A picturesque afternoon in Sardinia was the perfect backdrop for her winning performance in the 10km, one that she says marked ‘the perfect end’ to her season. “I am very happy,” she said. “It was the perfect close to the year because of all the work I've done throughout the season and also because it was the easiest conditions I could ever find myself in. So I'm glad that I got to win the overall, and this was the best year to do it for me, so I'm very happy.”

This season alone has been one of her most successful to date, and included a haul of four silver medals from this summer’s World Championships in Singapore. Throughout her World Cup career, the 28-year-old open water veteran has collected a staggering 15 medals since her first win [relay] on the circuit in 2022.

As one of the most consistent female athletes at this level, it’s hard to comprehend that prior to the final stop in Golfo Aranci, Taddeucci had never claimed an individual victory in a World Cup event; a wrong she was determined to right on home soil.

With the support of a considerable Italian crowd behind her, Taddeucci hit the board first, holding one finger in the air as she emerged from the water; a celebration she had always wanted to do. “It's something I've always wanted to do,” she said. “Because I’ve never been first, so I decided that this time I was going to do that because I've always seen everyone do it and I wanted to do it as well.”

At the open water season opener in Somabay, Egypt earlier this year, Taddeucci claimed silver in the Women’s 10km; a result she would repeat on the third stop in Setúbal. With medals from three of this year’s four 10km World Cup races, the Italian - who finished second in the World Cup rankings in 2024 - now sits in second place in the World Aquatics open water rankings at the close of this year’s season.

How The 2025 World Cup Season Played Out

From the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, here we take a look at the results and storylines of the women’s 2025 open water season.

World Cup Stop 1 - Somabay, Egypt - 21-22 February 

In the season’s first stop at Somabay, conditions were tough with wind and waves - all the more reason to respect the margin by which winner Moesha Johnson, runner up Taddeucci, and bronze medallist Chelsea Gubecka broke clear.

The trio finished some 16 seconds ahead of the chase pack, which was led by Germany’s Isabel Gose. Gose represents a growing number of pool swimmers who make the transition to open water racing when the season calls. As Olympic bronze medallist in the 1500m Freestyle, Gose’s strength in the pool is indisputable, though she is yet to win an individual Open Water World Cup medal.

Angela Martínez Guillén - who would come to feature heavily in the second stop of the tour - claimed fifth while Jeannette Spiwoks - who is a previous bronze medallist in the 10km from the 2022 season - rounded out the top six. 

Johnson’s assertive swim set the tone for what would become one of her most successful seasons to date, while Taddeucci’s consistency confirmed her place among the top contenders early on.

World Cup Stop 2 - Ibiza, Spain - 25-26 April

At the second stop in Ibiza, Angela Martínez Guillén capitalised on local support and her trademark closing speed to take the win. She made her move on the final lap and held off challengers to claim gold in a tightly contested finish.

Behind her, Celine Rieder executed a perfect sprint finish to secure silver ahead of fellow rising star Bettina Fabian of Hungary. For Rieder, her silver in Ibiza marked her first ever international open water medal, with Fabian adding her sixth to her collection.

For Taddeucci, Ibiza marked her lowest and only non-podium finish of the World Cup season. Though she was among the leaders to begin with, the fast finishes of the medallists ultimately saw her crossing the line in seventh.

The cooler water temperature saw some athletes electing to race in skin suits, and ultimately played to the strength of France’s Ines Delacroix and Germany’s Lea Boy who rounded out the top five in Ibiza. 

Martínez Guillén’s breakthrough podium win in front of a home crowd signalled her arrival as a serious force over the 10 km distance.

World Cup Stop 3 - Setúbal, Portugal - 14-15 June

The third stop in Setúbal saw Moesha Johnson assert her dominance over this distance once again, earning her second gold of the series. She revealed to World Aquatics after the race that she had in fact been battling illness ahead of the event, so was very pleasantly surprised with her result after hoping to merely ‘survive’ before the race start.

For Taddeucci, Portugal brought her second medal of the series, while bronze medal winner Caroline Jouisse was pleased to complete the podium at ‘one of her favourite race venues’.

Lea Boy and Lisa Pou held strong in the lead pack throughout the majority of the race and looked likely medal contenders until the final lap, where they finished fifth and eighth respectively.

For Pou, who would go on to win bronze in the 10km at the World Championships in Singapore, this race marked another strong opening by her - setting the pace and taking the lead at the front half of the race.   

World Cup Stop 4 - Golfo Aranci, Sardinia - 10-11 October

In the season's culminating 10km event at Golfo Aranci, Taddeucci produced a perfect race. She claimed individual gold in 1:58:56.50 to clinch the overall Women’s World Cup crown for the first time, ending the season with 2,600 points.

It was Poland’s Klaudia Tarasiewicz who sparked a sprint finish between herself and the Italian in the final metres, ultimately touching the pad in second (0.70 seconds behind) to take silver in what she described as ‘the best race of her life’.

Lea Boy, who has become a frequent player in the top ranked open water athletes, completed the podium with bronze - her first World Cup medal in the 10km event.

Caroline Jouisse just missed out on the podium with a fourth place finish, while 21-year-old Angela Martínez Guillén found herself in the top five again with a strong performance for fifth. Italy’s Linda Caponi was pushed on by the home crowd to take sixth; her best result in a World Cup this year.  

Check out the final season rankings following all four stages of the Open Water Swimming World Cup 2025 season.

Louna Kasvio Tops Junior Rankings

An impressive season from Finnish open water swimmer, Louna Kasvio, saw her topping the Women’s Junior Open Water Rankings for 2025 with 2800 points.

Kasvio, who has only recently made the transition from pool to open water swimming, has been a consistent performer across all four stops, achieving a top 25 finish in every 10km race. Despite being so new to the sport, Kasvio has thrived in her new environment, and said she achieved her goal this year of topping the Junior rankings.

“Open water is new for me this year and it was my goal [to win] - it's been really fun and I really love the sport, it’s amazing.”

Kasvio is carving a new path in Finnish swimming history as one of very few athletes who have competed in open water. 

“I'm one of the the first open water swimmers from Finland like so it’s been interesting. I’m lucky that I've had some people who've helped me like Michel and Lisa [Pou] from Monaco.”

Having raced at all four stops this year - her best result coming in Setúbal (16th) - Kasvio said she has learned a lot from competing at this level. “The World Cups are amazing and the support is amazing - we're excited for next season. Now I'm going to train for a few months and then I hope I can continue from here and continue to get better next year.”