Belgian triathlon athlete Claire Michel has taken denied rumours that she had contracted the E. Coli bacteria after competing in the River Seine last week.
Belgium was forced to withdraw from the mixed relay triathlon of the Paris Olympics on Monday, after one of its athletes who swam in the River Seine the week before fell ill with a virus which was not specified by the Belgian Olympic Committee (COIB).
"There's been a lot of conflicting information in the media lately, so I just wanted to clarify a few things," Michel wrote on social media. "Blood tests showed that I contracted a virus (not E. Coli). After three days of vomiting and diarrhoea, which left me quite empty."
However, the Brussels-born athlete took a turn for the worse at the end of the weekend. "On Sunday, I ended up needing more significant medical attention and spent the day at the clinic," she wrote to her fans on social media.
Michel took the time to thank the "incredible " volunteer doctors and nurses at the Polyclinic in the Olympic village, as well as the medical staff of Team Belgium. She added that she is gradually doing better, having returned home to Belgium on Wednesday.
Belgian Claire Michel pictured in action during the women's individual triathlon race. Credit: Belga / Jasper Jacobs
The athlete also took time to thank while her triathlon relay team, who "fully understood and supported" the decision to pull out of the relay, saying her "heart goes out" to her teammates who did not get a chance to compete because of the illness.
On Monday, the COIB and Belgian Triathlon stated that they hoped lessons would be learned from this incident for future triathlon competitions.
"We are thinking here of the guarantee of training days, competition days and the competition format, which must be clarified in advance and ensure that there is no uncertainty for the athletes, entourage and supporters," the committee stated.
