Marathon Swimming in the Seine

On August 8, the women’s marathon swimmers took to the Seine River for their race, following months of uncertainty and canceled training sessions. Just two days prior, a scheduled training session was scrapped due to unsafe levels of enterococcus bacteria in the water. A rescheduled training session took place the day before the race, allowing most swimmers to familiarize themselves with the 1-mile course, but concerns about potential illness loomed large as they prepared for the 10 km event. The unique river setting presented additional challenges, particularly the current, which swimmers had to navigate effectively. Sharon Van Rouwendaal from the Netherlands, a seasoned competitor with Olympic accolades, leveraged her experience with currents to secure first place. She noted that more training sessions would have been beneficial for adapting to the river conditions. Other swimmers, like Hungary's Bettina Fabian, expressed frustration over the distractions caused by water quality concerns, which affected their focus on the race. The issue of water safety has been a recurring theme throughout the Paris Games, as evidenced by the Belgian triathlon team's withdrawal from a mixed relay event after one athlete fell ill. Although officials have not confirmed the cause of her sickness, the incident highlights ongoing worries about the water quality in the Seine. Fortunately, favorable weather conditions leading up to the marathon allowed for a safe race day, but swimmers remained cautious about their health as they competed.