2023-08-16 21:26:34
Less than a year away from the Paris Olympics, the world triathlon will hold, between Thursday (17) and Sunday (20), a swimming test in the Seine, with the challenge of qualifying various delegations for the games. More than that, the event will serve to prove the quality of the river’s water, considered “satisfactory” by the authorities.
Published on: 08/16/2023 – 21:26
3 min
After 1,500 meters of swimming between the Pont Alexandre III and the Pont de Alma, the triathletes will continue for 40 km by bike and 10 km by run, when they will run along the Champs-Elysées. And it is on this course, identical to that of next year’s games, that the best triathletes in the world intend to guarantee a spot for the Olympics.
Before the athletes launch themselves into the Seine, however, the organization monitors the quality of the water. In early August, open water swimming events had to be canceled due to river pollution.
This Wednesday (16), the water quality returned to a “satisfactory threshold”, explained the prefecture of Paris, specifying that the level of escherichia coli – a bacteria found in faeces – fell below the maximum regulatory limit (1,000 CFU per 100ml). The water, however, will remain under surveillance during the four days of competition, with daily laboratory analyzes and instant measurement tools.
As for Paris 2024, the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games is counting on the entry into operation of the Austerlitz basin, which will store rainwater, so that the whole world can see the athletes swimming in the Seine, even in the event of bad weather. .
Swimming in troubled waters
Far beyond the strict discipline for training, triathlon athletes have to face water in conditions that are often deplorable. Pollution, rats, garbage and bacteria are some of the problems that often end up threatening the health of athletes. According to a report by the The world, 57 athletes fell ill after a round of the world championships in Sunderland, United Kingdom. Including the champion, the Frenchman Pierre Le Corre.
A few days after the competition, on-site water tests showed that levels of escherichia coli were 39 times higher than normal.
World’s best
Only four athletes from the top 20 men and women in the world will be absent from Paris 2024. And the highlights of the competitions will be the two Olympic champions, Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt and Bermudan Flora Duffy, who will be at the start on the Alexandre III bridge.
Since winning the title in Tokyo in 2021, Blummenfelt has focused on Ironman, long-distance triathlon trials. His level, in a test with the same characteristics as the Olympics, will be observed by his opponents in Paris, in a shorter distance, where he may lack a little speed. Briton Alex Yee, New Zealander Hayden Wilde, Australian Matthew Hauser and Frenchman Pierre Le Correja have all won in previous seasons of world competitions.
Among women, Flora Duffy, who has not participated in an international triathlon since November 2022, returns to compete on Thursday. Its main rivals must be a French and a British: Cassandre Beaugrand continues with two expressive victories, in Hamburg and Sunderland, and Beth Potter occupies the first place of the world circuit.
After the paratriathlon events on Saturday, France, Norway and Great Britain will compete for victory on Sunday in the mixed relay of the World Championship.
(With information from AFP)
#Seine #pollution #biggest #concern #athletes #triathlon #test