Marchand targets more swim golds
PARIS—French swimming sensation Leon Marchand bids for two more Olympic golds in the pool on Wednesday as organizers declared the Seine River was clean enough to stage both triathlons.
The men’s and women’s triathlons were given the green light a day after the men’s event had been postponed because of pollution levels in the Paris waterway.
“The results of the latest water analyses have been deemed to be in order,” said a statement from World Triathlon and the Paris Games’ organizing committee early on Wednesday, ending an anxious wait for athletes.
Home favorite Marchand had sent the crowd at La Defense Arena pool into a frenzy by winning the men’s 400-meter individual medley on Sunday and can expect another red-hot atmosphere when he races in the 200-m butterfly and 200-m breaststroke finals. The 22-year-old swam four times across the heats and semifinals on Tuesday and hopes to have plenty left in the tank.
“It’s a lot for my system, so I’m going to have to sleep well, eat a lot, and I’ll be ready,” vowed Marchand, the poster boy for the Games in the French capital. —Reuters
