Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands secured a dramatic victory in the women’s 10km marathon swim held in the River Seine. An Olympic champion in 2016, van Rouwendaal came into the race seeking redemption after narrowly missing out on gold at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics by just 0.9 seconds. The 30-year-old swimmer executed a well-timed move in the final lap, overtaking Australia’s Moesha Johnson to clinch the gold medal with a time of two hours, three minutes, and 34.2 seconds.
Moesha Johnson, who led for most of the race, finished 5.5 seconds behind van Rouwendaal to claim the silver medal, while Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci took bronze. Great Britain’s Leah Crisp completed the race in 20th place. The event had been clouded by concerns over water quality, with a previous familiarisation session canceled due to bacterial levels in the Seine falling below safety standards.
Despite these concerns, the water quality improved enough to allow the race to proceed on Thursday. The Seine’s water conditions have been a significant issue leading up to and during Paris 2024, causing the men’s triathlon to be postponed by a day due to similar concerns. The men’s 10km marathon swim is scheduled to take place on Friday, with organizers closely monitoring the river’s water quality.
