Moesha Johnson rounded out an incredible open water season with a win in what she described as ‘incredible race conditions’.

Speaking ahead of the medal ceremony, she said: “It's an incredible venue, incredible race scenes even when you're racing and incredible conditions out there. It was a really fun race and I’m really happy to win that, especially after World Championships getting the bronze [in the 3km Knockout Sprint].”

Johnson was incredibly consistent throughout the rounds, winning heat two before placing fourth in the semi-final and ultimately taking the win in the final 500m round.

Speaking on her tactics immediately after the race, she said: “It was an incredible sprint finish and I knew she [Lea Boy] was coming so I just actually tried to block out the right side so no one could come on that side and then I could control what I could see on the left a bit more.”

After experiencing disappointment in the Women’s 10km the day previous, Johnson showed resilience and grit on the final day of competition, cementing her position as one of the top open water athletes in the world.

“Yesterday I was just a bit off. So to be able to turn it around and come back, it proves to myself why I'm world champion. Bouncing back, that was the goal. I thought about how maybe I have nothing to prove anymore. So to come out and do that despite everything, I’m really proud of that.”

Johnson, like many of the athletes competing in Golfo Aranci this weekend, is fresh from the World Championships in Singapore, where she took gold in both the Women’s 5km and 10km events.

“I's been an incredible year”, she said. “Yesterday I felt a little bit of disappointment, I wasn't quite there but I can't really complain after the year I've had and then to capture the gold just then as well in such an incredible location, incredible afternoon - I couldn't be happier with it.”

Lea Boy Shows Sprint Strength with Another Knockout Medal

Germany’s Lea Boy has taken to the new 3km Knockout Sprint race format extremely well, medalling in all three stops that have featured the event.

After winning bronze in the 10km on day one of competition, she upgraded that to silver in the sprint event, taking her tally of World Cup medals to 11.

“It was amazing, the sun was down and it was a perfect race. The last 3km races I was always in the back of the pack, and this time I said, I don't want to do it again.

“My parents are at home and say, why are you always in the back? We are always counting how many people in front and how many in the back! So, now I try to swim more in the front, and it was better, it worked.”

A large crowd filled the Golfo coastline across both days of racing, something that Boy said she and the other athletes really appreciate.

“We’ve had so many people looking at the races and cheering for us. It's nice for open water swimming and for the people to see that the sport is very nice. There were big crowds here, even bigger than yesterday, which is good to see.

“The 3km is more interesting for the people who are watching. So, I hope the 3km will be in the program for a longer time!”

Bronze medallist Caroline Jouisse bided her time perfectly throughout the rounds, finishing 9th in heat one, sixth in the semifinal and hitting the pad in third when it mattered most in the final round.

Jouisse, who had won gold with Team France earlier in the session in the Mixed 4x1500m Relay, finished fourth in the Women’s 10km on day one - ultimately claiming fourth in the overall World Cup leader rankings.

Like many of the other athletes, Jouisse has thrived in the new sprint format, winning silver in the same event in Setúbal earlier in the year. As one of open water’s most successful athletes, Jouisse’s World Cup medal tally now rises to a staggering 11 in total.

The Women’s 3km Knockout Sprint brought the curtain down on this year’s Open Water Swimming World Cup, officially marking the end of the 2025 open water season. With the final medals awarded, many athletes will now shift their focus to short course racing, before turning their attention to the fresh challenges that await in the 2026 season.