One triathlete prepares for a dirty Seine by not washing his hands
FFollow the live broadcast of the second day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, including special gymnastics broadcasts
Train hard, eat healthy, sleep well and… not wash your hands after using the toilet?
American triathlete Seth Rider is preparing for the elevated E. coli levels in the Seine with some unconventional, but apparently scientifically sound, methods.
“We know there’s going to be some exposure to E. coli, so I try to increase my E. coli threshold by exposing myself to a little bit of E. coli in my daily life,” he said.
“And it’s actually backed by science. Proven methods. Just little things throughout the day, like not washing your hands after you go to the bathroom.”
Whether or not doctors agree with Rider, it’s part of his strategy to stay healthy in Paris — at the cost of no longer accepting handshakes in the athletes’ village, perhaps. The unconventional measure comes in response to concerns about exposure to the Seine, where the swimming portion of the triathlon and marathon swims are scheduled.
Free daily sports updates straight to your inbox.
Free daily sports updates straight to your inbox.
Results of bacteria A report released Tuesday by the Paris mayor’s office found that E. coli levels were just below 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters, a threshold set as a safe limit by the World Triathlon Federation.
However, there are concerns that rainfall during Friday’s opening ceremony could cause more pollutants to enter the river. Organizers acknowledge that Friday’s rainfall is likely to have an impact on bacteria levels, potentially leading to the cancellation of Sunday’s swimming practice.
“Depending on current water quality and expected conditions over the next 24 hours, it is possible that the acclimatization training (athlete training) scheduled for Sunday, July 28 at 8am will be cancelled,” Olympic organizers told Reutersand added that a decision will be made at 4am local time on Sunday.
Officials are confident that the official races, which begin on Tuesday with the men’s individual race, will be successful.
“Given the weather forecast for the next 48 hours, we expect water quality to be below limit values again within 24 to 36 hours,” they told Reuters.
GO DEEPER
Will the Seine be ready for Olympic swimming? With dry weather and a bit of luck
American triathlete Taylor Spivey said Saturday she hopes to have a full race when she competes in the mixed team relay on Aug. 5.
“Hopefully we can swim, bike and run because I don’t swim that much just to run and bike,” she said.
Spivey added that she increased her probiotic intake leading up to the event to have “a strong gut” and resist any illnesses that may arise from swimming in the river.
“We hope there won’t be any more crazy rain showers,” she added. “And hopefully no sharks, like we saw in that Netflix (movie)because that would be a much bigger concern for me.”
Spivey previously said The Athletics She has become familiar with swimming in “still, questionable waters” in her professional career.
“No one wants to get sick, but we also want to swim; after all, we train to swim, bike, and run,” she said in an email. “We saw this same topic of discussion leading up to both the Rio (2016) and Tokyo Olympics. It’s always a concern, but it also feels like the same hype we’ve seen in the past.”
The city is hoping for sunshine and warm weather to kill bacteria in the river. Paris officials have spent $1.5 billion building a water tank and a network of underground sewers and treatment plants to capture sewage during rainstorms that would normally flow into the Seine.
E. coli and enterococci are contaminants that are often associated with fecal bacteria. When contaminated water is ingested, the bacteria can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and sepsis.
The rider’s dive into the Seine for the first part of his race won’t be the first time the 27-year-old has taken a dip in the river. He was in Paris last summer for the Olympic test event in August 2023.
“I don’t think anyone got sick after the race,” he said. “That can’t be said for all the races we do.”
Required reading
(Photo: Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images)
