PARIS—Cassandre Beaugrand of France won the women’s Olympic triathlon on Wednesday, making her way through a Seine River that was under scrutiny for its water quality and navigating slick roads that turned the cycling portion into a series of spills.
Beaugrand finished the run on top of the Pont Alexandre III bridge and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and exhilaration. It was on top of the “Paris 2024” logo, with a home crowd cheering her on. Her time of 1 hour, 54 minutes, 55 seconds edged Julie Derron of Switzerland by six seconds. Beth Potter of Britain captured bronze.
“It’s magical,” Beaugrand said. “It’s the best route we’ve had in a long time and I know all the other athletes feel the same. To do this in front of our crowd was something that had to be done, and I still can’t believe it.”
In the men’s race that started less than an hour after the women finished, Alex Yee of Britain held off Hayden Wilde of New Zealand by six seconds to win gold. Leo Bergere earned another medal for France by taking bronze.
The men’s race originally supposed to take place on Tuesday but was postponed because of elevated levels of bacteria in the water. The organizers said early Wednesday the latest tests of the water showed compliance with quality standards.
Holding the race in Paris’ famed waterway was all part of an ambitious plan to clean up the long-polluted Seine. Organizers have been steadfast in their insistence that the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events next week could safely be held in the river.
A steady rain subsided just before the triathletes dove into the water. Derron said water quality wasn’t on her mind—only a medal.
“I knew it was race day, and I knew what I had to do,” she said. “So you don’t have time to focus on anything around that.
“It felt normal. It felt a bit cold, especially because it was raining before the race. So I felt a bit chilly before the start, but the water is just normal water. Of course, the strong current on the way back, that made it harder, but other than that, it’s just normal water.”
The tricky part proved to be on the bike and racing through the wet streets. Romina Biagioli of Argentina fell off her bike on Lap 2, her water bottles rolling away.
“It was a nice course, but with the rain it was dangerous,” she said. “It was nice but dangerous.”
As for swimming in the Seine, Biagioli said she would’ve preferred more practice time to prepare for its currents.
“I wasn’t worried about the pollution,” Biagioli said. “I was worried about how it could affect me not to try it before the race.”
By Pat Graham