PARIS (AP) — As Sharon van Rouwendaal approached the finish of an Olympic open water race like no other, she was hardly concerned about the safety of swimming in the Seine River.
Heck, she’d already taken a few gulps of water — the same water that drew so much scrutiny at the Paris Games.
“I was thirsty,” Van Rouwendaal said nonchalantly. “It was cold. It was nice.”
If she’s not feeling so well in a day or two, she can at least console herself with another gold medal.
Leaving little doubt that she’s the greatest female swimmer in open water history, the 30-year-old Dutch star pulled off a crafty move coming to the finish line to win the 10-kilometer marathon race at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
For Van Rouwendaal, it was another gold on an impressive resume that already included an open water victory at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a silver medal in Tokyo three years ago.
“A lot of dedication and pain,” she called her career.
Moesha Johnson of Australia, who trains with Van Rouwendaal in Germany, led most of the way but never could get free of her good friend. Then, as they came around a bridge pylon for the Pont des Invalides, with the finish line in sight, the Dutch star made her move.
Van Rouwendaal cut toward the middle of the river, where the current was stronger but she could rely on her speed and endurance to carry her to the front.
Johnson stayed closer to shore and was unable to keep pace with Van Rouwendaal, who powered away and slapped the finishing pad in 2 hours, 3:34 seconds.
Johnson settled for silver in 2:03:39.7, while the bronze went to Ginevra Taddeucci of Italy, the only other swimmer who had a shot at the end. She touched in 2:03:42.8.
“There were two options, and I knew whatever option I took Sharon behind me would have taken the other one,” Johnson said. “We just had to fight it out and see which route was quicker or who was stronger.”
She had hoped to shake Van Rouwendaal earlier in the race but never could break free.
“When you’re swimming, you can always feel their fingers on your feet and you’re like, ‘Damn it, they’re still there,'” Johnson conceded. “She’s such a tough competitor and she’s the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) of our sport.”
The race out against a picturesque backdrop that no other city can provide — the Eiffel Tower looming over the course, the gold-domed Invalides a couple of blocks away, the statue-lined Pont Alexander III overlooking the starting buoy and finishing chute, thousands of cheering fans crowded along the riverside — at times with the swimmers almost close enough to touch.
After all the talk about bacteria-infested water and whether it was a good idea to hold an Olympic race in an iconic river where swimming has been largely banned for more than a century, this felt like a shining moment for a sport that’s barely noticed outside of the Summer Games.
“I just hope people watching today have come to appreciate it so much more,” Johnson said. “I think open water has so much more that I’d love people to learn about and so much room to grow.”
There’s one more race at these games. The men’s 10k event is set for Friday.
Despite the health risks, many swimmers were more concerned with a current that was estimated at 2-3 mph (3.2-4.8 kph), a significant factor in a grueling sport that is often held in more docile waters such as lakes or ponds.
Indeed, the race settled into a familiar pattern largely determined by the flow of the Seine.
On the outward leg, with the strong current at their back, the swimmers spread out and went as fast as they could to the far end of the course.
On the return segment, everyone lined up along the edge of the river, sticking as close to the wall as possible, almost like a pack of stock cars drafting in a single-file line at a NASCAR race. They had to be careful not to get tangled up in vines that dangled into the waterway at some points or run into boats that were tied up along the shore.
Johnson, Van Rouwendaal and Taddeucci gradually pulled away from the rest of the pack, leaving contenders such as defending Olympic champion Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil in their wake.
Cunha finished fourth, more than 30 seconds behind the bronze medalist. The top American was 18-year-old Katie Grimes, who won a silver medal at the pool in the 400-meter individual medal but only managed 15th in open water, nearly three minutes behind the winner.
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