After cancelling swimming training for two days and then postponing the men’s triathlon because of unacceptable E. coli levels in the Seine river, Olympic organizers went ahead with a doubleheader in the event on Wednesday.
It turned out to be a celebratory morning for the host country.
France’s Cassandre Beaugrand won the women’s event, and then said she was perfectly fine with competing in a river where swimming has been essentially banned for 100 years.
“I have no doubts about the quality of the Seine, we’ve swum in worse water,” Beaugrand said, per Reuters.
Olympic organizers had said they would hold a duathlon if the Seine wasn’t deemed safe.
Beugrand said that would have been “shameful” for the athletes.
French President Emmanuel Macron saw the event as a victory for his country, tweeting: “We have achieved in four years the impossible for 100 years: the Seine is swimmable.”
The pollution levels didn’t seem to be the biggest worry for the athletes Wednesday. Instead, many pointed to strong currents during the swim as a major challenge.
“That current — wow,” American Taylor Spivey said after finishing 10th, per NBC Olympics. “I felt like I was on a treadmill in one place.”
Spivey said she swallowed a ton of water.
When asked if she was worried, she said: “I’ve taken a lot of probiotics over the past month. So we’ll see how it goes.”
Great Britain’s Alex Yee won the men’s race. Tyler Mislawchuk was the top Canadian, finishing ninth.