Swimmer Leonie Beck vomits nine times
The quality of the Seine's water sparked discussions ahead of the Olympic open water swimming events. Now that the competitions are over, a German swimmer has fallen ill. Leonie Beck reports severe symptoms. Other athletes had also fallen ill previously.
German open water swimmer Leonie Beck reported falling ill after her Olympic race in the Seine. The 27-year-old wrote on Instagram in English that she had vomited nine times and also experienced diarrhea. Beck posted a picture of herself looking a bit unwell, giving a thumbs up. She humorously added, "Water quality in the Seine is approved." The European champion had competed in the women's 10km race on Thursday, placing ninth.
The water quality in the Parisian river had been a topic of discussion throughout the Games, particularly surrounding the triathlon events. A training session was also cancelled due to poor water quality. However, the event organizers deemed the water quality sufficient for a training session on Wednesday and the women's and men's races on Thursday and Friday. After her 10km race, Beck expressed hope that "we won't carry anything away."
"I need a break for my head first"
After placing ninth, Beck left her future open. "I need a break for my head first," said the 27-year-old, "then I'll finish the World Cup races." When asked about the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Wurzburg native who lives and trains in Italy replied, "I'm 27 now. Best age? For what is the question." Beck started her career in the pool and switched to open water after placing 25th in the 800m freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Since 2018, she has won a total of six gold, four silver, and one bronze medal at World and European Championships.
After placing fifth in the 10km event three years ago in Tokyo, Beck was considered a gold medal contender in Paris. However, she struggled with the strong current in the Seine. "I've been waiting for this race for a year, of course, I dreamed of a medal," she said, "I'm obviously disappointed. But for me, it was impossible to fish anything out here." She was completely exhausted after the event: "It was two hours of tug-of-war, two hours of strength training. I'm a salmon, I have no muscles," she emphasized.
"Intensive medical care" for Michel
Before Beck, several reports of ill athletes after competing in the Seine had emerged. The case of Belgian triathlete Claire Michel gained particular attention. After three days of vomiting and diarrhea, she required "intensive medical care" at the Olympic village's polyclinic. "Blood tests showed that I caught a virus," the 35-year-old later shared on social media. It was not an infection with Escherichia coli, or E. coli, she explained. Due to her illness, the Belgian team opted not to start in the mixed relay event last Monday.
The teams from Switzerland and Norway also reported ill athletes after the individual races. However, they did not directly link the illnesses to the Seine's water quality issues. "I was sick from Friday to Saturday night for about twelve hours," Norwegian Vetle Bergsvik Thorn told the AFP news agency. "But I don't know if it was food poisoning or from the Seine," he added.
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris were marred by health issues for some athletes, as German swimmer Leonie Beck reported falling ill after her race in the Seine. The Belgian triathlete Claire Michel required "intensive medical care" following three days of vomiting and diarrhea, also believed to be related to the Seine's water.
