(Paris) Twenty-four athletes dove into the Seine River for the 10-kilometer aquatic marathon on Thursday morning, braving the French tributary’s poor reputation for water quality to take part in the longest aquatic event at the Paris Olympics.
Emma Finlin of Edmonton took the 23e rank of the six-loop race that started and finished at the legendary Pont Alexandre-III. Despite being at the back of the pack for most of the race and having to fight the current alone, the 19-year-old completed the event in two hours, 22 minutes and 6.5 seconds. The race was won by Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands.
A familiarization session with the water marathon course was canceled Tuesday due to concerns about water quality, but it went ahead as planned the next day after water quality tests showed that bacteria levels in the Seine were within safe limits for athletes. The water quality of the Seine has been in the news for much of the Olympics, despite years of efforts to clean up the tributary in time for the Games.
Swimming was banned in the Seine for over 100 years, largely due to water quality. The swimming portion of the Olympic triathlon events was also held in the Seine, and some training sessions were cancelled, not to mention the men’s triathlon, which was postponed by a day.
With The Associated Press