“I saw things we shouldn't think about”

The waters of the Seine may have been deemed “safe” to swim in, but some Olympians still aren't happy.

Water purity has been an ongoing concern, as unacceptably high levels of E. Coli caused by sewage flowing into the Seine delayed practices and even the men's swimming phase of the triathlon event by a full day.

Side effects of drinking contaminated water include diarrhea, stomach cramps, and vomiting, and can appear for hours or even days. While tests finally revealed the water was “safe” to swim in Wednesday, many athletes spoke about their experience, and most had nothing nice to say.

“While swimming under the bridge, I heard and saw things that we shouldn't think too much about,” said Belgian Jolien Vermeylen. after his swim. “I drank a lot of water, so tomorrow we will know if I am sick or not. It doesn't taste like Coke or Sprite, of course.

Xinyu Lin clapped “I am not [dead]!”

Verena Steinhauser from Italy said “We'll see tonight” about the possible occurrence of side effects. “I hope I'll be okay. But I'm a little nervous.”

France's Cassandre Beaugrand was more confident, with experience swimming in the Seine.

“I wasn't worried about the River Seine, because we swam last year and nobody got sick after that,” he said, referring to the 2023 swim. “I was sure we could swim today, and that would have been a shame if we didn't.”

US Olympian Seth Rider previously joked that he had spent time building up his E. Coli immunity at home in preparation for the games. Although he reiterated that his comments were humorous in nature, he expressed concern after ingesting some of the water.

“I hope I can handle some E. coli because I think I swallowed a lot of water out there. Everyone probably did,” he noted.

Beaugrand took home the gold medal for host nation France, completing the event in 1 hour, 50 minutes and 7 seconds. Julie Derron of Switzerland won the silver, and Beth Potter of Great Britain received the bronze.

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for truth in a world of fake news has brought her to BizPac Review.

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