‘Wow’ after swimming in the Seine… Athlete vomits 10 times, live (Paris Olympics)

(Daily News reporter Jiang Suying) Athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic triathlon were found vomiting in the Seine River after the race, which once again raised the issue of the water quality of the Seine River.

Canadian athlete Tyler Meslochuk vomited immediately after crossing the finish line of the men’s triathlon at the 2024 Paris Olympics on the 31st of last month (local time). (Photo = X Capture)

According to the New York Post on the 1st (local time), Canadian triathlete Taylor Meslochuk vomited about 10 times after crossing the finish line during the Paris Olympics triathlon. On that day, athletes had to swim 1.5 kilometers in the Seine River, bike 40 kilometers, and run 10 kilometers.

It is not uncommon for people to vomit after a race due to fatigue, but it is said that Meslochuk vomited 10 times on the field after the race and was in great pain. He finished 9th in this competition.

The issue of the water quality of the Seine River was raised even before the Games. Since 2015, the city of Paris and the organizing committee have spent more than 1.4 billion euros (about 2.2412 trillion won) to host the Olympics in the Seine River, which has been off-limits to swimming for the past 100 years due to pollution issues.

However, after heavy rain on the opening day, wastewater flowed into the Seine River, further deteriorating the water quality. In the end, the water quality test conducted before the game did not meet the water quality standards of the World Swimming Federation, so the men’s triathlon originally scheduled for the 30th of last month was postponed to after the women’s game the next day. This was because the concentration of bacteria such as E. coli exceeded the standard. But the organizing committee insisted on the game, and in the end the players had to endure the pain.

The players were unhappy with this.

Doctor and Spanish player Miriam Casillas said in an interview with Spanish media that “if you think about the health of the players, there is a plan B besides the Senna”, noting that “no consideration was given to the players.”

American athlete Seth Ryder also made a serious joke, saying: “I don’t wash my hands after using the toilet, trying to adapt to the E. coli (from the Seine River).”

The World Triathlon Federation set the competition physical fitness standard in 2006 to be less than 1,000 E. coli per 100 ml and less than 400 enterococci per 100 ml. Swimming in water exceeding this level can cause gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, otitis externa and skin diseases.

The problem is that the triathlon mixed competition is scheduled for the 5th, and the marathon swimming competitions are scheduled for the 8th and 9th.

There is also the possibility of switching to a “triathlon format” involving only cycling and running events and excluding swimming, and plans to hold a marathon swimming event at the Vers-sur-Mer Marine Stadium outside Paris are reportedly also under consideration.