Belgian triathlete Claire Michel is “sick” after taking part in the women’s individual Olympic triathlon including a swimming leg in the River Seine, the Belgian National Olympic Committee (COIB) said Sunday.
“The COIB and Belgian Triathlon hope that the lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions at the Olympics,” the committee said in a statement.
Michel finished 38th in the race, won by Cassandre Beaugrand of France.
As a result of her illness, the Belgian team will not take part in the mixed triathlon event scheduled to take place on Monday.
Problems with the water quality of the Seine had marred the run-up to the competition.
Organizers have been forced to cancel training sessions in the river and postponed the men’s race for 24 hours after the Seine was found to be too dirty for athletes following rainstorms last week.
In the end, the women’s and men’s races both took place on Wednesday.
