Beth Potter kick started her world title defence won a bronze medal at World Triathlon Championship Series Cagliari, as she out sprinted France’s Emma Lombardi to finish behind France’s Cassandre Beaugrand (first) and Germany’s Lisa Tertsch (second). Fellow Brit Georgia Taylor-Brown was sixth as she beat Sophie Coldwell, seventh, to the line. Kate Waugh was the fourth Brit in the top-ten as she crossed the line in tenth, while Sian Rainsley, who was a late addition to the start list, finished 20th.

Potter exited the swim as the lead Brit in ninth with Waugh alongside Coldwell in 16^th and 18^th respectively. Taylor-Brown and Rainsley were together in 25^th and 26^th further back.

Coldwell, Potter, and Waugh all made the front group, which was 19 triathletes strong, on the early stages of the bike. That group then grew to 26 as both Rainsley and Taylor-Brown along with the rest of the chasers closed the gap by lap two. The rest of the field were quickly dropped and were over a minute behind as things progressed.

Flora Duffy of Bermuda then looked to kick on as the race approached the halfway mark on the bike leg as the front appeared to be stretching out but Waugh, who was one of those that fell eight seconds back, quickly put herself in the pack again.

The group stuck together into T2 as Waugh led the way alongside Lombardi at the start of the 10km run. Things changed quickly over the first lap as Potter, Coldwell and Taylor-Brown ran their way to the front of the race, with Waugh dropping back to tenth. Rainsley was 23^rd at this stage.

A lead group of seven developed with Tersch, Lombardi, Beaugrand and Jeanne Lehair of Luxembourg racing alongside Potter, Coldwell and Taylor-Brown at the half way stage of the run.

Seven was too big of a group for Potter though and she began to force the pace on lap three which saw Coldwell and Taylor-Brown drop back by four seconds. The pace began to ramp up and it was soon a battle between Potter, Lombardi, Tertsch and Beaugrand for the win.

It was Beaugrand who broke clear in the final moments to take the gold as Tertsch crossed just ahead of Potter, who won bronze. Taylor-Brown was sixth with Coldwell just behind her in seventh. Waugh recorded her second tenth place finish in as many races, while Rainsley finished 20^th.