By Canadian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk violently vomited after crossing the finish line at the Paris Olympics.
Mislawchuk, who came in ninth place, was seen vomiting just moments after finishing the grueling race, which included a 1.5-km swim, 40km bike ride, and 10km run. The unpleasant scene was captured by TV cameras, which also showed numerous other athletes lying on the mat, struggling to catch their breath.
Alex Yee clinched a thrilling victory in the men’s triathlon, earning Team GB’s fifth gold medal of the Olympics. He worked hard to close a 15-second gap on Hayden Wilde of New Zealand, improving on the silver medal he won in Tokyo three years ago.
In the women’s race, Beth Potter secured the bronze medal for Team GB, while Cassandre Beaugrand claimed victory from a leading group of four, winning the spoils for host nation France.
The lead-up to the triathlon events was overshadowed by the poor water quality of the River Seine due to heavy rainfall in Paris over the weekend. The men’s race was initially scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed until the river was deemed safe for swimming.
Up until June, E.coli levels in the river were 10 times higher than the level deemed acceptable by sports federations. Tests carried out on Wednesday morning revealed the water was deemed safe enough to go ahead.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo recently took a dip in the river to highlight the clean-up efforts. She said: “It’s wet and wonderful and the result of a lot of work.”
We began cleaning the river beginning in 2015 when we began our campaign for the Games,” the Paris Olympic organizing committee said. “Why not a triathlon in the city and swimming in the Seine? Today we can say they can.”
The historic event marked the first time athletes have competed in the Seine in over 100 years due to pollution concerns.
