Netherlands’ Plat retains title in delayed Paralympics triathlon

PARIS: 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. “It’s difficult to (express feelings),” said Plat.

“I’m mostly just relieved. It’s my third title in the triathlon and I’m very proud of that.” 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 initially 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.