By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Rising E. coli levels in the Seine river have led to the postponement of the men’s triathlon at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Henri Schoeman and Jamie Riddle are South Africa’s representatives in the race along with 53 other athletes from around the world. They face a tension-filled 24 hours to know whether their event will go ahead.
Team South Africa’s chef de mission, Leon Fleiser, got the news early in the morning too. “I feel a bit sorry for the guys, but they can (hopefully) compete tomorrow.”
Athletes, waiting for the biggest moment of their lives, are experiencing mixed emotions in the face of Paris’ hubris. Mayor Anne Hidalgo even swam in the Seine before the Olympics started to prove its viability.
The idea of swimming in the Seine was always ambitious and potentially disastrous, but organisers persisted. Filtration stations and other measures such as wastewater infrastructure to contain sewage and minimise spillage into the water at a cost $1.51-billion (R27.9-billion) have not been adequate.
Alan Hatherly, who is currently first in the world championship secured the countries second bronze medal of this Olympics. This marked a historic moment as it was the first mountain bike Olympic medal for an African, making South Africa the 16th country to win a medal in this discipline.
Hatherly faced challenges from the start, falling behind at the first break. Some bad luck struck his competitor and eventual winner, Tom Pidcock, leaving the Frenchman in front with Hatherly trailing. Though he was never leading, Hatherly remained in contention, with the medals being decided by sheer determination rather than chance. It was nearly impossible for me to work during the race excitement and despite the intense heat and humidity, and I found myself shaking as the race progressed.
Tom Pidcock of Great Britain won gold, Victor Koretzky of France took silver, South Africa’s own Hatherly earned bronze.