A Team USA triathlete has revealed the gross way athletes prepare to swim in dirty water.
With all the controversy surrounding the water quality of the River Seine, Paris 2024 Olympic athletes have been forced to find methods to prepare for swimming in the water.
U.S. triathlete Seth Rider, who will be making his Olympic debut this summer, recently admitted that he’s preparing for the event using a very unconventional method - but it's apparently backed up by science.
Speaking to The Athletic, Rider stated that he's going to train his body by exposing himself to a harmful disease that can be found lurking in polluted waters.
"We know that there’s going to be some E. coli exposure, so I just try to increase my E. coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E. coli in your day-to-day life," he told the outlet. "And it’s actually backed by science. Proven methods. Just little things throughout your day, like not washing your hands after you go to the bathroom."
Yeah, it sounds gross, to say the least.
E. coli is a group of bacteria that can cause infections in your gut (GI tract), urinary tract, and other parts of your body, as per the Cleveland Clinic. Most of the time, it can live in your gut without causing illness but some strains can make you sick with symptoms including watery diarrhea, vomiting, and a fever.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is most likely to cause severe illness and requires immediate medical attention.
The triathlon had to be postponed due to concerns about the levels of pollution in the water.
The World Triathlon released a statement addressing the issue, admitting that the "quality" of water was not acceptable for the event to take place.
"Following a meeting on water quality held on 30 July at 3.30AM attended by Paris 2024, representatives of World Triathlon and their Technical and Medical Delegates, the International Olympic Committee, Météo France, the City of Paris and the Prefecture of the Île-de-France Region involved in carrying out water quality tests, [the] decision has been made to postpone the men’s triathlon event which was due to be held on 30 July at 8AM," they said.
"Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes," the statement continued. "The tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held."
The organization also mentioned that there were several factors beyond their control.
"Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control, such as the rain which fell over Paris on 26 and 27 July, can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons," they stated. "Despite the improvement on the water quality levels in the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits."
Instead, the event was postponed to the following day (July 31) and we can confirm that both the men and women are allowed to compete due to the water quality being at a safer rate.
France’s Cassandre Beaugrand won the women’s triathlon gold much to the delight of the audience in attendance, while the men's event is currently ongoing.