PARIS (AFP) – Germany won gold in the mixed triathlon relay yesterday at the Paris Olympics, with the event disrupted by illnesses that saw at least three teams report sick team members who swam in the River Seine last week.
In a thrilling climax to the team race through central Paris, Germany’s Laura Lindemann won a sprint finish, narrowly edging out Taylor Knibb from the United States in second and Beth Potter from Britain in third.
The Belgian team did not race at all after their athlete Claire Michel fell sick, reportedly with E.Coli, having swum in the Seine during the women’s individual triathlon last Wednesday.
The Swiss team also had to bring in a replacement after their racer Adrien Briffod suffered a gastrointestinal infection, while Norwegian competitor Vetle Bergsvik Thorn told AFP he too had been stricken with a stomach bug after the men’s race last week.
“I was sick for about 12 hours, overnight from Friday to Saturday,” he said. “I don’t know if it was food poisoning or from the Seine. It wasn’t the best preparation for today.”
The relay was a four-person sprint triathlon, with yesterday’s race seeing two men and two women completing a 300-metre swim in the Seine, a seven-kilometre (km) bike ride through central Paris and a 1.8km run. The Seine has been the focus of attention during the Paris triathlon events with the waterway consistently failing water quality tests despite a EUR1.4 billion upgrade to improve the Paris sewerage and water treatment systems.
The men’s race last week had to be delayed by 24 hours and no training has been possible since the start of the Games on July 28, with many athletes again surprised by the strength of the current on Monday.
“It takes some courage to swim and the ability of a good swimmer to navigate it,” victorious German Tim Hellwig told reporters.
