Olympic Triathlete who threw up '10 times' after swimming in River Seine explains what actually made him sick
A Canadian triathlete who threw up '10 times' after emerging from the River Seine thinks he knows what was making him sick, and he doesn't believe it was the water.
There had been serious concerns about the health hazards the Seine might pose to athletes getting in there for the triathlon.
Some Parisians had threatened to poop in the river as a means of protest, while the triathlon itself was postponed for a day after it was determined that the water quality wasn't safe enough for people to be swimming in it.
While many were sceptical about the difference a day makes, the Olympians were sent into the water for their events.
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Belgian Triathlete Jolien Vermeylen said she drank a lot of water from the Seine while swimming in it, so she'd have to wait and see whether it made her sick.
She said that when swimming under a bridge in the river she '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**t!" was her verdict of the water quality.
Meanwhile, USA's Seth Rider said he'd been 'exposing myself to a bit of E.coli in day-to-day life' to try and dull the impact of the disease.
People's fears about the health hazards posed by the water were increased when a Canadian triathlete was seen vomiting after he'd crossed the finish line.
Tyler Mislawchuk came in ninth place in the men's triathlon at the Olympic Games, an event that was won by Team GB's Alex Yee in a spectacular finish.
The Canadian said he ended up vomiting '10 times' but doesn't think it was a dip in the grimy river water that made him ill.
Look away now if you're eating...
Instead, Mislawchuk pointed the finger of blame at the punishing Parisian heat in the final stages of the event.
The fact he was doing a triathlon might also have had something to do with it, as it's a very physically demanding event.
Speaking to Triathlon Magazine Canada, a publication which sounds perfect for the Canadian triathlete, Mislawchuk said he gave it absolutely everything and said the heat in the final laps caused him to throw up.
He said: "For me, whether I was fourth or 55th it doesn’t really matter. I tried to win a medal and I went out there and was basically in third place with the two French guys for five and a half or six km.
"At my last Olympics there was the injury and with all the stuff that happened there was a lot of 'what ifs'.
"I have no 'what ifs' on the day, I went for it, it was absolutely everything.
"I vomited 10 times after the race... it got hot in the last laps."
Joe Harker