With the last two World champions absent from the start list, Australia’s Moesha Johnson elevated her Olympic silver to World Championships gold on Wednesday afternoon in Singapore.
With the last two World champions, Sharon van Rouwendaal and Leonie Beck, out of the picture, the open water swimming world was searching for a new champion in the women’s 10km and found one in Australia’s Moesha Johnson.
On Wednesday afternoon, after two postponements due to water quality, Johnson won her first individual gold medal on the world stage, outlasting the field that took over two hours.
“It’s been an unbelievable 36 hours,” Johnson said. “These conditions are indescribable. Unless you’re out there, it’s hard to explain what we’ve just gone through, but I think that just shows how incredible these girls are. The men, as well. I was watching them and thinking it’s freaky knowing what’s next to come.”
Johnson, the winner of the Olympic silver medal last year, dominated the calendar year, winning both World Cup races she competed in, so it was hardly a surprise she set the pace in the 10km at the World Aquatics Championships in Sentosa Island in Singapore. Johnson hung with the pack early, and took the lead around 4,000 meters.
With race waters hovering around 30 degrees Celsius and waves swelling throughout, the race took well over two hours, and Johnson held the lead to the finish to give Australia the first gold medal of the championships.
That was one of the hardest circumstances and open water conditions to be a part of,” Johnson said. “That wasn’t easy at all. It wasn’t just hot. There were currents everywhere, and a lot of waves. Today it was every possible open water skill on display. I did not stick to the plan. My coaches will probably be like ‘What were you doing, you’re crazy!’”
Johnson is a member of the stacked crew out of Magdeburg and coach Bernd Berkhahn that includes men’s 10km champion Florian Wellbrock and last year’s Olympic champ Sharon van Rouwendaal, who was on hand in Singapore as an athlete ambassador and got to celebrate with her friend and rival.
“I was so confident in my training,” Johnson said. “I had a little bit of an ‘uh-oh’ moment with two laps to go, but I really backed myself in that. I really put myself out there to race internationally all year since the Olympics. The Olympics, I went in without that international experience, the whole time I was just trying to qualify. Since the Olympics, I’ve tried to embrace the opportunity, knowing that I’ve accomplished something amazing and I don’t have anything to prove. I don’t just want to win, I want to make sure I put myself up there with the GOATs of the sport.”
Johnson, age 27, is Australia’s first World champion in Open Water Swimming since Melissa Gorman won the 5km in Rome 2009, and is also the first ever Australian champ in the 10km.
Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci followed Johnson into the finish, staying on her feet the entire back half of the race. Taddeucci, who won bronze in the Paris Olympics, gave the audience deja vu, even without van Rouwendaal in the field, staying on Johnson’s feet and leaving the field in the dust.
Taddeucci, age 28, reached her first individual podium at the World Aquatics Championships after two relay medals in 2022 and 2023.
“It was very warm, it was very difficult,” Taddeucci said. “But I believe in Moesha. In my mind, I just thought, follow Moesha.”
The bronze was a bit of a surprise as Monaco flew its flag on the podium for the first time at the World Aquatics Championships. Lisa Pou, age 26, outlasted the chase pack to win the bronze, six seconds behind Johnson. Pou, who was ninth at the World Championships in Doha and 18th at the Olympics last year, was an outside shot for a medal, and swam a smart race to fulfill that prophecy.
Pou stayed in the lead pack, and kept on Taddeucci’s feet, eventually dropping the last of the chasers, with Spain’s Maria De Valdes and Angela Martinez Guillen getting dropped and finishing 12 and 20 seconds, respectively, behind Pou.
“This means a lot,” Pou said. “It wasn’t easy, especially at the start of this season, I had some trouble with my body. This is a good gift to end this season very well. It was really, really warm. Normally, I prefer to swim in 19 degrees Celsius, like some of the girls. Today was really tough for everyone. We overcame it and finished really good today.”
Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha, the winner of seven World titles in the 5km and 25km and the Olympic champ from Tokyo 2020, could not grab that elusive World title in the 10km as she finished sixth overall, 90 seconds back from the gold medalist. Cunha hung around and appeared to be making moves for a podium finish at 7,000 meters, but could not keep up with the pace as she is approaching the end of her career at age 33.
Portugal’s Mafalda Rosa finished seventh overall on the heels of Cunha, as Japan’s Ichika Kajimoto, Australia’s Chelsea Gubecka and Italy’s Barbara Pozzobon rounded out the top ten.
69 women entered the water and 53 finished as air temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius. Notably, pre-race favorites Lea Boy and Caroline Jouisse did not finish. The open water swimming schedule continues Friday morning with the women’s 5km at 7:30 a.m. local time with the men’s race following at 10 a.m. local.