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One of the biggest storylines of the 2024 Paris Olympics to this point has been the cleanliness of the Seine River. The setting for triathlon races this week, there were question marks surrounding whether or not it would be safe to swim in.
Bacteria levels had been deemed unsafe up through Wednesday when the first racers took their marks. This morning, a competition was held despite previous rumors that the swim portion of the triathlon would be nixed altogether.
Swimming in the Seine has been illegal for the last 100+ years due to water quality. Paris’s old infrastructure is unable to withstand heavy rains, resulting in sewage water draining into the river during storms.
France spent $1.5 billion to clean the water of bacteria, a tactic that eventually worked as the river was cleared for competition midway through the week.
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Women took their stances first as the men’s race was postponed by those water conditions Tuesday. After water tests finally spit out positive news, it seemed everyone was eager to get started.
Some more so than others…
A number of athletes jumped the starting gun, leaping into the dirty Seine River water early. They couldn’t contain their excitement!
@nbcsports The women’s triathletes were the first athletes to swim in the Seine at the #ParisOlympics. 🏊♀️👀 #swimming #seine #triathlon #olympics #paris2024 ♬ original sound – NBC Sports
“Wow, that was interesting,” an announcer said on the broadcast. “I did not hear that starting horn, but several of the athletes – like the whole left side of the field – went in before I heard the horn go. That will be interesting to see if there is a penalty assessed.”
Five racers were penalized 15 seconds for the quick jumps, proving costly in final times.
When all was said and done, Cassadre Beaugrand of host country France took home the gold medal, followed by silver medalist Julie Derron of Switzerland with Beth Potter of Great Britain landing bronze.
The water levels appear to be safe enough to swim in. That’s what officials claimed Wednesday, at least. Hopefully, we don’t see competitors start to get sick after the fact.
Some have already docked for their eagerness to dive in!