St Mary’s Alumna Wins Second Triathlon Medal in Paris

St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU) alumna Beth Potter has won a second Bronze medal with Team GB in the Mixed Relay Triathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This follows a Bronze medal win for Beth in the women’s triathlon earlier last week.

Beth was selected alongside Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, and Sam Dickinson to compete in the Mixed Relay Triathlon for Great Britain. The team finished the relay race with a time of 1:25:40, with Beth completing the anchor leg of the race to secure a medal. This was just 1 second after winners Germany.

This is Beth’s second Olympic Games, having competed in the women’s 10,000m at Rio 2016. Beth was a member of the University’s Endurance Performance Centre (EPC) through Rio 2016, having trained to be a teacher at SMU.

Beth changed discipline to Triathlon following Rio, becoming World Champion at the World Triathlon Series in 2023. She previously made headlines in 2021 running a time of 14:41 in a 5km road race, unofficially beating the world record.

Last week Beth took the Bronze medal in the Women’s Triathlon after completing the race in 1:55:10, just 15 seconds behind Frances’s Catherine Beaugrand.

Speaking on Beth’s second Bronze win, Head of Sport St Mary’s Andrew Reid-Smith said, “Anyone who has ever seen Beth train or compete will be in no doubt that she gives her all. The mixed triathlon saw her do this yet again and when Beth found herself slightly detached on the run, her ability and determination to fight back to win bronze provided some of the most dramatic moments of the Paris Games.

"Beth’s transition from a GB runner to a world-class triathlete will have been significantly harder than many would assume. To have become a World Champion in a new sport and follow this up by winning two medals in her first Olympics competing in the event, is an incredible achievement.”

Speaking ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Beth said, “Being at St Mary’s has been really helpful, my coach Mick Woods is based on campus so I can train after work. I have access to the PEC [Performance Education Centre] and the Strength and Conditioning coaches here…and also my psychologist Stacy Winter is based at St Mary’s, and it’s been really beneficial.”

Beth is the second medallist from St Mary’s at Paris 2024, following alumnus and former sport scholar Aaron Grandidier’s Gold Medal for France in the Rugby Sevens. St Mary’s has seen thirteen alumni, athletes, and students compete in Paris 2024 in athletics, triathlon, rugby sevens, and para-cycling events for Great Britain, Jamaica, and France.

St Mary’s has a history of success at recent Olympic and Paralympic Games. Athletes, alumni, and students from SMU have won a Gold medal at every Games since Beijing 2008. In total the University has seen 51 athletes take part in the last four Olympic and Paralympic Games, with some representing multiple events, winning 17 medals for their nations prior to Paris 2024.