Australian Moesha Johnson has splashed through the Seine’s polluted waters to win a pristine silver medal in the Olympic marathon swimming 10km race.
The 26-year-old Tweed Heads, NSW, swimmer was finally outpaced in a thrilling three-woman open water race to the line by Dutch great Sharon van Rouwendaal, who regained the crown she won in Rio eight years ago.
For Germany-based Johnson, who had also finished sixth in the 1500m final in the pool, the silver made glorious amends for just missing out on a world championship medal in Doha earlier this year.
Johnson made most of the front-running on a warm morning with a committed performance, but she could never shake off the attentions of training partner van Rouwendaal, who’s considered the ‘GOAT’ of women’s open water swimming after so many big titles.
By the penultimate lap, the race had come down to three swimmers – Johnson, world champion van Rouwendaal and Italian Ginevra Taddeucci – who broke away from the rest of the 24-strong field.
But just before the final push into the finishing funnel leading to beneath the gilded Pont Alexandre III bridge, the 30-year-old van Rouwendaal began to forge away from the Australian over the last 300 metres and had five seconds to spare as she hit the finishing pad in two hours three minutes 34.2 seconds.
Johnson finished in 2:03.39.7, with Taddeucci taking the bronze in 2:03.42.8. Australia’s other fancied swimmer Chelsea Gubecka found the going tough, as she battled home 14th in 2:06.17.8.
The marathon two-hour slog in the Seine had earlier been given the 7.30am go-ahead on Thursday, passed fit for the swimming to go ahead, with vast crowds assembling on both banks to watch a brilliant spectacle.
Australian Moesha Johnson has splashed through the Seine’s polluted waters to win a pristine silver medal in the Olympic marathon swimming 10km race
Johnson was finally outpaced in a thrilling three-woman open water race to the line by Dutch great Sharon van Rouwendaal, who regained the crown she won in Rio eight years ago
Johnson made most of the front-running on a warm morning with a committed performance, but she could never shake off the attentions of training partner van Rouwendaal
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