Women Triathletes Dive into River Seine at Paris Olympics

Women triathletes dived into the River Seine on Wednesday, marking the start of the race and providing great relief for organisers after issues with water quality caused problems in the lead-up to the competition.

Organisers had to cancel training this week in the river and postponed the men's race on Tuesday after the Seine was found to be too dirty for athletes following heavy rainstorms last week, according to AFP.

World Triathlon and the Paris Games' organising committee announced around 4:00 am (0200 GMT) on Wednesday that the women's race would go ahead, followed by the rescheduled men's event.

Rain fell overnight in Paris, but had stopped by the time athletes jumped off a pontoon laid over the river at the historic Alexandre III bridge in the heart of the City of Light.

The race started with a 1,500-metre swim in the Seine, with swimmers doing two laps in the river, with and against the current.
Flora Duffy of Bermuda, who took gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, led after the first lap.