Germany Win Mixed Triathlon Amid Seine Pollution Controversy

PARIS, Aug 5 (Bernama-dpa) -- Germany won the mixed triathlon at the Paris Olympics on Monday after organisers opted to go ahead with the swimming section in the Seine despite Belgium pulling out amid reports an athlete is ill with E.coli.

The German Press Agency (dpa) reported the US were second and Britain took bronze in a close finish in just the second Olympic edition of the event.

The water quality in the Seine has been a major controversy at these Games, with organisers ploughing ahead with the idea of holding the swimming in the river despite renewed tests showing it was too polluted. 

Training was cancelled and an individual race last week was postponed by a day. Organisers said that rain makes the Seine dirtier but that sun kills pathogens and bacteria like E.coli.

Races only took place when water pollution levels were within accepted limits but Belgium pulled out of the mixed event citing an illness for athlete Claire Michel amid Belgian media reports it is a case of E. coli. 

The German quartet of Tim Hellwig, Lisa Tertsch, Lasse Lührs and Laura Lindemann were surprise winners in a thrilling finale at the Pont Alexandre III in central Paris.

It is only the third Olympic medal for the German triathlon team at a Summer Games. Jan Frodeno won gold in Beijing in 2008 and Stephan Vuckovic won silver eight years earlier in Sydney. The Germans had missed the podium in the individual events in Paris.

Favourites France lost their chances of a medal due to a fall by starting athlete Pierre le Corre after a collision with New Zealander Hayden Wilde on the second bike lap on a bend.  

-- BERNAMA-dpa