2023-08-16 04:30:06
During the men’s individual triathlon event at the Tokyo Olympics, July 26, 2021. JAE C. HONG / AP
To be a triathlete, it is better to have a strong stomach. Behind the postcard offered by urban races organized in the most beautiful cities in the world, the discipline raises many health challenges. Pollution, rats, unidentified floating waste, heavy metals… The participants often swim in troubled waters.
Pierre Le Corre recently paid the price. Since his victory on the stage of the world championships in Sunderland (United Kingdom), on July 30, the Frenchman has suffered from persistent intestinal ailments. “I was intoxicated after having swallowed water during the start. I take chlorine tablets, probiotics and sometimes Smecta [un antidiarrhéique] before the races to avoid this kind of situation, but despite everything, it happens regularly. »
And he is not the only one: fifty-seven athletes have developed symptoms. A few days after the British rendezvous, water test readings showed that levels of Escherichia coli – a bacteria found in faeces – were thirty-nine times higher than normal.
The Vannetais is however preparing to play in the Seine the “test event” of Paris (from August 17 to 20), dress rehearsal before the Olympic Games (OG) of the summer of 2024. Swimming in the river which crosses the capital? “Make no mistake, it’s not great for your healthrecognizes the mixed relay world champion, who had already tasted these waves in 2012 during the Paris triathlon. But if they tell us it’s a green light, I won’t ask myself any questions. We got into the habit of shutting up and going. »
In an urban environment
The problem mainly concerns competitions, which mostly take place in urban areas. “When I arrived, I was surprised to see where the races were organized, especially the swimming part, explains Daniel Hirt, doctor for the French triathlon teams. But you have to understand that, for the federation, it’s not the same thing to organize the event in the heart of Paris, a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower, or in the Creuse. Compromises therefore have to be found. »
This compromise, World Triathlon, the body that governs the discipline on a global scale, established it by establishing a water quality reference system, based on the most demanding European standards. Awareness materialized between 1998 and 2013, due to the multiplication of cases of leptospirosis, a disease carried by rat urine and potentially fatal. The French federation, through its doctor, Claude Marblé, had an active role in the development of the international protocol.
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