LAUSANNE — World Aquatics announced today that Funchal, Portugal will serve as the host city for the final leg of the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup 2023. Ensuring athlete safety remains the paramount concern for World Aquatics, prompting the decision to relocate the event following recent occurrences in Israel.
Originally slated to occur in Eilat, Israel from December 1-2, 2023, the Open Water Swimming World Cup will now unfold in Funchal, Portugal from December 2-3, 2023.
The competition will feature the Men’s and Women’s Individual 10km events on Saturday, December 2, followed by the Mixed 4x1500m Relay on Sunday, December 3.
As the culminating event of the 2023 season, World Aquatics will bestow the season leader awards in Funchal. These accolades encompass the overall men’s and women’s Open Water Swimming World Cup winners, as well as the newly introduced annual awards for the 2023 season: the World Cup Sprint Champion and the World Cup Junior Champion in both men’s and women’s categories.
Race for Women’s Titles: Overall, Junior, and Sprint
In the women’s overall rankings, Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands holds the lead with 1750 points, closely trailed by Germany’s Leonie Beck with 1740 points. Caroline Laure Jouisse of France currently claims the third position in the women’s overall rankings with 1300 points.
Van Rouwendaal also sits in the top spot in the women’s sprint rankings with 209 points, followed by Italy's Ginevra Taddeucci with 122 points, and France's Aurelie Muller with 105 points.
In the contest for the overall junior women’s title, Spain’s Angela Martinez Guillen, Hungary’s Bettina Fabian, and Kazakhstan’s Diana Taszhanova are all deadlocked with 800 points.
Leaders in Men’s Titles: Overall, Junior, and Sprint Competition Heading into Funchal
In the men’s overall rankings, Hungary's Kristof Rasovszky leads the pack with 1900 points, followed closely by Italy's Marcello Guidi in second place with 1750 points, and Italy's Mario Sanzullo with 1150 points.
Rasovszky also commands the men’s sprint rankings with 218 points, trailed by Guidi with 131 points and Hungary's David Betlehem with 117 points.
In the race for the overall junior men’s title, Germany's Linus Schwedler leads with 1400 points, followed by Hungary's Honor Kovacs-Seres in second place with 1300 points. The Brazilian duo of Bernardo Gavioli and Matheus Melecchi share the third spot, each with 900 points.