Moesha Johnson wins Australia's first 10km open-water swimming gold at world championships

The Guardian

17-07-2025

Moesha Johnson has won Australia's first 10km open water world title as compatriot Kyle Lee opened the team medal tally with bronze in the men's race.
It is Australia's fifth open water world title over all distances with Johnson and Lee in the quartet that will defend the mixed-team title at the Singapore world aquatics championships.
The water temperature was 30C and conditions were described on social media as 'human soup'. There were also two postponements for the 10km events because of water quality concerns.
Johnson, who claimed silver in the same event at the Paris Olympics, won in two hours seven minutes 51.30 seconds. It is also her first individual open water world championship.
She finished 4.40 seconds ahead of Italian Ginevra Taddeucci and Lisa Pou from Monaco won bronze.
Fellow Australian and Paris Olympics teammate Chelsea Gubecka finished ninth.
The two open-water events were postponed at Palawan Beach on Sentosa Island, south of Singapore, because of the dirty sea water.
Organisers then said water samples collected on Tuesday afternoon had shown a 'significant improvement' and went ahead with Wednesday competition.
'That was definitely harder than Paris,' Johnson said. 'The heat, 36-hour delay, the strong currents … that was one of the hardest circumstances and open water conditions I have been part of.
'Since the Olympics I have tried to embrace every opportunity and race with the feeling that I have nothing left to prove … I've had back-to-back illnesses but my family and faith got me through.
'And to all those that finished today … hats off to you. All open water skills were on display today. And I am so proud of this team – we had two girls and two guys in the top 10 and that's a credit to this whole Dolphins team.'
German Florian Wellbrock won his sixth open-water world championship, clocking one hour 59 minutes 55.50 seconds.
He beat Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri by 3.70 seconds, with Lee 14.80 seconds behind Wellbrock in third place.
The Australian Paris Olympian beat another German, Oliver Klemet, by just 0.1 of a second to win his first individual world championships medal.
'We prepared for these conditions in Darwin and to be honest … I am just in shock,' Lee said.
Nicholas Sloman, who also competed in Paris, finished eighth. Johnson, Lee, Gubecka and Sloman are the reigning world mixed team champions.
Once she competes in her open-water events, Johnson will also contest the 800m and 1500m freestyle in the pool at the worlds.