In the context of the competition, Germany's flag-carrying competitor reduced their pace attaining a hat-trick of gold medals.
At the Olympics, the Seine river is causing significant problems, leading to race postponements, health issues among athletes, and general frustration. This issue is also persisting during the Paralympics. One of the affected individuals is Martin Schulz, Germany's anticipated major medal contender.
Heavy rainfall on Friday and a brief thunderstorm on Saturday night - the Seine refuses to cooperate yet again. The poor quality of the problematic river has seriously hampered Martin Schulz's pursuit of a Parisian gold hat-trick. The Olympic crisis team declared an emergency early on Sunday morning for the eleven triathlon competitions, as swimming in the polluted water at Pont Alexandre III was not feasible once more.
The multi-billion-dollar prestige project Seine is also failing at the Paralympics. According to a recent press release from World Triathlon, the water quality of the river has worsened due to the rainfall over the past two days. The competition site's water quality is unsuitable for swimming and surpasses the limit set by World Triathlon. The decision was made following a late-night meeting between World Triathlon, Paris 2024, and the responsible French authorities.
Duathlon as a substitute
If the water quality improves by Monday, all eleven medal events will be decided then. The initial four competitions scheduled for Monday were shifted to Sunday due to the organizers' expectations for better conditions. However, the rainfall on Friday and Saturday caused significant deterioration. It remains uncertain whether a postponement to a different day is possible. In theory, a duathlon (consisting of running, cycling, and running) is allowed as a backup plan, but swimming should never be forced. "Athlete health" is the utmost priority, World Triathlon stated.
The current as bad, if not worse
Even among Olympic triathletes, the men's race had to be delayed due to poor water quality, and numerous training sessions were even canceled. Post-open water races, several athletes, including German swimmer Leonie Beck, reported nausea and even vomiting. The recent rainfall may also intensify the current.
This would be "the main problem" for para-triathletes, Schulz had previously stated. The current was "borderline" for swimming specialists at the Olympics, the Paralympic champion from Rio and Tokyo explained, adding, "Many para-athletes cannot swim upstream. In the best-case scenario, they remain stationary. Many will swim backward instead."
These would be humiliating images that the organizers would prefer to avoid. After all, the French government has invested around 1.4 billion euros to clean up the Seine. A duathlon backup plan would be disastrous. "It would leave a bitter taste," Schulz emphasized. However, Meteo France predicts more showers for Sunday afternoon. Whether the water quality will improve by Monday morning remains uncertain.
The Seine's persistent issues are affecting Martin Schulz's bid for a Parisian gold hat-trick in triathlon events during the Paralympics. Due to the worsened water quality caused by the recent rainfall, the possibility of a duathlon as a backup plan is being considered, but forcing swimmers could compromise athlete health, as emphasized by World Triathlon.
