German trio around Beck gets sick after swimming in the Seine
Leonie Beck has again criticized the controversial Olympic open water swimming race in the Seine and its health consequences. "Many examples have shown that the values were probably not good enough after all. Many athletes had the same symptoms."
Swimmer Leonie Beck described her illness after the Olympic open water swimming race in the Seine in vivid terms. She said she felt fine the day after her race, but then at 11 a.m., she realized something was wrong. "I had to lie down in my parents' hotel, but I didn't make it to the room. A bit of my bodily fluids ended up in the lobby."
Beck added, "Then it started every ten minutes, I had to throw up. I wanted to make sure I was under medical care in the village." Three out of four German starters suffered health issues from the races in the Seine. Besides Beck, Leonie Märtens was also treated for nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. A German swimmer was also affected, according to the German Olympic Sports Confederation, but his name was not disclosed.
In the men's race, Oliver Klemet won silver in the 10km event, while Tokyo Olympic champion Florian Wellbrock finished eighth.
There had been ongoing discussions about the water quality in the Seine in the weeks leading up to the Olympics, both for the triathlon and open water swimming events. Several training sessions were canceled due to heavy rain, and the men's triathlon was even postponed by a day. However, organizers stated that the water quality was ultimately safe for all competitions.
Beck said, "Many examples have shown that the values were probably not good enough. Many athletes had the same symptoms. It's like food poisoning, the body fights back with strong reactions. I'm just glad I'm healthy again. I threw up nine times, at that moment, nothing else mattered. I just wanted to get healthy again." Beck added, "I do find it unfortunate how it all played out. The medal winners are obviously happy, but the rest of us are a bit annoyed."
Beck was a favorite going into the race, but she struggled with the strong current and finished ninth. Normally, open water swimming races at this level are not held in rivers. "Against the current, it was impossible for me," Beck said. "I can't blame myself. I don't know if I'll ever get over it."
Despite her disappointment in not performing well due to the challenging conditions, Leonie Beck expressed her concern about the health issues experienced by many athletes during the Olympic open water swimming race in the Seine. "It's unfortunate that Paris did not provide the ideal conditions for the open water swimming race, leading to multiple athletes experiencing similar symptoms, much like food poisoning," she shared.
