An Olympic triathlete has revealed a distressing experience from swimming in the polluted River Seine during the Paris Olympics. The triathlon, which had been postponed, took place after early morning tests confirmed the water quality was acceptable for the event. However, several competitors, including Belgium’s Jolien Vermeylen, were dissatisfied with the state of the river.
Vermeylen, who finished 24th in the women’s race, shared that the water quality was far from ideal. She remarked that the Seine did not taste refreshing, unlike soft drinks such as Coca-Cola or Sprite, and expressed her concerns about the potential health risks. “I drank a lot of water, so we’ll know tomorrow if I’m sick or not,” she told TV channel VTM. Her description of the river included unsettling imagery: “While swimming under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much.”
The water quality issues were exacerbated by heavy rainfall over the weekend, which worsened pollution levels in the Seine. Despite the postponement and assurances from Paris organizers, Vermeylen felt that the state of the river showed a lack of genuine concern for athlete safety. “The Seine has been dirty for a hundred years, so they can’t say that the safety of the athletes is a priority. That’s bulls***!” she said.
To mitigate the risk of illness, Vermeylen took precautions such as consuming probiotics, but she still ended up swallowing a significant amount of water. “If the race hadn’t taken place, it would have been a disgrace for the organisation, for Paris, for France,” she noted. Her frustration was palpable, as she believed that the race’s execution was more about meeting deadlines than ensuring athlete well-being.
The problematic conditions did not overshadow the achievements of other competitors. Team GB’s Alex Yee won gold in the men’s event, and Beth Potter secured bronze in the women’s race, demonstrating their resilience amid the challenging circumstances.
