Paris heatwave hits Olympic athletes hard: Vomiting and exhaustion

Canadian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk finished the race at the Paris Olympics but barely. Cameras captured the moment the 29-year-old vomited just after crossing the finish line. Other athletes collapsed from exhaustion against the advertising boards.

The temperature in Paris is taking its toll on athletes in all disciplines. On Wednesday, July 31, thermometers indicated 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which is particularly challenging for long-distance races. The best, albeit very unpleasant, evidence of this was the images BBC cameras showed after the triathlon concluded.

The 29-year-old Canadian Tyler Mislawchuk completed the grueling race with a time of 1 hour 39 minutes and 41 seconds, but his exhaustion was evident. The athlete finished in ninth place, which did not bring him much satisfaction, given the enormous effort he put in to complete the competition.

Just after crossing the finish line, the athlete couldn't hold back and vomited, an event shown live on television. Furthermore, the "Daily Mail" reports that in an interview with Canadian media, the triathlete stated that he vomited ten more times.

I didn’t come here to come top 10 but I gave it everything I had. I went for it, I have no regrets, the athlete reportedly said.

The winner of the race was Britain's Alex Yee, who overtook New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde shortly before the end of the race. Organizers decided to shift the competition from Tuesday to Wednesday due to poor water quality in the Seine. Furthermore, the men's competition was scheduled immediately after the women’s, when the thermometers showed the highest temperatures.

Bacterial samples taken from the river showed significantly lower levels than the previous day. Therefore, the athletes were allowed to compete. The triathletes swam 0.9 miles in the Seine.