Norwegian swimmer Henrick Christiansen, like anybody, has likes and dislikes.
His likes? Well, that’s easy. Those delicious chocolate muffins served up in the Olympic Village that have made him an internet darling.
His dislikes? We can now decisively include the Seine River on that list.
Olympians are nervous to swim in the Seine
Since late July, Christiansen has taken to the Tok to post a couple videos revealing his true feelings about the famed French body of water, which as of late, has been in the news for its less-than-cleanliness.
The river isn’t a clean, clear drink on its best days, but in case you haven’t heard, French protestors have recently threatened to defecate in the river (and delivered upon that threat). The men’s Olympic individual triathlon race was also postponed due to poor water quality on July 30.
Knowing this, Christiansen prepared the best he could for his Seine events, including July 29th’s 800m freestyle, August 3rd’s 1500m freestyle, and tomorrow’s 10km marathon stretch, and provided evidence for his prep on TikTok.
Clearly, he knows what he’s in for here.
@henrikchristians1 This seems like a foolproof plan #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #openwater #seine @Olympics @paris2024 ♬ Le Festin – Knights Bridge
@henrikchristians1 I’v been training for this all my life PS: remember your sunscreen, kids🧴 #olympics #paris2024 #seine #openwater ♬ AGuyandAGolden BatDog – AGuyandAGolden
“Muffin man” Hendrick Christiansen reacts to the river
These both seem like sound approaches, but when Christiansen arrives at the dirty old river, his TikToks reveal that perhaps he did not adequately prepare himself for what he’d be diving into.
@henrikchristians1 Our competition venue is looking rather dashing #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #seine #openwater ♬ Follow me – Connor
“If I don’t survive this, tell my fans I love them” he captions a TikTok from this morning. It’s honestly not fair, as none of the other events have to worry about this sort of thing. It’s almost as if the gymnastics teams had to perform on a landfill.
@henrikchristians1 Guys if I don’t survive this, tell my fans I love them🫶🏼 #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #seine #openwater ♬ original sound – GemmaReacts
Godspeed, Henrick. Think of it this way: once you’ve survived that thing, you can cram all the choccy muffs you want (assuming your taste buds don’t melt off in the sludge).
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