A brand new medal event will be contested Saturday morning on Sentosa Island with the 3km knockout sprints getting their maiden voyage in Singapore.
The 3km knockout sprint features three races in a short time period, tournament style, with two heats of an open water 1500m, before one heat of a 1000m sprint, before finishing off with the last 500 meter sprint. The last 500m determines the winner.
The event made its debut at last year’s Open Water World Juniors, where established pool star Claire Weinstein and Japan’s Kaito Tsujimori won the inaugural races. The event then was swum at two of the three World Cup stops in 2025 with four different winners - Olympic medalists and pool finalists Oliver Klemet and David Betlehem, as well as Germany’s Lea Boy and Japan’s Ichika Kajimoto.
The race is of great intrigue to the open water community - with roughly 10 minutes in between swims and shorter distances, recovery is crucial, as is speed and endurance. It’s still 3,000 meters albeit broken up. The last 500m is what counts and it’s seemingly no coincidence that the winners thus far on the circuit have been successful in the pool 1500m.
Looking at the racing on Saturday, both champions from Wednesday’s 10km will be on the start lists for the 3km knockout race, as Australia’s Moesha Johnson and Germany’s Florian Wellbrock seem fit to take the crown in the 3km. Wellbrock was the World champ in the pool 1500m back in Gwangju 2019 while Johnson made the Olympic final in the 1500m in Paris last year.
The only caveat is that neither Johnson nor Wellbrock have attempted the 3km knockout event yet.
This could open the door for the likes of fellow German Isabel Gose to emerge. Gose beat Johnson in the 1500m last year with Gose winning Olympic bronze. Gose is ranked fourth this year in the pool 1500m freestyle and is a medal favorite in that event when we get to the pool schedule on July 27.
Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci, who won silver in Wednesday’s 10km, is also considered a favorite here based on her medal success in the two hour marathon. She is one of the best racers in the world and could find her way to the podium if she plays her cards correctly.
Monaco’s Lisa Pou, fresh off her nation’s first ever medal at the World Aquatics Championships, is also one of the favorites here, as is Kseniia Misharina, who is ranked ninth in the world in the 1500m freestyle amongst those qualified for Singapore.
Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha has won every medal imaginable in Open Water Swimming, 16 of them at the World Aquatics Championships, and it would be rather poetic if she could finish out her career with one in the 3km knockout. The only concerning factor is her finishing speed; the endurance is no issue, but how can she finish against the best of the best?
Hungary’s Bettina Fabian was also the European champion in this event in May ahead of Spain’s Paula Otero Fernandez and the aforementioned Lea Boy of Germany.
Japan’s Kajimoto, Brazil’s Viviane Jungblut, and the United States’ Mariah Denigan could also be medal contenders based on their 1500m speed.
In the men’s race, Wellbrock is the overwhelming favorite as he is the fastest in the world in 2025 in the pool 1500m freestyle. If anyone could take him down, it could be Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky. In addition to his Olympic gold in the 10km last year, Rasovszky is ranked ninth in the world in the 800m freestyle amongst those qualified for Singapore. He had a poor showing in Wednesday’s 10km however, finishing 13th and over a minute back from the winner Wellbrock.
When Rasovszky is on form, he’s tough to beat. With a shorter race, he may be more dangerous on Saturday morning. Rasovszky was the European champion back in May over the likes of France’s Logan Fontaine and the aforementioned Betlehem.
The race may still come down to Wellbrock, Klemet, and Betlehem, but if any of them mis-time their pace, look for either France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier or Italy’s Matteo Diodato, who were also finalists at the European Championships.
Austria’s Luca Karl had a great showing in Wednesday’s 10km, finishing just off the podium in fifth for the highest international open water swimming finish in his career.
Australia’s Nicholas Sloman, who was eighth in the 10km, and Switzerland’s Christian Schreiber, who was tenth, could also factor in the final round.
The women’s 3km knockout races will start Saturday morning local time at 8:00 a.m. with the men’s race to follow at 10:00 a.m. local.