Amongst a beautiful backdrop in Ibiza, Spain celebrated the champion of the women’s 10km on the second stop of the 2025 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup.
Spain’s Angela Martinez Guillen hit her stride on the final lap of the women’s 10K at the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Ibiza as she took over the lead on the final lap and never relinquished it. She kept the leaders at her feet, but she never gave an inch, leading them into the wall and winning by nearly two full seconds.
“I'm incredibly happy to win this medal and represent my country here in Spain,” Martinez Guillen said. “My best quality is my final sprint, and I could show that today. I could do it today, and I’m beyond excited about this.
Martinez Guillen, age 21, was fifth earlier this year at the first World Cup stop in Soma Bay as this is her first Open Water podium appearance since last year.
“It’s amazing to compete here,” Martinez Guillen said. “I have my family here and I’m happy to share this performance with them now. Of course, I am very happy about this and I hope and look to carry this type of performance into my next competitions – especially in Singapore.”
Martinez Guillen will shift her sights to the World Championships in July in Singapore where she will look to improve on her 10th place finish from last year’s Olympics as the women’s open water scene appears to be going through a shift in power at the moment.
Germany’s Celine Rieder emerged from the pack with the silver medal, timing her final sprint to grab second over Hungary’s rising star Bettina Fabian. Rieder, age 24, out-kicked Fabian, staying on Martinez Guillen’s feet into the finish to win her first international medal in open water. Rieder finished 18th earlier this year in Soma Bay.
“It was truly amazing; I didn’t expect this at all,” Rieder said. “The conditions were great; you could see the fish below – well, maybe not during the race I wasn’t focused on and seeing this, but at least on the training days.
“I felt pretty good; on the final lap I could go around, pass some people and move up towards the front of the leading pack. Suddenly, I was in second place and I could hold this position all the way to the finish line. I am very satisfied with this performance, especially in the final push for the finish line. I couldn’t expect anything more than this.
Fabian won the fight for the bronze over the likes of France’s Ines Delacroix, Germany’s Lea Boy and France’s Caroline Jouisse as this is Fabian’s first open water medal on the global stage since last year. Fabian, age 20, was fifth in the Olympics last year.
“I was quite happy that it wasn’t wavy today,” Fabian said. “The conditions were great, just like the people here—especially the fans. The water was a bit chilly, but that’s fine. The conditions and water were perfect—I could see the bottom of the sea floor. I really love to be here.”
Pre-race favorite and Olympic bronze medalist Ginevra Taddeucci finished seventh after she could not hold onto the pace on the final lap. Taddeucci held the lead after lap five with the likes of Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas, who finished tenth overall, but they were ultimately caught at the end.
Germany’s Jeannette Spiwoks came eighth ahead of Spain’s Candela Sanchez Lora, while the Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020, Ana Marcela Cunha, finished outside the top ten in 11th.
The water temperature was reported to be on the cooler side—18.33 degrees Celsius at the start of the race—which caused the race to be much quicker with more swimmers in body suits.
The Ibiza stop of the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup will continue tomorrow with the introduction of the 3km Knockout Sprints, featuring elimination races of 1500m, 1000m, and 500 meters. The women’s race will begin at 9:00 a.m. local time with the men’s race at 11:00 a.m. local.