Hungary’s David Betlehem claimed his first 10km World Cup win in the men’s event, followed closely by silver medallist Logan Fontaine and Italy’s Dario Verani who took bronze on home soil. Fontaine’s result also cemented him as overall World Cup Leader.
A tactical masterclass from Hungary’s David Betlehem saw him take gold in the Men’s 10km race; his first World Cup gold in this event. The Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist has posted stellar performances throughout 2025, including a bronze medal in the 3km Knockout Sprint at the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Championships in Singapore in July.
The 22-year-old now sits in second position in the overall open water swimming rankings, and said of his win: “It's amazing to win. Especially to win here in a little bit colder water, I'm very happy with it.”
Heavy rain presented tough race conditions mid-way through the race, but Betlehem remained unphased. “I joked with the coaches that when I'm swimming I don't really care if it's raining or not. We were a bit afraid the race would be cancelled or paused or something like that, but I think it [the conditions] were okay.”
Betlehem was the winner of the sprint lap, too, which awards $1000 to the swimmer who posts the fastest first lap of the race. Speaking on his sprint effort, he said: “I wasn't sure if I was going to go for the sprint lap, but after I saw I was like maybe I can sprint him - so I go for that money!”
As we’ve seen him do before, the Hungarian took a different line in the final lap of the race, splitting the pack to deliver an extremely exciting race finish. After sitting with the top pack for the majority of the race, Betlehem put the hammer down in the final few hundred metres of the race to touch first in 1:53:28.20.
“I knew I couldn’t fight in these conditions, in the waves. So I thought if I go in another direction, I just need to be a little bit faster than the others and I can win it. So yeah, it was very fun and I enjoyed it.”
Betlehem will compete in the 4x1500m Relay and 3km Knockout Sprint tomorrow, and said: “I don't expect too much for tomorrow because we swim the relay before the knockout and I'm just here to have fun. Since September, I've just been having fun, not taking it so seriously and I think that's why I’ve been so good. I'm relaxed and I just go with the flow. So, if I can be on the podium tomorrow, in the relay and in the knockout, I will be very happy.”
Logan Fontaine Wins Overall World Cup Leader Trophy
An extremely strong showing from France’s Logan Fontaine saw him taking the overall world cup leader trophy following the Men’s 10km race (8650 points). Fontaine won silver behind Betlehem in a time of 1:53:31.60, cementing his position as overall leader after an impressive year of performances across the circuit.
Fontaine’s silver here matches his best individual result in a World Cup, and adds to the two silvers he won in Somabay and Setúbal (10km and 3km Knockout Sprint, respectively).
Speaking on his overall win, he said: “I was not expecting the overall win, but I did everything to not lose my second place. When I began the season last year, I was looking for the overall win. I was hoping for a second place after Setúbal, but that's a big surprise and a really good surprise.
“It’s great, I was completely dead at the end of the race. David [Betlehem] took a different line and I was hoping he would swim really fast, faster than the group to be sure. That was a good decision so I'm happy with that!”
Fontaine was in contention for medals throughout the entire race, leading after the first lap alongside his countrymate Marc-Antoine Olivier. Commenting on his tactics, he said: “I usually don't swim in front of the group like I did during the race. But I was feeling okay, luckily David was here for me.”
Tomorrow he’ll compete in the relay and sprint event, and said he’s looking forward to a relaxed day of racing. “It's all a bonus. I will enjoy the two races tomorrow and it will be fun.”
Dario Verani ‘Very Proud’ to Win Bronze on Home Soil
Italy’s own Dario Verani rounded out the Men’s 10km podium, and said he was ‘very proud’ to win in front of a home crowd. The Italian’s trademark sprint finish carried him to bronze in a time of 1:53:32.40, overcoming the added pressure of a home race to claim his 11th Open Water World Cup medal. His podium finish in Golfo Aranci also confirmed him as the third overall male athlete of the series with a total of 7100 points.
“I am very proud of myself and of this race because it was a difficult race in difficult conditions and it's the last of the season. We have a lot of pressure for this race but I am very happy about the result and about my condition today.
“I reserve energy every time for the last part of the race because it is the most important. And especially today because I know that today maybe we will arrive together, so before the race with my coach we said today is more important than the other days to arrive with more energy in the last part. The last 100 meters I was only thinking about going fast and to arrive quickly to the finish line.”
Speaking on the tough conditions, he said: “When it was raining, the visibility was not good but when it stopped, it was much better and the water was very, very clean, so it is amazing to race here in these conditions. I love these conditions because it is real open water for me, so we love to compete in this, especially here.”
His parents were here in Sardinia to cheer him on from the stands, something that makes the result even more significant. “It is very special, especially because today my parents came to watch the race - it’s amazing. I am very happy about the result and very happy to share this result with my family and my friends.”
Like many other competitors this weekend, Verani will compete in the relay and knockout on the final day of competition. “I will do both races,” he said. “So tomorrow will be a tough day but I love to compete - it's my job, it's my life. So I am happy to do this.