Did Seth Rider stop washing his hands in bathroom? What to know about USA athlete’s preparation for 2024 Olympics
The Seine’s pollution has been a major headline around the 2024 Olympics.
The river, which flows from northern France through downtown Paris and into the English Channel, is so dirty that Olympic events — such as the triathlon — were put on hold until bacteria reached safe levels for athletes to swim in the waterway.
One U.S. triathlete, Seth Rider, had jokes as to how he was preparing for the swimming leg of his event in the Seine’s polluted waters.
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USA athlete jokes he stopped washing hands to prepare for Olympics
Rider, 27, said he stopped washing his hands after going to the bathroom to increase his resistance to the polluted Seine.
“We know that there’s going to be some E. coli exposure, so I just try to increase my E. coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E. coli in day-to-day life,” Rider quipped.
“And it’s actually backed by science. Proven methods. Just little things throughout your day, like not washing your hands after you go to the bathroom.”
U.S. triathlete Taylor Spivey cleared the air for his teammate in case anyone took Rider’s comments as legitimate.
“I think the public took that seriously,” Spivey told USA Today. “That was a joke. Please wash your hands.”
Rider finished 29th in the men’s individual and admitted that he — and other racers — inevitably swallowed some water from the river.
“Hopefully I can handle some E. coli because I swallowed so much water out there. Probably everyone did,” Rider told USA Today.
“I’m here to race. I don’t really care what the water is like.”
After being postponed one day, the men’s triathlon took place Wednesday, July 31, with Great Britain’s Alex Yee taking home the gold medal. New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde claimed the silver, while France’s Leo Bergere took the bronze.
The women’s triathlon also took place Wednesday, but there are open water swimming events set to take place in the Seine on Aug. 8 (women’s) and Aug. 9 (men’s).
Why is the Seine so dirty?
The Seine has become polluted because Paris has a combined sewer system. That means wastewater and stormwater flow through the same pipes. When excess amounts of rain come to the area, those pipes reach full capacity.
Instead of the extra wastewater flowing into a treatment plant of some sort, the sewage flows into the Seine — creating the infamous smell and toxic waters.
