At one end of the Concorde bridge, away from the giant screens and amenities reserved for accredited Olympic Games media, organisers and VIP members, the troupe handled pre-game jitters as best it could. His fiancée, Angelica Olmo, herself a former triathlete, sat alone staring into the Paris sky while his nephew, still a toddler in another family member’s arms, scanned the river looking for his uncle.

The proud father, stoic above all, was wearing the same ‘We love you’ t-shirt as the rest of the gang and seemed as confident as emperor Napoleon Bonaparte crossing the Arc de Triomphe he commissioned in 1806. 

When asked what his expectations for his son were, he answered “gold medal” without hesitation, even though the Savoie native had a poor showing in the Tokyo 2020 Games, when he finished 21st. 

“We had very little contact with him before the race. He was in his own mind and we didn’t want to distract him" said Hervé Bergère.

"The conditions have been hard to deal with, but it’s part of the job. He came in focused and did not waver. His speciality is the cycling part and he is confident he can do well”, she said, deflecting much of the pre-race drama. 

After two days of postponements because of poor quality levels registered on the Seine, organisers were finally able to give the green light to the triathlon just four hours before the event was set to take place. 

“You know, we have swum in worse places than this: last year, half the athletes threw up after an event in Sunderland, England. And the water in Tokyo 2020 was also disgusting," said Hervé Bergère. I think it’s more a question of sports politics. Léo has kept a high concentration level and he won’t be affected.”

As the race went on and crowds gathered around iconic sites like the Champs Élysées, Place de La Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe, circulation among spectators coming in on foot or bike became difficult. But the emotion in the air overcame the dreariness of the pre-competition imbroglio between Paris authorities, organisers, World Triathlon and certain media members who even pressed the IOC to issue an apology on Tuesday.

However, to men and women attending the sun-drenched event after early birds experienced a light drizzle, it all seemed to wrap up into a glorious mid-week spectacle and the controversy felt overblown

“We need to let organisers do their thing, ‘laissez faire’ as we say in French. We are used to swimming everywhere in our country so it’s no big deal. And here, with such beautiful scenery, it’s really magnificent” expressed Olivier Guillot, a quite relaxed 42-year-old fan who arrived from Bordeaux with his wife and two kids.

Much like Friday’s Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, pre-rise-of-the-curtain nerves, a bit of mayhem and some blowback were to be expected. But in the end, the prevailing sentiment was one of an experience like no other. One stated that this triathlon was different. As The Paris Saint Germain football club’s slogan goes: ‘Ici c’est Paris’ (Here, it’s Paris). And it sure felt like it.

Maybe it was jitters, but Spanish athlete Anna Godoy was the last one coming out of the gates on the day’s first dive at 8:00 local time. “The competitors on the right, we weren’t able to hear the horn, so the ones on the left got a head start”, revealed the 17th-ranked woman, echoing the overwhelming sentiment among her peers. 

“The water was fine. We have done way worse. The strong currents were actually more of a problem because we weren’t able to do the reconnaissance of the river in the days prior. But I managed to fight through it so I’m happy with my performance”.

Countryman Alberto Gonzalez finished eighth, earning an Olympic diploma and quite the enthusiastic feedback from his entourage, though he was a tad more critical when it came to assessing World Triathlon’s handling of the water situation.

“We athletes sometimes feel quite vulnerable when these decisions are made and would like the federations to take us into account a bit more and treat us like real persons. My family helped me relax after dinner the night before” he explained. “I agree that the water was not that bad. Like we say in Spain ‘I have fought in worse bullrings’. But the Seine has been the top one for me because of the currents”.

Great Britain’s Kate Waugh, 15th, described the race as “violent and chaotic”, detailing that she was “mauled” from the get-go but nevertheless “felt goosebumps” when the crowd edged her on and described the day as “unforgettable”. Belgian Jolien Vermeylen, herself 24th, survived a bike crash but wore herself out during the footrace and also referenced “the Sunderland race and Hong Kong World Cup” as way worse waters to bathe in while downplaying the much-discussed possibility of having to change the format to a biathlon. “That would have sucked,” she sniped.

Many athletes and managers, like Colombian coach José Bustamante, opted to wake up at 3:30 in order to get official confirmation that the event would finally take place, but most did not consider it an issue when it came to their preparation. “Focus was a problem, but as soon as we saw the statement from World Triathlon, it was go time. No issue at all with pollution. In Sunderland, we swam next to a factory, which was terrible. 

These currents were rough though, but we were excited to swim in the Seine because of its history with the ancient tribe settlements,” he underlined. “It was a magnificent event. As grandiose the Olympics and Paris itself”.

It was quite the spectacle indeed, even after non-stop bickering from some journalists turned water experts in the lead-up to the early morning event. Roughly five hours later, the scene among the Bergère group was one of relief, ecstasy and tears of immense joy. “We cried, yes”, acknowledged Hervé Bergère, always the nitpicker. “I wasn’t all that satisfied at first, but Léo looked good and picked up the pace as the race went on. He was finally able to ditch Pierre (Le Corre) and grab the bronze, which to us is as good as gold. It’s a glorious day.”

A former reporter turner butcher, Sylvain Labbé wrapped up the general sentiment pretty eloquently. “I was not enthusiastic at first, but the Olympics have brought back in me the affectionate relationship with sport in its simplest, purest way. Almost infantile, if you will”, said the 42-year-old Parisian. “This was a spectacular, beautiful day and a blow to the naysayers and sceptics that often pile up. A total success. A gorgeous Paris tableau.”