paris olympics 2024 | 08 August 2024
The Riverside Wrap from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games: Day 1
The first Aussie to be selected for the 2024 Australian Olympic team is one of the last to hit the water in Paris. Chelsea Gubecka joined teammate Moesha Johnson on the pontoon for the start of the Women’s 10km open water event this afternoon.
Johnson and Gubecka were the first Dolphins to take to the river Seine since founding Dolphin Freddy Lane, 124 years ago at the 1900 Paris Olympics!
Both Johnson and Gubecka were quick off the start, leading a tightly bunched field of swimmers into the first turn of the opening lap.
The field was quickly dispersed when they hit, what Cate Campbell described as a ‘treadmill’ like current, on their return to complete the first lap of the 10km marathon swim.
Nevertheless, Johnson and Gubecka cemented themselves in the leading pack heading into the second half of the event.
With one lap left to go, it was a three-way battle for the top podium spot, and it was Johnson leading the Netherlands Sharon van Rouwendal and Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci.
However, with 500m to go the Rio Olympic champion Rouwendal kicked away to claim gold.
In the mightiest of efforts, the Olympic debutant, Johnson, held on to claim silver (2:03:39.7) and became the highest ever medalling Aussie in Olympic marathon swimming.
Fellow teammate Gubecka, in a monumental swim, finished 14th (2:06:17.8).
Our Dolphins 2024 Olympic campaign isn’t done yet! Kyle Lee and Nick Sloman will take on the Men’s 10km Marathon Swim at 3:30pm AEST tomorrow on the 9th August.
