Dutch Culture - Sharon van Rouwendaal secures Gold in Seine river

Posted August 8 2024 on facebook

Sharon van Rouwendaal secures tenth gold for the Netherlands after two hours of swimming in the Seine.

Sharon van Rouwendaal won gold in the 10-kilometre open water swimming at the Olympic Games in Paris. She defeated her two rivals, the Australian Moesha Johnson and Ginevra Taddeucci from Italy, with an impressive final sprint in the Seine.

Van Rouwendaal was crowned Olympic champion at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Three years ago in Tokyo, she just missed out and had to settle for silver. In February, the 30-year-old from Baarn won gold in her favourite event at the World Championships in Doha.

The swimmers dived into the Seine at 7:30 am, which was deemed clean enough to swim in after a final check last night. A leading group quickly formed with Van Rouwendaal breaking away from the rest of the field. After the turning point, the Dutch woman was left alone with Johnson and Taddeucci in front.

It quickly became clear that the three could share the medals, but the battle for gold remained exciting until the last moment and was only decided in the final sprint.

Sharon van Rouwendaal dedicates her second Olympic title in open water to her dog Rio, who died in May. "Swimming is everything to me, but so is he. When there were complications in May, he died a short time later. Then my world stood still and I wanted to swim for him one more time," said the 30-year-old swimmer immediately afterwards.

Top left photo:

Sharon van Rouwendaal with her gold medal and her tattoo of Rio's paw.

See the article and pictures @ Dutch Culture