A third of the competitors were blocked by a boat.
The Olympic men’s triathlon got underway in bizarre circumstances after suffering a false start because a boat was in the way.
As the gun went off to mark the start of the opening 1,500 metre swim leg, around a third found their jump off the pontoon blocked by a camera boat.
Only half of the triathletes were able to enter the water, with the powerboat launching itself into a rapid reverse to get out of the way.
The group that had entered the water, which included British competitor Alex Lee, were quickly stopped by a swarm of boats and jet skis, with the alert horn also sounding repeatedly to let them know that something had gone wrong.
This wasn’t enough to stop the leaders undergoing an arduous 200 metre swim before having to return to the pontoon and line up again.
What an extraordinary (false) start to the Olympic triathlon!
The gun went off – but half the athletes had a boat in their way 😬
Fortunately they didn't get too far, and the second start is under way now.
Watch on @bbcone now ➡ https://t.co/Iqw28rGJLW #bbcolympics #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/3p16Yqx8XA
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 25, 2021
The race eventually got underway 10 minutes later.
The race was won by Austrian athlete Kristian Blummenfelt, with Team GB’s Alex Lee picking up a brilliant silver medal.
After the race, Blummenfelt gave his thoughts on the incident.
He said: “I saw the boat on the left side and found it quite strange that the starting bell came.
“I felt that the boat was still in front of the left side of the pontoon, so when I jumped in, I thought that this would most likely be pulled back and go for another start.
“I just tried not to go too slow but keep a little bit left and look at it in a positive way that I actually got a little pre warm up before the start.”
BBC commentator Matt Chilton described the start as a “shambles,” saying he had “never seen anything like that before at the start of a triathlon – let alone one at the Olympics.”
Meanwhile, in the BBC studio GB triathlete Non Stanford said: “I’ve never seen that – definitely not in the Olympics. Hopefully the guys who did jump in, it didn’t affect their race too much.”
