Victorious Beaugrand thrills home crowd with France's 1st individual Olympic triathlon medal

France's Cassandre Beaugrand won gold in the women's triathlon on Wednesday, delighting home fans and clinching the country's first ever Olympic medal in the individual triathlon.

Switzerland's Julie Derron won silver and Britain's Beth Potter took bronze.

Beaugrand, ranked number one in the world, broke away in the last lap of the run and was fueled to the finish line by ecstatic cheers from crowds lining the streets.

Derron had led for most of the run stage but could not keep up with Beaugrand's pace, while Potter, considered a top contender for gold, had to settle for bronze.

After days of delays and uncertainty over water quality in the Seine River, the women's and men's Olympic triathlon races went forward Wednesday with a swim in the famed Paris waterway.

The decision to go ahead with the Seine swim for the women's and men's triathlon competitions on Wednesday is a big win for the city, Olympics organizers and the athletes.

Officials undertook an ambitious plan, including 1.4 billion euros ($2 billion Cdn) in infrastructure improvements, to clean up the long-polluted Seine and have been steadfast in their insistence that the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events next week could safely be held in the river.

The organizers said early Wednesday the latest tests of the water showed compliance with quality standards.

Elevated levels of bacteria in the river pushed the men's race originally planned for Tuesday to Wednesday, when the women's competition had been scheduled. Test events meant to allow the athletes to familiarize themselves with the course had already been cancelled for the same reason on Sunday and Monday.

The water quality in the Seine is directly affected by rainfall that can