Day five of the Paris 2024 Olympics sees the women’s and men’s triathlon events kick-off off another busy day with medals up for grabs in diving, gymnastics, swimming and much more.
Team GB’s world champion Beth Potter, Tokyo gold medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown and rising star Kate Waugh go in the women’s triathlon before favourite Alex Yee and Sam Dickinson go in the men’s race, which had to be postponed yesterday after failing safety tests due to pollution in the river Seine.
In diving, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson chase a medal in the women’s 10m platform synchro, looking to emulate Tom Daley and Noah Williams’ fine silver.
Katie Ledecky returns to the pool looking to extend her dominance in the women’s 1500m freestyle and claim her eighth Olympic gold, while there will be an exciting battle in the gymnastics hall when the men’s individual all-around final pits Hashimoto Daiki of Japan against China’s Zhang Boheng together. Joe Fraser and Jake Jarman also feature for Team GB.
Follow all the action, latest results and medals from Paris 2024 in our live blog below.
Olympic triathlon farce is the inevitable result of Paris 2024’s £1bn gamble
“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,” American triathlete Seth Rider said this week, in an actual quote from an actual Olympian. “And it’s backed by science. Proven methods. Just little things throughout your day, like not washing your hands after you go to the bathroom.”
It is a mess that has long been on the horizon. Scientists have been running daily checks for months and have found the Seine too polluted for competitive racing for most of the year, as rainwater constantly washed wastewater into the river. The Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, put off her Seine swimming stunt for as long as politically possible until eventually taking a dip earlier this month, and even then, levels were measured unsafe later that day.
Lawrence Ostlere31 July 2024 05:12
World Triathlon: ‘We will swim!’
World Traithlon have announced the news with three words! Finally, after all the chaos, there will be Olympic triathlons this morning:
Lawrence Ostlere31 July 2024 04:48
World Triathlon statement
“Following a meeting on water quality held on 31 July at 3.30am attended by Paris 2024, representatives of World Triathlon and their Technical and Medical Delegates, Météo France, the City of Paris and the Prefecture of the Île-de-France Region involved in carrying out water quality tests, the stakeholders involved have confirmed that the women’s and the men’s triathlons will go ahead as planned on 31 July at 8am and 10.45am respectively.
“The results of the latest water analyses, received at 3.20am, have been assessed as compliant by World Triathlon allowing for the triathlon competitions to take place.”
Lawrence Ostlere31 July 2024 04:25
Paris Olympics 2024
Hello and welcome along to live coverage from the Olympic Games in Paris.
Lawrence Ostlere31 July 2024 04:03