No Seine, no gain: Triathletes compete in 1500m river swim in Paris

By Euronews  with AP, AFP

Published on
17/08/2023 – 17:21•Updated 18/08/2023 – 10:41

With less than a year to go until the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, four days of triathlon test events are underway in the heart of the city.

A field of 65 female triathletes from all over the world swam 1500 metres in the River Seine on Thursday and then cycled 40 kilometres before finishing with a 10-kilometre run on and around the Champs Elysees.

Great Britain’s Beth Potter won the event ahead of France’s Cassandre Beaugrand, with Laura Lindemann of Germany completing the podium places.

On Wednesday, water tests showed that quality levels in the Seine are back to acceptable standards, according to Christophe Rosa, the deputy general of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic delegation at Paris City Hall.

It was positive news following the last-minute cancellation of a swimming event which had been due to take place in the Seine at the beginning of August.

Heavy rains at the time caused overflows of untreated waste, reducing water quality to the point that it was below standard for the scheduled Paris Open Water Swimming World Cup round.