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Olympics-Swimming-Van Rouwendaal slaked thirst with Seine water on way to gold

Sharon van Rouwendaal paid little follow to concerns about bacterial infections when she drank a little bit of Seine water on the way to Olympic gold on Thursday in the ladies's 10km marathon swim along the popular river in Paris.

The water quality was approved by Games organisers in the early hours to permit the race to go ahead on time, though pollution concerns had proved a headache throughout the triathlon events, with the men's race delayed by 24 hours.

Dutchwoman Van Rouwendaal downed energy beverages hung from rods over the water during the gruelling six-lap course up and down the Seine however found she required more beverage to surpass Australian training partner and good friend Moesha Johnson.

I was thirsty at some time, I was like drinking the Seine, so, let's see, the difficult 30-year-old informed reporters while nestling a bottle of cola.

I'm fine, I'm great. I didn't even vomit, typically I throw up out of discomfort however, yeah, I didn't throw up after the race.

The guys race on Friday however the completion of the ladies's occasion without obvious incident might be a relief for city officials who have staked plenty on tidying up the waterway.

French authorities invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) on updating the city's sewage systems, promising the river would be tidy for locals to swim in by next summer.

Professional athletes contending in the Seine have actually taken all sorts of precautions, with the Australian triathlon group taking medications to combat E.coli, a germs, for a month.

Health was not the only challenge, however.

The Seine's strong currents were a grind for athletes swimming upstream.

The river course did not have terrific appeal for Italy's marathon swimmer Ginevra Taddeucci, though she took the bronze.

Of course I've swum in better places and I was just caring about not feeling ill, but it was great, she stated.

The battle with nature likewise left Van Rouwendaal with scratches up and down her right arm as revealed to reporters when she lowered part of her swimsuit.

Swimming close versus the bank on upstream legs to avoid the present, Van Rouwendaal said she was scratched by thorny bushes.

Van Rouwendaal's toughness and determination no doubt assisted the 2016 champion to end up being the very first repeat winner in Olympic marathon swimming.

Nevertheless, technique was likewise important.

She surpasses silver medallist Johnson late in the last length after swimming behind a bridge pylon where the current was weaker to attract the Australian.

Gleeful Netherlands coach Thijs Hagelstein said they had practiced the tactic during the familiarisation session on Wednesday.

That was remarkable. That area was really low current. It was truly simple for her to swim there, he informed Reuters.

However it was her call when to do it. She's such a skilled swimmer and I do not need to interfere with that.

(source: Reuters)