The glistening Portuguese coastline will play host to the final stop of this year’s series, which first kicked off in Somabay, Egypt earlier this year.

Following the second and third stops in Ibiza and Golfo Aranci, attention now turns to the final opportunity for racing in Setúbal. Four athletes who are hoping to play a big part in this weekend’s event give us an insight into what we might expect.

Marc-Antoine Olivier - France

Olivier is currently tied for first in the overall rankings having accumulated 1700 points throughout the previous stops.

The 30-year-old Frenchman is one of the sport’s longest standing athletes, and has consistently featured at the top of the sport since first starting in 2012.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s event, he said: “I'm feeling good because the last four weeks I worked very hard. So now I'm feeling very good about competing. We need to see tomorrow and find a good strategy to win the race.”

Having won the Overall Leader trophy in 2024, Olivier is no stranger to carrying the weight of expectation on his shoulders; one which he says doesn’t phase him.

“I don’t feel extra pressure. I’ve been in open water since 2012 so for me, it’s always about doing my best in my sport - it’s good if I win but there’s no pressure."
By Marc-Antoine Olivier

“This year with the baby, my life has totally changed. So now I'm very happy for the moment to be first in the rankings. But tomorrow I will try to do my best and we will see.”

Olivier is affectionately known within the sport as the ‘King of Consistency’, and has showcased his ability to adapt to any racing conditions time and time again. Speaking on this skill, he said: “Every time we need to find a solution, I adapt the strategy because sometimes it's cold, sometimes it's hot or with a wetsuit or not.

“For me that’s the best part of this sport, we need to adapt every time. So now I'm very happy to be here and see the conditions tomorrow.”

Lea Boy - Germany

Boy has featured on the podium at two of the three completed stops of this year’s World Cup, and will be looking to do the same this weekend.

With a total of 14 World Cup medals to her name and three from this season alone, she is currently ranked in third overall position (1550 points) - something which has made her very excited to race in Portugal.

“I'm super excited for the overall ranking. Now I'm in third place and I'm looking for a good position in the race tomorrow.

“I'm just thinking about the race tomorrow. All the races of this season were super good. I was always top five, top six, top seven. So I'm looking forward to the race. I'm a little bit nervous but we swim so often so that helps.

Speaking about her thoughts on the series more generally this year, she said: “The races this year were really different. Every race was special on its own and I'm looking forward to the next season, maybe with even more stops and not just four.

“I'm always looking for different conditions. That's the special thing about open water...sometimes you have 18 degrees, 30 degrees, waves, no waves, sun, wind, rain. So it's really nice, we always have different conditions.”
By Lea Boy

Boy has proved her strengths not only in the 10km, but also across the 3km Knockout Sprint event - something which she has grown to love this season.

“I think now I have swam the 3km maybe 10 times, and just once I was outside the top three. So I'm looking forward to hopefully being on the podium again this time.”

David Betlehem - Hungary

A very tight race at the top of the Men’s Rankings is adding fuel to Betlehem’s fire this weekend. Despite still being only 22-years-old, his consistent podium-finishes have cemented him as an athlete you can never count out of contention.

“I'm feeling great,” he said ahead of the event. “I’ve enjoyed practicing since Golfo Aranci. We were in a training camp in Turkey and had really good sessions there and also last week in Hungary. We are tapering a bit this week, so I hope I will be very fast tomorrow - I'm looking forward to it.”

Despite his sizable medal haul from this year’s series (five total), a tough race in the 10km at the previous stop in Golfo Aranci has harmed Betlehem’s overall points.

But, he’s looking at this as a positive, and said he would actually prefer to be chasing, rather than being in the top seed.

“I wasn't good in Golfo Aranci so I am a little bit behind, but I'm happy to be in that position; not leading and being the one to lose the first place, I’d rather chase and earn it.

“So I think it's going to be a good race. The weather is really good, the water is going to be a bit cold which is not my favorite. But if I can beat them in these conditions, that's very good. I know I'm in good shape and I will try to do my best, I want to win the overall.”

Speaking on the World Cup this year, he said: “It's been amazing. Mostly because the conditions haven’t been the best for me because every stop (except Egypt) was really cold.

“But I need to adapt to it, we need to find the balance, how to manage it. I'm still just trying to go with the best of the world as much as I can and beat them as many times as possible. So when we reach the Olympics, I know what to do.”
By David Betlehem

Ethan Parker - France

19-year-old Parker, who trains with Marc-Antoine Olivier full-time, has a firm lead in the Men’s Junior Rankings.

The variety of the races in this year’s series is something that he has enjoyed massively, and says has helped to give him more experience.

“It was really fun because the races were always different. So for me this year is really to get much experience with the seniors to go after in the senior level.

With an 1100 point lead, Parker’s main focus is to challenge himself and see if he can better his best-placed finish at a World Cup, which came in the form of eighth in the 3km Knockout Sprint in Ibiza.

“I'm feeling good, I’m okay in every condition. My goal is to compete with the big guys and see what happens.

“I really enjoy the 3km. This is one of my favourite races"
By Ethan Parker

Speaking on the benefit he gets from training with teammates such as Olivier, the youngster said: “I'm lucky to swim with him [Olivier] every day. So I get a lot of experience, a lot of tips. He has helped me a lot to get in the race and know how to approach it. So I'm really lucky.”