Lavina Good: Olympic commentator ahead of the much-anticipated men's triathlon event

The men's triathlon is finally set to begin, after safety concerns stopped the athletes in their tracks.

Hayden Wilde and Dylan McCullough are poised to compete in the men's event tonight after it was postponed yesterday due to water pollution.

Olympic commentator Lavina Good says technicians have tested the water in the Seine and assured the athletes that the bacteria levels are fine.

"The French authorities here have spent $1.5 billion on making sure that the water quality is suitable for the triathlon."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's happening, it's going ahead. The Olympic triathen will start
this evening. New Zealand time. There has been, as I'm
sure you're aware, uncertainty over water quality in the River
Senne due to elevated bacteria levels and the fact that
it's the River Senn and they've got terrible wastewater and
storm water systems there. The latest tests apparently show compliance
with quality standards, and both the men's and women's event

(00:22):
will start on time with the men's events. Late Olympics
commentator Lelena Good is in Paris and joins me now,
bon sois or bonjour, Lelena.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, bonjour for me, bonoiter you good evening, Nice to
chat to you, Lovely to speak to you from Paris.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
As that water any cleaner than yesterday or the day before, well.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
They were hoping a week of sunshine, which we have
had here actually in Paris, after the inclement weather and
the opening ceremony, we had a week of really hot
sunshine and the testing agents were saying that we needed
that heat to try and sort out the bacteria in
the Seine. I would like to remind everyone that the
French authorities here have spent one point five billion dollars

(01:02):
on making sure that the water quality is suitable for
the triathlon. I have been across the Seine for work,
probably sixty four times in the last five days, and
I have not seen one person in the thirty four
degree heat bathing in the Seine. It's not something that's
appealing to a lot of people. But the technicians have
come out, they've tested the water. The bacteria levels are fine,

(01:25):
and according to them, the races are definitely going ahead,
with the women's kicking off shortly. But the other thing
is the other thing is it did rain overnight, so
we had rain at about three o'clock in the morning,
just when they made the call at three thirty in
the morning, so the rain came down. So that's gonna
stir the gorgeous girl up a little bit more. And
she is there is a protector of France. That's why
she's here. She's sick once, so let's see if she

(01:48):
can hold off.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
For the race. Don't even start me on the fact
that they advise athletes at three thirty in the morning
because most of the athletes are asleep, so they have
to tell the coaches and so the ethics policy, do
not even know the athletes are ready for a dawn race,
not ready for a midday race. Because here's the big
thing now, the heat.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yes, yes, it's called off now, thank goodness. Yesterday was
thirty six degrees at around nine o'clock in the morning,
but it's definitely called off now with that rain. I
think the track will be a little greasy on the
bike though, lots of the roads are wet. And when
it comes to Hayden Wild, he's just a machine and
a motor on the bike, it's the bike and are.
In fact, the swim is probably his first leg, the

(02:25):
worst leg. When it comes to the triathlon, it's the
one that has tried to focus on the most. So
for as much as it was proposed that if it
wouldn't go ahead today, it would definitely go ahead on
Friday as a juwathlon. But that's not the Olympic triathlon
and the French would be embarrassed by that. So the
triathlon is going ahead. The testing has been down, the
athletes are lining up and hopefully we receive another metal

(02:47):
for New Zealand via Hayden Wild. He won the bronze
in Tokyo he's got to go one.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
Better now, just quietly, just between you and meat Living,
let's just call the truth here, you know, come on,
it's the French. They spent one point five billion dollars
on it. The whole world is watching. I reckon it
would have gone ahead even if the water wasn't good enough.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh look, all I know is no one's swimming in
it at the moment, and even if they do swim
in it, they're not going to get sick today. They'll
get sick next week. There's a lot of money invested
in it, a whole lot of money invested in it.
I'm kind of glad the triathlon will take place. I
know my fellow commentators are really pleased the fact that
they'll be calling a triathlon, not a jew athlon. So
it's going ahead, and they're revealing all the testing as well,

(03:24):
so as far as we know, it's full kosher and
good to go, and I'm quite looking forward to watching
the race, both the women's and the men's. Well.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
Nick Buley is doing the call tonight and that's on
Gold Sports and it is at now five point twenty
three the Vinna good, Thank you so much more?

Speaker 2 (03:38):
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