By Will Jennings in Paris
Toby Robinson urged the UK to wake up and follow France’s lead in cleaning up their waterways after an Olympic marathon swim that was dominated by controversy.
The Wolverhampton star, 27, finished 14th on Friday morning in a 10km race where the build-up was overshadowed by questions over whether it could even go ahead.
Doubts were raised over the level of water pollution in the River Seine, with the men’s triathlon having to be pushed back 24 hours to the same day as the women’s race last week.
But after those two events, the mixed relay triathlon and both men’s and women’s marathon swimming races all passed relevant water quality tests and went ahead as planned, Robinson believes Paris 2024’s legacy is secure.
The West Midlands star hailed organisers for their efforts and hopes the last fortnight in France can blaze a trail for others to follow.
“I think this is a great thing putting water quality in the news,” he said.
“Paris has managed to do done a big effort in cleaning up this water, so why can’t we do that back in Britain?
“Imagine if we can get people swimming back home in the Thames – that would be an amazing experience
“That shows why sport is such a good thing for change – we can get things done with sport.
“The world should look at Paris cleaning up the Seine and take action in their own waterways.”
Robinson bagged bronze in the Tokyo 2020 qualifier three years ago but narrowly missed out on an Olympic spot due to the one-per-nation rule.
But he went on to finish 15th at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha to secure a quota place for Team GB.
Robinson safely navigated his way around the gruelling 10km course to grab an admirable finish in the middle of the field.
He crossed the line in a time of 1:56.43 after fighting through punishing Parisian conditions as teammate Hector Pardoe finished sixth.
“It was a very tough race, a great experience and such an iconic venue,” he said.
“No open water race has even been like this in the past, so I feel like we’re making history in the sport by swimming in this river.
“I was a little bit disappointed and would have liked top eight or ten, but I can go home and reflect on that and it was a great experience.”
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