Fans at the Tokyo Olympics were out in force early on Saturday as Great Britain took gold in the Olympic debut of the triathlon mixed relay.
The event features competitors racing in teams of two men and two women. Each athlete completes a 300-meter swim, 6.8-kilometer bike ride and 2-kilometer run before tagging a teammate to take over.
Two of the members of Team GB won silver in individual events earlier in the week. In Saturday’s race, the US grabbed silver and France took bronze.
The event attracted attention for other reasons with many fans ignoring a request to stay home and watch the action on TV.
A man said, “I’m fully vaccinated, and I’m wearing a mask and keeping a safe distance from other people.” Another man said, “I checked social media to see if the course would be crowded, and I didn’t yell or cheer.”
Most Olympic venues don’t permit spectators, but organizers have less control over crowd attendance at outdoor events.
The government on Friday extended the state of emergency for the capital until the end of August. The decision comes amid a surge in coronavirus cases with Japan recording more than 10,000 infections per day for three days in a row.
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