An Olympic triathlete has spoken out about the disturbing conditions she encountered while swimming in the Seine river. In preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, authorities had promised to clean up the polluted river and make it safe for use in the events. However, one athlete fell ill after swimming in the river, causing doubts about its safety.
Despite concerns about high levels of E Coli, the triathlon in the Seine river was allowed to proceed. E Coli is often linked to faecal matter and can cause various health issues including diarrhoea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and sepsis.
Triathlete Jolien Vermeylen, who represented Belgium in the women’s world triathlon, shared her unnerving experience in the river. During her 1500-meter swim, she encountered debris and witnessed things that are better left unspoken. Speaking to Flemish TV channel VTM, Vermeylen said, “While swimming under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much.”
After completing the race, Vermeylen expressed her concern about falling ill as a result of the contaminated water. She mentioned, “We’ll know tomorrow if I’m sick or not. It doesn’t taste like Coca-Cola or Sprite, of course.”
Vermeylen swallowed a significant amount of water during her swim in the river, which was found to have levels of E Coli up to ten times the acceptable limit in June. Despite efforts to improve water quality, some areas along the swim course still exceeded the acceptable limits.
Vermeylen highlighted the long-standing pollution issue in the Seine river, stating, “The Seine has been dirty for a hundred years, so they can’t claim that the safety of the athletes is a priority. That’s bulls**t!”
As a precaution, the athlete took pro-biotics and drank Yakult, a fermented milk beverage. However, she admitted that these measures may not have been sufficient. Vermeylen acknowledged the difficult decision to proceed with the race and hopes that there won’t be too many athletes falling ill.
