Netherlands’ Plat retains title in delayed Paralympics triathlon

Jetze Plat won the first event of the
triathlon at the Paris Paralympics, which finally got underway on Monday
after being postponed due to water quality concerns regarding the Seine.

The 33-year-old Dutchman finished in a time of 58min 16sec to claim his third
Paralympic title in a row after victory at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

The podium of the men’s PTWC race — the triathlon event for wheelchair users
— was completed by Austria’s Florian Brungraber in silver medal position and
Geert Schipper of the Netherlands in bronze.

The triathlon events at the Paris Games were intially scheduled to take place
over two days but due to concerns about bacteria levels in the Seine, where
the swimming stage takes place, organisers announced last week that all 11
races would take place on Sunday.

Then, following heavy rain on Saturday which can stir up pollution in the
river, organisers and governing body World Triathlon decided until postpone
to Monday.

The water quality issue also caused disruption to the Olympics triathlon and
open-water swimming events earlier this summer, with several practice
sessions cancelled.

Despite a 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) upgrade to improve the Paris
sewerage and water treatment system, the Seine has been dogged by pollution
concerns, notably for its levels of enterococci and E.coli bacteria. (BSS/AFP)