Triathletes fight each other in the Seine
For days, the talk around the Olympic triathlon has been all about the dirty Seine. However, the water quality isn't the issue, but rather the current. In the end, something entirely different proved to be the downfall for the German athletes.
After days of debate about the brown muck of the Seine, the water did indeed become the undoing of the German triathletes in their Olympic races. However, it was the morning rain that caused major trouble for Laura Lindemann and Lisa Tertsch, who both crashed on their bikes while in excellent positions, seeing their medal hopes slip away on the wet streets of Paris. "I'm really disappointed," said Lindemann, who finished eighth.
The day had started well for the Olympic triathletes at 4:00 AM, with the news that the concentration of coliform bacteria in the Seine was finally below the threshold after days of waiting. The relevant values of the microbiological tests were "just below," reported national coach Thomas Moeller. This was enough for the double event to go ahead, after the men's race had been cancelled the previous day.
And the organizers of the Summer Games got the spectacle they had hoped for in the heart of Paris, along with some sporting highlights: Cassandre Beaugrand won the women's race in front of countless fans, while the men's race was won by Britain's Alex Yee in a thrilling finish that left Germany's only Olympic champion so far, Jan Frodeno, speechless at the ARD microphone.
A "quite a scuffle" in the current
But even after the race, with the start and finish at the elegant Pont Alexandre III between the Grand Palais and the Place des Invalides, there was talk not only of winners and losers. The recent turmoil with days of swimming and training bans in the Seine was still felt. "It was a challenge," said Tim Hellwig, who finished as the best German in 18th place. "I lost a whole night's sleep." The race that was planned for Tuesday morning was cancelled just four hours before the start.
However, Hellwig didn't want to use this as an excuse, as the conditions were the same for everyone. Coach Moeller also said that he had noticed a "good and focused" atmosphere among his proteges up until the morning of the race. Hellwig was followed by Lasse Luhrs in 21st place, and Jonas Schomburg came in 24th.
The first discipline of swimming was already an extreme challenge. Not because of the cleanliness of the water, which was not a concern. "I'm optimistic that we'll all be fine tomorrow," said Nina Eim, who finished 12th. The national coach also doesn't expect anyone to have caught a stomach bug in the extremely murky Seine, despite the billions spent on cleaning measures.
On course for medals "up to the crashes"
However, the athletes had a much harder time with the countercurrent, which they had to navigate on two lanes. Moeller described the current as "borderline." It was chaotic at the turning buoy due to the current between the swimmers. "It was quite a scuffle," said Tertsch, who finished ninth.
Knocked out were Lindemann and Tertsch not in the water, but on the water, to be precise, on the remnants of the puddles from the night. Tertsch fell on the second of seven laps, Lindemann as part of a leading group on the penultimate one. This ruined all chances of a medal. "That's quite tragic," summarized national coach Möller. "Laura and Lisa are among the strongest runners in the women's field. Up until the falls, we were on course for a medal."
One might get the impression that the organizers prioritized spectacle - with swimming in the Seine, cycling on the grand Champs Élysées boulevard, and the final running duel on the Pont Alexandre III bridge - over sporting fairness. "Hard to say," replied national coach Möller when asked. However, he acknowledged that it was good for the sport to be able to showcase itself at such locations.
Despite the successful clean-up efforts, the ongoing talk at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris revolved around the challenging swimming conditions due to the strong current. Despite being among the strongest runners, German athletes Laura Lindemann and Lisa Tertsch saw their medal hopes shatter due to unfortunate crashes on the wet streets caused by morning rain, affecting their performance significantly.
