the Seine, with both the Olympic triathlon races and marathon swim set to take place in the river. However, continued concerns over the pollution levels in the water meant officials were only "60% confident" that the race would go ahead.
At 4 a.m. local time, officials received more sample data results and declared the race would take place. The men's race was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed due to concerns over the water quality.
For that reason, all eyes were on the swimming leg, which resulted in Duffy leaving the water first and Potter in fifth, but it was the cycling leg that caused the triathletes the most immediate problems.
Overnight rainfall meant the course, which included cobblestones, was slippery and led multiple riders to crash, notably Norway's Lottie Miller who fell twice and withdrew.
"It said it was going to be dry but it was obviously very wet," Potter added. "I live and train in Leeds so I am used to those conditions and I have done many sessions with the boys in the wet.
"I was prepared and I didn't want to make any silly mistakes and I made sure I stayed on good wheels and tried to stay as safe as possible."
The result is Olympic redemption for Potter, who competed on the track in the 10,000- metres at Rio 2016, where she finished 34th, before switching to triathlon a year later.
Minutes after Yee crossed the line, the women's quadruple sculls final produced a nail-biting finish in the rowing that saw Team GB pip the Netherlands right at the line after chasing for the entirety of the race.
Team GB also won another diving medal on Wednesday, as Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson claimed bronze in the synchronised women's 10-metre platform.
Hovering around the medal places, the pair's final dive pushed them to third, where they stayed after a nervous wait.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.