Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands captured her second Olympic gold in the women’s 10km marathon swim at the Seine River on Thursday. Van Rouwendaal, who previously won gold in Rio 2016, delivered a stunning performance to finish with a time of 2:03:34.2, 5.5 seconds ahead of Australia’s Moesha Johnson.
Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci rounded out the podium with bronze, finishing in 2:03:42.8.
The race, which featured a challenging 1.67 km loop course along the Seine River, saw Van Rouwendaal stage a dramatic late surge. She initially took the lead in the final laps, overtaking Johnson, who had been at the front earlier in the race. The event unfolded with swimmers navigating both upstream and downstream currents, requiring a blend of strategy and endurance.
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City officials and organizers were relieved that the water quality did not pose any issues for the marathon swimming event. This follows a series of concerns over the Seine’s water quality, which led to the cancellation of a familiarization session earlier in the week. The French government’s significant investment in upgrading sewage systems has ensured the river’s safety for swimming during the summer.
