Organizers said the latest tests of the famed Paris waterway showed compliance with quality standards. Elevated levels of bacteria delayed the men's race from Tuesday.
KATE BRUMBACK and PAT GRAHAMThe triathlon competitions are up and running in Paris on Wednesday after concerns over water quality in the River SeineAfter days of water-quality concerns caused by heavy rains last week put the swimming portion of the Olympic triathlons in doubt, the women dove into the Seine River early Wednesday followed by the men a few hours later.
"The problem is always worse when there's a heavy rainfall, because it kind of overwhelms the pipes and you also get all the runoff from the street. All that lands in the Seine," explained Dr. Nicole Iovine, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Florida. "They've done a lot to try to improve the quality of the water. But the truth is you're at the mercy of Mother Nature.
France's Cassandre Beaugrand won gold in the women's event, while Switzerland's Julie Derron took silver and Great Britain's Beth Potter got the bronze medal. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who took a much publicized dip in the Seine two weeks ago along with Estanguet and others to ease fears about water quality, said after Beaugrand won the first Olympic gold in the river: "How special to see her swimming in the Seine, thank you for making us so proud!"
Every day since Sunday, even as organizers announced cancellations or postponements, they continued to express confidence that the swims in the Seine would go forward as planned the next day. For several days they did not publicly release the data on levels of E. coli and other bacteria that contributed to their decisions.
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