Following a delay in the men’s triathlon event at the 2024 Paris Games due to E. coli detection in the Seine River, both the men’s and women’s triathlon events were able to start on Wednesday.
The men’s triathlon event was postponed on Tuesday after Olympic officials found E. coli in the Seine River. The event was rescheduled once it was confirmed that the river would be safe for the participants.
Aurélie Merle, Paris 2024’s executive director of sports, explained that the decision to delay the event was made after conducting four river tests, with three of them showing unsafe pollution levels. She attributed the poor water quality in the Seine to rain on July 26 and 27.
Despite storms in Paris on Tuesday, the bacteria levels in the Seine dropped to acceptable levels on Wednesday morning.
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French athlete Cassandre Beaugrand clinched the gold medal in the women’s triathlon event on Wednesday morning. Beaugrand completed the race in one hour, 54 minutes, and 55 seconds, spending 22 minutes and 32 seconds in the water.
The men’s triathlon competition followed the women’s event, with Great Britain’s Alex Yee securing the gold medal. Yee finished with a time of 1 hour, 43 minutes, and 33 seconds, swimming in the Seine for 20 minutes and 37 seconds.
Swimming in the Seine has been prohibited for over a century due to pollution from various sources. The government has invested nearly $1.5 billion to clean up the river for the Olympics, addressing issues like factory wastewater, sewage, and rain runoff.
The triathlon consists of a 1,500-meter swim, a 40-kilometer cycle, and a 10-kilometer run. The Seine will also be the location for the upcoming marathon swimming event next week, involving a 10-kilometer swim, as well as a mixed triathlon event.
IOC spokesperson Anne Descamps expressed satisfaction that Wednesday’s events could proceed as planned, emphasizing the organization’s commitment to ensuring the river’s readiness for the upcoming marathon swimming and mixed triathlon events next week.
