(Bloomberg) -- After days of delays and criticism, the Olympic triathlon event finally got underway in River Seine.
Fifty-five elite female triathletes dove into the Seine at 8am, after Paris 2024 said water samples received at 3:20am had been assessed as compliant by World Triathlon. The men’s race, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, followed at 10:45 a.m.
The races will be a relief to organizers, who had insisted the triathlon be held in the Seine as one of the Games flagship events, starting at the Pont Alexandre III bridge. There was no backup venue if the swimming leg was forced to be canceled.
French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the start of the race on social media, stating “we have achieved in 4 years what was impossible for 100 years: the Seine is swimmable.”
The opening ceremony was hit by heavy rain on Friday that persisted well into Saturday evening, prompting the cancellation of the rehearsals of two water portions of the swim-bike-run race and a delay in the men’s event.
Paris Spent €1.4 Billion to Clean Up the Seine. Has It Worked?
Rain started falling again in Paris early Wednesday morning but stopped shortly before the women’s race began. More rain is also scheduled for later in the week.
To make it safe for swimmers, authorities earmarked €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) to clean up the river, as a streak of rainy days can cause the sewage system to overflow, bringing waste water and bacteria into the Seine.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the investment the city made was worth it. “We’ve won our bet on the de-pollution of the Seine,” she said on Wednesday on RMC radio.
Athletes interviewed after the race said the strong river current was a factor after recent rains, with France’s Cassandre Beaugrand taking the gold medal.
The UK’s Beth Potter, who navigated the waters to secure a bronze medal in the event, said in an interview afterward that it was a “really strong current.”
Taylor Knibb, from Team USA, said she wasn’t really thinking about the water quality during the race.
“I’m not really thinking about it in the race, but I can grab you a cup if you want to taste it,” she said.
The mixed relay triathlon event is scheduled for Aug. 5 along the river, with the women’s and men’s 10-kilometer (6-mile) distance swim races set for Aug. 8 and 9.
--With assistance from Francois de Beaupuy.
(Updates with additional context throughout.)
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