Triathlete Mislawchuk focused on Paris podium

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This article was published 29/07/2024 (460 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PARIS — Come on in, the water’s fine?

It’s a question swirling around the Summer Olympics ahead of the men’s triathlon set for Tuesday in Paris, after a pre-competition training session in the Seine River was cancelled Sunday owing to elevated bacteria in the water.

The poor water quality, however, hasn’t dampened three-time Olympian Tyler Mislawchuk’s enthusiasm to take the plunge into the iconic waterway.

“I trust that we’ll be swimming,” said Mislawchuk, a proud Oak Bluff local. He is one of two Canadians among a field of 55 competitors set to race the triathlon; Olympic rookie Charles Paquet of Port-Cartier, Que. is also on the start list.

“It’s one of the most iconic courses there’s ever been in triathlon,” the 29-year-old said. “Not many times you get to ride in one of the biggest cities and most famous cities in the world — Paris — in the downtown… and we wouldn’t be able to do that without swimming the Seine.”

The race begins and ends at the monumental Pont Alexandre III bridge, starting with the 1,500-metre swim in the turbid, fast moving river, which is at twice its normal flow for this time of year.

A 40-kilometre cycle (seven 5.7 km laps) and 10 kilometre run (four 2.5 km laps) then takes athletes around the heart of Paris several times, past monuments, down the Champs-Elysee, up stairs and over rough hewn cobblestones.

It’s also one of a handful of Olympic events to welcome thousands of spectators to the sidelines for free.

“It’s definitely worth it as an athlete to have a venue like that,” said Mislawchuk, who completed the Olympic test event in Paris last August, finishing 13th.

Over the weekend, Paris measured over 20 mm of precipitation — the equivalent of two weeks worth of rain in a typical July. The City of Light, like Winnipeg, has a combined-sewer system that can spill into the river during heavy downpours and push E.coli levels beyond acceptable limits for swimming.

Should the unfavourable water quality conditions persist, organizers could be forced to reschedule the event or pivot to a duathlon. Mislawchuk said the uncertainty doesn’t bother him.

“Whatever happens, whether it happens on the day, or it’s pushed two days, or it’s a duathlon, everyone’s going to be in the same situation.”– Tyler Mislawchuk

“Whatever happens, whether it happens on the day, or it’s pushed two days, or it’s a duathlon, everyone’s going to be in the same situation,” Mislawchuk said. The team is also prepared for several scenarios, just in case. “The less energy used stressing about it, the better your performance will be,” he said.

Over the past eight years, French authorities have spent 1.4 billion euro ($2.1 billion) to clean up the Seine, where swimming has been banned for a century owing to pollution.

Major public works improvements were required, including upgrades to sewage treatment plants, a rainwater treatment plant and a new 50,000-cubic-metre storm water basin — which reached one-fifth of its capacity thanks to the weekend’s rain.

On Sunday, Pierre Rabadan, Paris’s deputy mayor responsible for the Seine, said water degradation was limited and he’s confident the river will be safe for Olympians.

City officials declined to say how far water quality dropped since Friday, noting the results were with the relevant sports federations. However, a hot, sunny forecast will help bring the Seine up to snuff, said Antoine Guillou, deputy mayor for public cleanliness and sanitation.

“This confidence is coming from experience,” Guillou told reporters. Water quality tends to rebound 24 to 48 hours after a rainfall, as was the case in June and early July, he noted.

“We are in a configuration which is nothing extraordinary, nothing that we haven’t seen over the past week, so really there is no reason to be worried,” he said.

“All our team is pretty excited to see him in such a good space now, health-wise, and seeing him execute what he can on the race day, is actually what everybody is most excited about.”– Phil Dunne

Test results on Tuesday morning will ultimately determine if the Seine is safe for competition.

Heading into the race, Triathlon Canada high performance director Phil Dunne said Mislawchuk is at his healthiest, after being limited by a series of injuries.

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At the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Mislawchuk raced with a torn Achilles tendon. At Rio 2016 he contended with a hip injury. He placed 15th in both events. The multisport athlete is also on the other side of a recent concussion, suffered in a crash during a race in May.

“All our team is pretty excited to see him in such a good space now, health-wise, and seeing him execute what he can on the race day, is actually what everybody is most excited about,” said Dunne, triathlon team leader for Team Canada.

Mislawchuk, for his part, said the “unlucky” start to the season that interfered with his ability to race in top shape could now give him an edge. He’s striving for a podium performance.

“Only my training partners, my coach and some close friends know some of the training and sessions I’ve been able to do, so the numbers point to having a good result,” Mislawchuk. “But numbers and training mean nothing without doing it on race day, so I’ve still got to do the job.”

The triathlon is scheduled for July 30 at 8 a.m. in Paris or 1 a.m. CDT.