I'VE SEINE THINGS ‘I felt and saw things I don’t want to think about’ – Olympics 2024 triathlete reveals what swimming in Seine was like

Potentially dangerous levels of E.Coli had been found in the river ahead of the event

A DISGUSTED triathlete has opened up on what it’s like to swim in the River Seine after much controversy around the water quality this summer.

Training sessions were cancelled and events had been postponed with dangerously high pollution levels preventing athletes from entering the water.

The Olympic triathlons finally took place in the River Seine on Wednesday, despite concerns over water qualityCredit: AP

Swimmers finally took o the Seine after much-publisced issues with water qualityCredit: AP

Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen has revealed what it was like to swim in the waterCredit: Reuters

Taylor Knibb of Team USA looks into the murky waterCredit: Alamy
However, the triathlons finally got underway this week after late tests and meetings passed the river as usable for the races.

But Belgian star Jolien Vermeylen was less than impressed with the conditions of the water, despite getting the green light by the Paris 2024 big wigs.

Speaking to VTM after the race, she said: “I drank a lot of water, so we’ll know tomorrow if I’m sick or not.

“It doesn’t taste like Coca-Cola or Sprite, of course.

“While swimming under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much.

“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***!”

City swimming has been banned in Paris for over a century due to water quality issues.

And despite a major €1billion regeneration project, the water was still not up to standards in the expected time frame – leading to the cancellations and postponements.

She added: “If the race hadn’t taken place, it would have been a disgrace for the organisation, for Paris, for France.

“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. I took pro-biotics, I drank my Yakult, I couldn’t do more.

“I had the idea of not drinking water, but yes, it failed. Just like I had the idea of not falling but that failed too.”

Ultimately Vermeylen finished 24th in the standings when today’s Women’s Triathlon took place.

But there was plenty of success for Great Britain as Beth Potter swooped bronze in the murky waters.

And Team GB secured a gold in the Men’s Triathlon thanks to Alex Yee’s spectacular comeback to cross the finish line just six seconds ahead of New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde.