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Breakdown at the Olympics: Some of the triathletes were hindered by a boat at the start
Photo:
Adam Pretty / Getty Images
The triathletes started the Olympic Games with a strange false start.
In Tokyo Bay, around half of the men's field dived into the water at 6.30 a.m. local time after the start signal had sounded.
The other half of the 56 triathletes could not jump in, a black boat blocked the way.
According to the Reuters news agency, it was a camera boat.
The video can be seen on the BBC's Twitter account, among other places.
This led to hectic scenes because the athletes initially continued to swim in the water despite repeated warning tones.
Apparently they hadn't noticed the aborted start.
Helpers on boats and jet skis stopped the leaders after around 200 meters, and the athletes slowly returned to the starting pontoon.
When it restarted about ten minutes later, everything went according to plan.
Broken nose as a result
The future Norwegian Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt said after the competition that he saw the false start as an additional warm-up.
The Australian Jake Birtwhistle, who, according to Reuters, kicked and kicked his nose at the beginning, became more critical.
Birtwhistle, who nevertheless finished 16th, was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald as saying that it was one of the toughest swims he had ever participated in.
Compatriot Aaron Royle (26th) said, "I just had to laugh as I swam back to the pontoon and thought that of all the races where that happens must be the Olympics."
ngo / Reuters