Canadian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk He may have vomited “10 times” after swimming in the Seine, but he says it had nothing to do with the poor quality of the water.
After the athlete left Viral for vomiting after swimming in the Seine River during the men’s triathlon On July 31, the 29-year-old explained that he “swallowed a lot of water during the race.”
“It has nothing to do with quality. I had a very full stomach and that ended up being a limiting factor for me in the race. Add to that an hour and forty minutes of going at full speed and things are going to happen.”
A triathlon is no easy feat, especially when competing against the best of the best. The event tests athletes with a grueling combination of swimming, cycling and running. The total distance of the Olympic triathlon is 51.5 km (32 mi). This includes 1.5 km (0.93 mi) of swimming, 40 km (25 mi) of cycling and 10 km (6.2 mi) of running.
“At my last Olympics, I was injured and with everything that happened, I had a lot of questions. That day I didn’t have any. I went for it, I gave it my all,” Mislawchuk shared with Triathlon Canada Magazine after finishing ninth in the men’s triathlon.
“I didn’t think about any ‘what ifs’ that day. I just went for it, I did absolutely everything. I threw up 10 times after the race… it was hot in the last few laps,” continued the Olympian, who previously stressed that he had not yet acclimatised to the summer weather in France compared to the cold temperatures in Canada.
But Tyler, who had to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Games due to an Achilles tendon injury, failed to convince spectators that the long-polluted river, which the city of Paris spent an estimated $1.5 billion on to prepare for the Olympics, did not contribute to the athlete’s vomiting. The men’s triathlon event was even delayed for one day due to unacceptable levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the water.
“While I was swimming under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much,” he told reporters. “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 nonsense!”
Mayor of Paris Ana Hidalgo took a highly publicized immersion—rescheduled twice—nine days before the opening ceremony in an attempt to calm fears. Hidalgo’s initial plan to swim on June 23 was postponed due to the river level and bacteria in it. The swim was then rescheduled for June 30, which ultimately did not take place due to early parliamentary elections in France.