Triathletes tackle cobblestones and currents in bid for Paris gold

LONDON : Cobblestones, steep stone steps, powerful river currents and a strong France squad are among the challenges facing some of the fittest athletes in the world in Paris at the Olympic triathlon.

Starting at the ornate Pont Alexandre III, the triathletes will swim in the Seine, cycle down the Champs-Elysees and Boulevard Saint-Germain before a fast, flat run taking in the Grand Palais and finishing on the same iconic bridge.

Organisers said the course was designed to "magnify" the sport but idiosyncrasies unique to Paris add more challenges to what is already one of the most gruelling events in the Games.

First, the Seine river.

Assuming the water is clean enough to race, the competitors will first have to swim with a strong current and then turn back to battle against it. Positioning will be key.

"I think a lot of people are anxious about the swim," Bermuda's Olympic champion Flora Duffy said. "That's something that, if you get it wrong, you can get it quite wrong."

On emerging from the Seine after the 1.5km swim, they must sprint up 32 time-worn stone steps to the bridge, where they swap swimming cap for helmets and jump onto bicycles.

The seven-lap, 40km cycling stage, though fast and flat, is also uniquely Parisian, with a quarter of the course on cobbled streets. That is all before the 10km run.

Along with the unknowns, the fact key contenders like Duffy and Tokyo silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown are returning from injury means nothing is a given in the women's race.

"There are probably six women that could win, or be on the podium, so it's very competitive and it's quite open, whereas in Tokyo it was more of a two-person race between myself and Georgia Taylor-Brown," said Duffy.

The men's race, scheduled a day