Canadian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk violently vomited after crossing the finish line at the Paris Olympics.

Mislawchuk, who came home in ninth place, was seen vomiting just moments after finishing the gruelling race which included a 1.5-km swim, 40km bike ride, and 10km run. The unpleasant scene was captured by TV cameras, which also showed numerous other athletes lying on the mat, struggling to catch their breath.

Alex Yee clinched a thrilling victory in the men’s triathlon, earning Team GB’s fifth gold medal of the Olympics. He worked hard to close a 15-second gap on Hayden Wilde of New Zealand, improving on the silver medal he won in Tokyo three years ago.

In the women’s race, Beth Potter secured the bronze medal for Team GB while Cassandre Beaugrand claimed victory from a leading group of four, winning the spoils for host nation France.

The lead-up to the triathlon events was overshadowed by the poor water quality of the River Seine due to heavy rainfall in Paris over the weekend. The men’s race was initially scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed until the river was deemed safe for swimming

Up until June, E.coli levels in the river were 10 times higher than the level deemed acceptable by sports federations. Tests were carried out on Wednesday morning and the bacteria level was deemed safe enough to go ahead.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo recently took a dip in the river to highlight the clean-up efforts. She said: “It’s sweet and wonderful and the result of a lot of work.

“I remember at the very beginning in 2015 when we began our campaign for the Games, the international triathlon federation said: ‘Why not a triathlon in the Seine? Will athletes be able to swim in the Seine?’. Today we can say they can.”

Swimming in the River Seine has been largely banned for over 100 years due to the high levels of pollution and the risk of disease from accidentally swallowing the water. French officials have invested heavily in making it safer in preparation for the Olympics, with about £1.2billion being spent.