Earlier that day the swimmer, who won 10km gold at Rio 2016 and silver at Tokyo 2020, admitted she had “vomited three times” ahead of race due to the “stress and pressure” she had placed upon herself. But, as so often in her career, van Rouwendaal would not be beaten.

“For that to happen and to still win, shows who I am; someone who can push through and is ready to go for it.” It truly embodied the fighting spirit van Rouwendaal has demonstrated throughout her time at the summit of her sport.

13 months on from her stunning gold medal-winning swim in the Seine the Olympian has though decided to officially announce the end of her astounding journey, which also saw her attain 29 major honours across World and European Championships.

“I was always going to have a huge break after Paris because I’ve been non-stop for 18 years, but then I really liked my work and time back in the Netherlands with my family,” says the 32-year-old, who was working as an ambassador with World Aquatics at Singapore 2025.

“When they dove in and when they were on the podium, you miss that feeling, but I had the chance to see the city, relax and not worry about worry about what I was eating or recovery which I’d never had before and that made it (retiring) an easy decision to make.

“I knew I could make it to Los Angeles 2028 (the next Olympic Games), but I wanted to move back home and I knew that training here would not be the best for me to be 100% focused on it, so that is why I chose to stop swimming.”

Tributes to the ‘Queen’ of Marathon Swimming

Her rivals may, at least privately, breathe a sigh of relief after learning of van Rouwendaal’s retirement, but many have been quick to acknowledge her “inspirational” achievements.

World bronze medallist Lisa Pou stated the Dutch great demonstrated the importance of “perseverance” as a professional swimmer and thanked van Rouwendaal for the “respect” she had shown “in and out of the water” throughout her career.

British Olympian Alice Dearing hailed her a “legend, game-changer” and “GOAT”, while World champion Chelsea Gubecka further endorsed those comments by stating she was the “greatest to ever do it” and Caroline Jouisse added “Queen” to the list of glowing tributes.

“It’s been lovely to read some of the comments, because in Singapore, people were coming up to me and saying, ‘Oh, please come back, you're always so fair,’ and that was lovely to hear,” she tells World Aquatics.

“I was an ambassador with Alice (Dearing) during Singapore she was like, ‘Sharon, you don't know how much it meant to me that I once followed your feet and you brought me all the way through the pack, and I did my best lap ever.’

“I’ve always been a fair swimmer and I would always try to make it harder if I felt something was too slow and I’d drive out of the pack, so athletes respect that I am trying to do the work for them sometimes and it’s been really nice to see the messages.”

From Pool Swimming Podiums to Open Water Wins

Like many open water greats van Rouwendaal began her career in the pool, with her first major continental medals coming in her homeland, at Eindhoven 2010, where she claimed European bronze in both the 100m and 200m backstroke events.

She would also finish third in the 200m backstroke at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, China, but gradually began adding longer distance disciplines to her programme.

Berlin 2014 was the first time she attempted both the pool and open water programme, winning gold in the 10km and 4x1500m relay, as well as silver in the 5km event, before finishing second in the 400m freestyle.

“I love the Berlin races,” she recalls. “It was my first open water race and I won it!

“I had three open water medals and then I went to the pool and did 200m butterfly, 1500m, 800m and 400m free. I remember I was swimming Federica Pellegrini, Jazz Carlin and Mireia Belmonte and passed them all, apart from Jazz, in a big personal best (time).

“Even if it’s just silver, that was a very special event for me as from then I knew my open water race results suggested I should continue there.”

A 4x200m World short course (SC) gold, together with 400m silver and 800m bronze, would follow at Doha 2014 before a further European SC bronze in 2015; but from that point onwards, she realised her greatest medal-winning potential came in marathon swimming disciplines.

Despite her sustained success at the Olympic and European level, van Rouwendaal had to wait until Budapest 2022 for her first World 10km title.

18 months later, she achieved Olympic qualification in style by completing the 5km and 10km double at Doha 2024, in what proved to be her final World Championships.

‘Swimming Into The Sunset’ After Paris Podium Success

What proved to be her final Olympics also saw her claim victory, with an impressive 5.5-second margin from second-placed Moesha Johnson of Australia

“I think you will never have an Olympics where you swim just next to the Eiffel Tower, which is one of the most beautiful sceneries that we have ever had, so that race is special because it all fell together,” says van Rouwendaal.

“It was everything I had trained for, and I had the confidence to go my own way, even though people watching and racing were wondering what I was doing.

“The strange thing was that when I touched it felt like an easy win. I had pain, but nobody was fighting or bothering me as I was swimming using my tactics and strokes, and I thought, ‘Oh, okay, this is what it is to win in Paris. Wow!’

“It was the perfect ending for me.”

How Van Rouwendaal Would Like To Be Remembered

With over 30 major honours across Olympic, World and European Championships – in arguably one of the most challenging aquatic disciplines – van Rouwendaal has earned the right to make bold proclamations about her career.

She referenced ‘GOAT’ in her considered retirement message and hopes she has left a legacy which demonstrates the importance of hard work.

“I hope they see me as one of the greatest swimmers of all time, but not just for open water,” she tells World Aquatics.

“I'm not a Katie Ledecky and I don't have world records anymore, but I hope that people see me as an all-rounder and someone who if she goes for it, makes it happen.”

World Aquatics’ 2025 General Congress took place during the Singapore World Championships this summer and one of the most significant announcements concerned the launch of a new Post-Career Compensation Fund. 

It aims to provide support to athletes reaching the end of their competitive careers and assist them with the transition into the next phase of their lives.

“I really appreciate that World Aquatics is creating more opportunities for athletes, especially with the Athletes Compensation Fund announced in Singapore 2025,” said van Rouwendaal.

“It shows they are listening to athletes needs and making steps to support us not only in competition, but also in the bigger picture of our careers. Having resources like this helps make the sport more sustainable for athletes at all levels.”

‘It’s Time To Step Out Of The Tunnel And Start Living’

While her professional swimming career may have reached a conclusion, van Rouwendaal has no plans to end her time in the water, insisting she needs to exercise at least once a day to “feel healthy” but she will have more time to pursue other ventures.

Among her main plans are to further develop the Sharon van Rouwendaal Academy and develop online training, mentoring as well as shoulder injury prevention plans.

“These are things that I really enjoy and they’re maybe my ‘dream job’ because whether it’s mentoring, coaching or giving guidance it’s something I can make a difference with and I’m not just talking about people at the top, it’s all levels,” states the two-time Olympic champion.

Van Rouwendaal continues, “This is not the end, but a new beginning.

“And to all swimmers, athletes, and dreamers: remember, medals are won with your body, but true victories are won with your mind.”