2024 Paris Olympics Open Water Swimming
Men’s 10km Start Lists
After a spirited women’s race on Thursday, it’s the men’s turn to take on open water marathon swimming in the Seine River at the 2024 Olympic Games. The course runs 1.67 kilometers through Paris from the Pont Alexandre III to the Pont de l’Alma under the Eiffel Tower. The swimmers complete the rectangular loop six times. As we saw on Thursday in the women’s contest, they’ll have a quick current at their backs going downstream, but they’ll fight against it the whole way back.
The men’s race is likely to be dominated by Germany’s Florian Wellbrock and Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri. Wellbrock is the defending Olympic champion, while Paltrinieri took home the bronze medal in Tokyo. In pool swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Paltrinieri won a silver medal in the 1500 free and a bronze in the 800 free. Both swimmers are mainstays on the podium at World Championships in open water swimming.
Other swimmers to keep an eye on are Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, who won gold in the 800 free and bronze in the 1500 free last week in the pool, and Turkish teenagers Kuzey Tuncelli (16) and Emir Batur Albayrak (17). Tuncelli was 5th in 1500 free and 11th in 800 free here in Paris, while Albayrak finished 23rd in the 1500.
Swimming in front of the home crowd will be France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier and Logan Fontaine. It will be Olivier’s 3rd Olympic Games; he was the bronze medalist in the men’s 10km in Rio in 2016, earning France’s first medal in the event, and he place 6th in Tokyo. A regular on the World Championships open water circuit, Fontaine will be competing in his first Olympic 10km.
Sweden’s Victor Johansson pulled out of the race due to health concerns and American David Johnston dropped out after a positive COVID test.
Men’s Open Water 10k Top 8:
- Kristof Rasovszky (HUN) – 1:50:52.7
- Oliver Klement (GER) – 1:50:54.8
- David Betlehem (HUN) – 1:51:09.0
- Domenico Acerenza (ITA) – 1:51:09.6
- Logan Fontaine (FRA) – 1:51:47.9
- Hector Pardoe (GBR) – 1:51:50.8
- Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA) – 1:51:50.9
- Florian Wellbrock (GER) – 1:51:54.4
Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky surged to the front the pack and led for the first 400 meters, but he was overtaken by Germany’s Wellbrock about two-thirds of the way to the first buoy. As they turned back upstream, Wellbrock maintained his position ahead of Rasovszky, while Paltrinieri challenged for second position coming in from the outside. His training partner, France’s Olivier, moved into 4th place, followed by Domenico Acerenza of Italy.
Wellbrock’s stroke looked long and smooth, even swimming against the current on the upstream leg. Rasovszky chose to move to Wellbrock’s inside at the Pont des Invalides, but it didn’t change the order going into the feeding station.
Rasovszky led once again on the downstream leg of the 2nd lap, with Wellbrock just on his feet. Paltrinieri, who lost his cap somewhere after the feed station, maintained his position in 3rd place. Rasovszky was still in the lead coming around the buoy as they headed back upstream. The field behind him tightened up, with a lot of contact among the swimmers as they fought the current. Wellbrock remained in 2nd, followed by Paltrinieri. Acerenza moved up to 4th place, ahead of France’s Olivier and Greece’s Athanasios Kynigakis.
Coming out of the 2nd feeding station, at which pretty much everyone made a stop, Rasovszky increased his lead to 4 body lengths headed downstream on lap 3. Behind him, Wellbrock and Paltrinieri gave chase, closing the gap halfway to the Pont de l’Alma. They came around the second buoy and headed upstream, where the first chase group rejoined the leaders once again. Rasovszky, in his bright green cap, was still in front, followed by Wellbrock, Paltrinieri, and Acerenza. Olivier picked up a yellow card for contact on the upstream leg, while Albayrak abandoned the race.
The lead group, now comprised of just 11 swimmers, came into the feed station and headed back downstream for lap 4. Wellbrock was first out, getting back into the race while Rasovszky was finishing his fueling. Wellbrock continued to hold the lead all the way to the buoys at the Pont de l’Alma, but Rasovszky and the Italians were just on his feet. Olivier held on at 5th, with Germany’s Oliver Klement in 6th. The top 6 pulled slightly ahead of the other 5 members of the lead pack.
Rasovszky pulled even with Wellbrock on the upstream leg, then moved past the German to take over the lead. The second half of the lead pack caught up with the first six, as they had done on each of the upstream legs, and the pack tightened up again. Rasovszky swam with Wellbrock right on his toes. Swimming even behind them were Paltrinieri and Klement, followed by Acerenza, Hungary’s David Betlehem, and Olivier. Spain’s Carlos Garach Benito abandoned the race on this leg.
Rasovszky started out in the lead on the downstream leg of lap 5. While Wellbrock was still in 2nd place, there was some movement behind the leaders as they rounded the buoys downstream. Klement and Acerenza moved past Paltrinieri, Betlehem and Great Britain’s Hector Pardoe ran 6th and 7th, and Kynigakis went ahead of Olivier and his teammate, Fontaine.
Wellbrock made a move to go wide heading into the last feeding station and it put him back 5 spots to #7. Klement moved into the #2 spot behind Rasovszky, with Paltrinieri and Betlehem not far behind. They shot past the feeding station and headed back downstream with Rasovszky and Klement well out front. Klement moved inside Rasovszky on the first buoy down but the Hungarian came off the second buoy in the lead.
Rasovszky led the last upstream leg, followed by Klement. The chase group caught up to the two leaders, with Betlehem and Acerenza moving up to challenge Rasovszky and Klement. The four of them pulled away from the rest of the 11 and sprinted for position. Rasovszky and Klement put some distance behind them, and the pair sprinted for home over the last 300 meters. Rasovszky got the touch by 2.1 seconds, earning a gold medal for Hungary. Klement scored the silver medal. Betlehem and Acerenza battled for the bronze medal, with the Hungarian getting the edge over the Italian by .6.
In addition to Albayrak and Garach, Brazil’s Guilherme Costa and Namibia’s Phillip Seidler did not finish the race.
