By Kent Gray/Triathlon.kiwi
Hayden Wilde’s bid for gold and Dylan McCullough’s Olympic Games debut is on ice after officials announced a 24-hour delay to the individual men’s triathlon early Tuesday Paris time.
Water quality tests held at 3.30am Paris time found unaccepted E.Coli levels in the Seine River, forcing the postponement of the men’s race originally scheduled for 8am Tuesday (6pm NZT).
Paris 2024 and World Triathlon have decided to reschedule the men’s race after the women on Wednesday, July 31. The men will now race at 10.45am local time Wednesday (8.45pm NZT), after the women at 8am Paris time (6pm NZT).
August 2 had originally been set aside as the reserve day and remains an option if further delays are announced.
“Both triathlons are subject to the forthcoming water tests complying to the established World Triathlon thresholds for swimming,” World Triathlon said in a statement.
Travis White, Triathlon New Zealand’s General Manager of Performance who is in camp with the NZ Team, said the decision was “not ideal” but internal contingency plans had been activated.
“The potential for delays has been in our planning all along, White said.
“Both Hayden and Dylan were informed as soon as World Triathlon made the announcement and went back to bed. It’s not ideal but we’re good to go regardless. We all look forward to tomorrow.”
World Triathlon said a meeting at 8am Paris time with coaches would “provide further information and an updated schedule for July 31.”
The world governing body said information regarding tickets and broadcast of the events would be “shared in the next hours”.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of athletes,” the statement said.
“The tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held.
“Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control, such as the rain which fell over Paris on 26 and 27 July, can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons. Despite the improvement on the water quality levels in the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above acceptable limits.
“We will provide the athletes who are due to take part in the men’s triathlon event with all the information on its postponement, as well as real-time updates on the situation.”
