Van Rouwendaal Takes First Place in the 10k Swimming Olympic Event

At the Olympics in Paris on Thursday, Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands made a comeback to win gold in the women’s 10k marathon swimming event.

In a time of 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 4 seconds, Van Rouwendaal emerged victorious, followed by Moesha Johnson of Australia in second place, 5.5 seconds lag, and Ginevra Taddeucci of Italy in third place.

Once water pollution levels were judged safe enough for competition, the race was held on the Seine River, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Van Rouwendaal, the 2016 Rio gold champion and Tokyo silver medallist, edged past Johnson by navigating a pilon that was approaching the Pont des Invalides bridge.

The 30-year-old Dutchwoman, who won the 2022 world championship in Budapest, continued to run strong all the way to the finish.

Johnson, who had led from the halfway point on, was dealt a devastating blow when, entering the final lap, the top three had pulled well clear of the field.

Although the choice to stage the race on the river resulted in an amazing show, the organizers faced some difficulties.

Poor bacterial readings caused major disruptions to the triathlon last week, resulting in the cancellation of all swim training sessions and a 24-hour postponement of the men’s individual competition until Wednesday.

The water contamination levels had forced the cancellation of the 10k race training.