German swimmer Leonie Beck fell ill after participating in the women’s open water race at the Paris Olympics, despite assurances of the safety of the water in the Seine River.
Beck, who finished ninth in the 10-kilometer event, shared a post on Instagram showing her giving a thumbs up but looking unwell.
“Vomited 9 times yesterday + diarrhea,” she wrote, followed by a sarcastic remark, “Water quality in the Seine is approved,” with a check mark.
Concerns about the historically polluted Seine River, where swimming had been prohibited for over a century due to bacteria-contaminated waters, arose when Paris organizers revealed plans to host open water swimming and triathlon swimming events in the iconic river that flows through the heart of Paris.
Despite significant efforts and expenses to clean up the river, some readings indicated unacceptable levels of bacteria such as E. coli. This led to adjustments in the triathlon schedule and the cancellation of one of the open water training sessions ahead of the men’s and women’s 10-kilometer races.
Following the triathlon, several athletes became ill, but it was unclear if their conditions were a result of swimming in the Seine.
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A total of 53 swimmers—29 men and 24 women—participated in the open water races. Most athletes stated that the cleanliness of the water was not a concern, with women’s gold medalist Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands even mentioning that she took a few sips of the river when she felt thirsty during her race.
“It was cold,” she remarked. “It was nice.”
Daniel Wiffen from Ireland, a gold medalist in swimming in the 800-meter freestyle who competed in his first open water race, dismissed worries about the waterway’s cleanliness. He noted that the E. coli levels in the Seine were lower than what one would typically find in a pool based on the readings he saw before the men’s race.
The Paris organizing committee released a statement expressing concern for the ill athlete and wishing them a speedy recovery.
“At this time, we are not aware of any confirmed link between the illness and the water quality of the Seine,” the statement read. “Water quality during the marathon was rated as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ at all four testing points and well within the standards set by World Aquatics.”
World Aquatics did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment.
By Paul Newberry
