Claire Michel returned on Monday to her Olympic experience where, due to illness, the triathlete was forced to withdraw from the mixed relay with the Belgian Hammers. Fifth in Tokyo at the previous Olympic Games, Belgium was hoping for better, which only accentuated the disappointment of the 35-year-old from Brussels for her 3rd Olympic Games.
Claire Michel finished 38th in the individual event. A disappointing result for her too. She revealed in her newsletter that she had injured her foot on July 15. “Acute plantar fasciitis forced me to rest,” also regretting the lack of a plan B from the organizers in Paris regarding the quality of the water in the Seine.
“About two days later, I started to have gastrointestinal symptoms, with intense vomiting and diarrhea. I was still hoping to participate in the mixed relay on Monday if I could keep my strength. Unfortunately, on Sunday morning, after a particularly strong episode of vomiting, I was taken to the Polyclinic in the Olympic Village to receive more extensive medical care. Blood, urine and stool tests ultimately revealed that I had contracted a virus (and not a bacterial infection). I don’t know exactly what type of virus I had, or whether the source was from water, food or contact with contaminated surfaces. We had an eligible female reserve (Valerie Barthelemy, editor’s note), but due to disagreements with the federation, she was not called up.”
This experience has plunged Claire Michel into a “post-Olympic blues”, she admitted, now turning to other objectives with the European Championships in Vichy, France, on September 21, the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) in Weihai, China, on September 27 and the WTCS Grand Final in Torremolinos, Spain, on October 20.
