2024-08-07 08:45:36
Swimming competitions in the Seine are not finished making headlines yet. Although none have been cancelled so far, five training sessions have already had to be postponed due to excessively high levels of bacteria in the river – as was the case this Tuesday, August 6, for the open water swimming competition.
As reported by Day.Az with reference to Le Figaro, the individual men’s triathlon competition was postponed for one day, again due to the fact that the water was unsuitable for swimming on that important day. The competition was eventually held on the same day as the women’s competition, Wednesday, July 31. Since then, Belgian triathlete Claire Michel has fallen ill and her delegation has been looking into whether her illness is related to the swimming competition in the Seine.
Now it’s New Zealand triathlete Hayden Wild’s turn to report illness: The silver medalist told the media that he had symptoms of an E. coli infection that appeared 48 hours after the Seine swim. He also said that there is a second person in his team who has fallen ill. The media reports that the second sick triathlete, whose name has not been disclosed, also has symptoms of an E. coli infection after the Seine swim.
According to media reports, the illness complicated the preparation for the mixed triathlon relay, where the team finished 14th. It should also be said that their race was changed by an unfortunate fall on Hayden Wilde’s bike during the cycling portion of the competition, which also took the life of Frenchman Pierre Le Corre, who was one of the favorites in the race. Hayden Wilde finished the event with a bloody nose, causing impressive shots from photographers.
New Zealand’s head of delegation Nigel Avery noted that he had taken care to conceal the illness of two of his triathletes until the mixed relay to avoid giving the impression to rivals that the team was not at the start. Asked about the relevance of the Seine River swim, the former weightlifter did not want to get into controversy and noted that the Olympic Committee and the International Triathlon Federation had done everything to ensure the health of the athletes.
“Ultimately, it was World Triathlon that wanted to keep the event going, and they had to make a decision, without which the event couldn’t have happened,” he sums up philosophically, recalling that the water in the river has been tested several times.