Olympic triathlete Jolien Vermeylen shared her dismay over swimming in the polluted Seine, criticizing officials who claimed the river was safe for competition.
Representing Belgium in the Women’s Triathlon, Vermeylen’s 1500-meter swim through the iconic French river on Wednesday left her with serious concerns.
“While swimming under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much,” Vermeylen told Flemish TV channel VTM, as reported by Metro.
🇧🇪Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen on swimming in the River Seine at the Paris Olympics.
“I felt and saw things that I don’t want to think about.” pic.twitter.com/YqZP6NWfzL
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Vermeylen finished the race in 24th place, but her main worry was the potential health impact of ingesting the river water. “We’ll know tomorrow if I’m sick or not,” she said. “It doesn’t taste like Coca-Cola or Sprite, of course.”
The athletes took to the water after officials declared it clean and safe, despite reports of high E. coli levels and other bacteria.
In June, tests showed E. coli levels ten times above the acceptable limit, according to CBS News. E. coli, often linked to fecal matter, can cause various illnesses including diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and sepsis.
“Despite the improvement on the water quality levels in the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits,” organizers admitted.
In preparation for the Paris Olympics, officials embarked on a $1.5 billion plan to clean the Seine, a river long notorious for its pollution. They were determined to host the triathlon and marathon swimming events in the river.
Vermeylen, however, criticized these same officials for prioritizing the event over athlete safety. “The Seine has been dirty for a hundred years, so they can’t say that the safety of the athletes is a priority. That’s bulls–t!” she declared.
The 30-year-old first-time Olympian took precautions before the race, including consuming probiotics and Yakult, but still ended up swallowing the river water. “I had the idea of not drinking water, but yes, it failed. It was now or never, and they couldn’t cancel the race completely either. Now they just have to hope that there won’t be too many sick athletes.”
Despite the controversy, France’s Cassandre Beaugrand and Britain’s Alex Yee clinched the gold medals in their respective races.
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