Unusual scene at the start of the men's triathlon this Monday in Tokyo.
As the competitors prepared to dive into Japanese waters for a 1,500m whitewater swim, a boat remained stuck in the starting area.
When the start of the race was given, half of the athletes could not start.
The boat which transported the television teams, close to the departure platform, remained parked for a short while under the dumbfounded eyes of the stranded triathletes.
A few meters away, the competitors who had had the free way had already launched their long sprint in the water.
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Realizing his mistake a little late, the pilot of the boat tried in disaster to back up.
An unnecessary and above all extremely dangerous maneuver because several triathletes, who had tried to start despite the obstacle, found themselves in the area behind the boat.
Fortunately, they quickly stopped their effort.
"This is the first time in my career that I see this"
Vincent Luis
The organizers were forced to recall all the competitors to the water before proceeding to a second start.
A quack in the organization that disturbed the French Vincent Luis, 13th in the event.
“
This is the first time in my career that I see this.
I struggled to get back into action behind, it was a bit weird.
The second start was harder for me.
My feelings weren't great, I couldn't accelerate as I wanted,
”explained the Habs.
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Arrived with great ambitions, the world champion did not however seek false excuses around this incident to explain his poor performance even if he relied heavily on swimming to widen a first gap. “
I did not have the sufficient level and it showed. But my level last year might not have been sufficient either
, ”he added lucidly.