Paris 2024: Men’s triathlon delayed due to conditions in the Seine
Rain, rain go away. That will be the thoughts of the organisers of the Paris Olympics, with the men’s triathlon delayed due to the poor conditions in the River Seine.
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Organisers have fingers crossed that a nice hot summer’s day in Paris will save the Olympic triathlon program.
The men’s race was postponed early on Tuesday because of pollution problems and will now follow the women’s event on Wednesday, pending the water in the Seine gets the tick of approval.
And the only way that will happen is if the weather gods smile on Paris with experts saying the best way to kill bacteria is a blazing hot day which increases the water temperature.
The weather bureau is forecasting a 36 degree day on Tuesday with scattered thunderstorms on Wednesday predicted around the 8am scheduled start of the women’s race.
A decision to postpone the men’s event wasn’t made until 4.15am – less than four hours before it was scheduled – with the state of the water ruled to again be too contaminated.
The Seine was suitable for swimming six days out of seven between July 17-23, data published late last week showed but the unseasonably heavy rainfall on the day of the Opening Ceremony significantly raised the pollution levels.
It is a major embarrassment for Games organisers given a swimmable Seine was a key legacy to leave behind for Paris residents.
A reported $2.47 billion (AUD) was spent cleaning up the river with three public swimming areas set to be opened to the public after the games. The mayor of Paris even swam in the Seine last month to prove that it was safe.
Pollution levels had forced two planned triathlon swimming training sessions to be cancelled over the weekend.
Should the bacteria reading again be too high on Wednesday, the triathlon can be turned into a duathlon.
Team chef de mission Anna Meares said the Australian triathletes are “ready to compete” despite the postponement and continued speculation around the event.
“We do believe this won’t affect their performances,” Meares said. “They have been ready for this. No matter the outcome, our athletes are ready to compete.”
She said it was important the health of the athletes continued to remain the main focus.
“While we know this (postponement) wasn’t the result everyone wanted, we knew these contingencies were in place,” Meares said.
“The most important thing that has happened here is that the welfare and wellbeing of the athletes has been taken into consideration.”
Triathlon coach Dan Atkins said his squad of four – Matthew Hauser, Luke William, Natalie Van Coevorden and Sophie Linn – were prepared for whatever conditions the Seine throws up on Wednesday.
“We got a good lock at what was happening in the water and the way it’s flowing,” Atkins said. “For us, it’s a pretty straightforward swim.
“With the tide, that’s something we’re prepared for – it’s like running up a hill so for us that’s not a problem.
“There are going to be 56 men and 56 women in the same boat. Once they get through that first run, they’re going to forget about the swim and they’re going to get down to business.”
Meares added that organisers had said that dropping the swimming leg and making the competition a duathlon was the “last resort”.
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