CHAOTIC scenes were on show at the Olympic triathlon in Paris as a host of crashes caused “carnage” in the women’s race.
The discipline had already been plunged into doubt when it was postponed on Tuesday due to pollution levels in the River Seine.
Crashes caused mayhem in the women’s triathlon
The crash involving Guam’s Manami Iijima left the commentators gasping
A number of riders hit the deck as the chaos unfolded
The wet roads had begun to dry causing difficult conditions
One athlete was even seen in tears on the side of the road after a crash
GettyThe streets of Paris left many athletes on the deck[/caption]
APMaria Carolina Velasquez Soto of Colombia was another to hit the deck[/caption]
And when it eventually did get underway on Wednesday, a strong current impacted the swim.
But it was on the bike where the drama really began to unfold as the wet Parisian roads began to dry out, causing difficult conditions.
Guam’s Manami Iijima was the first to go down as the commentators gasped when they saw a replay of her hitting the cobblestones hard coming out of a corner.
Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes then went down in another crash, before Germany’s Lisa Tertsch and Belgium’s Jolien Vermeylen were also seen getting back on their bikes after a crash.
France’s Leonie Periault was then also spotted hitting the deck as crashes continued in the field, with Norway’s Lotte Miller and Colombia’s Maria Carolina Velasquez Soto also seen on the floor.
The BBC commentator went on to describe the scene as “carnage” as multiple athletes were forced to pick themselves up from hard falls.
One athlete was even seen in tears by the side of the road as she was consoled by a man checking on her wellbeing.
And former GB triathlete Annie Emerson felt both the conditions and magnitude of the occasion contributed to the number of crashes.
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Speaking on the BBC, she said: “It’s all happening here on the streets of Paris.
“The athletes will be a little bit twitchy and a little bit more nervous than usual.
“Sometimes that can make riding on conditions like this even more dangerous.”
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