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What Los Angeles 2028 Can Learn from the 2024 Paris Olympic 10K Marathon Swim

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What can the IOC and World Aquatics learn from the 2024 Paris Olympic 10K Marathon Swim held in the Seine and repeat or improve upon at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games?

Update: We previously reported that the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim will be held in Marine Stadium in Long Beach, California. However, it was confirmed by sources in Long Beach that the course instead will be held on Alamitos Beach in the Pacific Ocean that is located within the Long Beach breakwater, on the south side of Long Beach Marina. The course and site will also be shared by the Olympic triathlon races (both solo and mixed team). Beach volleyball will be close. See below.

https://youtu.be/9tZkiG3RiiE

Viewing

  • The number of fans who stood for hours and were interested in watching the marathon swim far outnumbered the 4,000 available paid seats in Paris. I believe the same outcome will be true in Los Angeles 2028 and the organizers should prepare accordingly with larger temporary viewing stands on Alamitos Beach. With the area are the beach volleyball and triathlon sites so a vastly expanded seating capacity should not be an issue.
  • The very large screens that allowed spectators to view the entire course and competition were wonderfully positioned in Paris. I am hopeful the same easy-to-view positioning of the screens can be replicated on Alamitos Beach for Los Angeles 2028.
  • The turns at both ends of the course were quite interesting and resulted in much physicality and changing of positions throughout the race. With the six-loop course in Paris, these 1.67 km loops led to a very dynamic race with multiple changes among the swimmers in the lead and trailing packs. Swimmers had to speed up or protect their positions that was excited for experienced swimmers to appreciate. Multiple turns with so many changes in the packs rewards swimmers who are experienced and skilled in this aspect of open water swimming. I am hopeful the same tight 1.67 km loops in Paris can be replicated in Los Angeles 2028.
  • The feeding station at one end of the course enabled the highest priced seats and VIP seating to view and appreciate the experience and skills of the world’s fastest open water swimmers. I am hopeful the number of feeding stations in Marine Stadium in Long Beach can be doubled to two stations so more spectators can view the swimmers feeding quickly.
  • There was VIP seating in Paris, but I am hopeful that there is an opportunity to bring more spectators closer to the action. For example, there could be floating pontoons along Alamitos Beach where hundreds of passionate fans can watch from either end. These special standing-room only positions can be randomly given to coaches, team representatives, and media representatives – or, better yet, provided to fans who either bid for or enter a special raffle or for interested disabled fans.
  • The venue announcers in Paris were multi-lingual and excellent at keeping the spectators informed of the leaders, water flow, and swimmers who DNF’ed. But there are so many other aspects of the sport that went unmentioned. I would love to have on-course announcers who knew the tendencies of the top swimmers and could describe the swimmers more colorfully (e.g., Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy is a 14:32 1500m swimmer…), could call out the names of the swimmers who receive yellow cards (or red cards), repeated the number of loops swam (in order to keep the spectators up-to-date during a nearly 2-hour race), the color of the swimmers’ caps (so spectators can know who exactly they are cheering for – for example, “swimmer in the lead is Sharon van Rouwendaal in the orange cap or Kristóf Rasovszky in the green cap takes the lead“).
  • Knowledgeable specialists in marathon swimming who know the athletes very well can provide special commentary via an app that spectators can listen to during the race in Long Beach in 2028. These perspectives would augment the NBC coverage provided by Rowdy Gaines and the chosen NBC television crew. Tactics are so important in the marathon swim, but these tactics can be subtle and not everyone will see what experts like Tim Denyer, Gerry Rodrigues, Shelley Taylor-Smith, Bruckner Chase, and John Dussliere can see and explain quickly and succinctly so newcomers can understand and appreciate.
  • Spectators can submit real-time questions via the marathon swimming app that are answered by a pair of extraordinarily knowledgeable marathon swimming specialists in real time.
  • Drones were not allowed on the course in Paris. However, drone coverage would be greatly appreciated in Long Beach in 2028.
  • Underwater footage in real time, especially around the turn buoys and feeding stations, was not provided in Paris (and frankly, would have been an operational impossibility). But in the still, tranquil waters in Long Beach, not only is drone footage and on-the-water footage much appreciated, but also the underwater footage can give the sport and entirely different and much appreciated perspective in 2028.
  • Music and crowd participation were both greatly appreciated during the marathon swims on the Seine in Paris, but Long Beach is the home of the two most experienced and enjoyable aquatic DJ’s on the planet. Matty Mitchell and Hank Wise, both Long Beach homegrown aquatic announcers with an abundance of open water knowledge, provided an unbelievably fun and pulsating experience for all the events they have announced for decades in Southern California. They get both spectators and swimmers pumped up like no other.
  • Immediate post-race interviews – similar to the Olympic pool events – would be so inspirational, educational, and promotional for the spectators and television audiences. American swimmer and hugely popular podcaster Rich Roll – who so eloquent in his diction and expressive in his vernacular – is one possibility that comes immediately to mind.
  • The aforementioned app that enables spectators to hear in real-time from knowledgeable marathon swimmers can be augmented by physiological explanations about what is going through the athletes’ bodies and mind. American channel swimmer and massively popular Dr. Peter Attia would be an outstanding addition to announcing crew. Together with Rich Roll, Matty Mitchell, and Hank Wise, Dr. Attia can bring in radically different medical and physiological information to the sport on its biggest stage.
  • The LA 2028 app can be augmented by marathon swimming experts from multiple countries who are knowledgeable and glib. They can provide real-time explanations in French, Spanish, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Chinese, etc. to interested spectators and fans around the world. The explanations can include descriptions of the rules and infractions of those rules as well as the training and preparation of the leading athletes.
  • The marathon swimming community has a unique opportunity to bring in experts from around the world – in real time over the course of two hours. Technology allows a creative presentations of our sport and should be utilized in Marine Stadium in 2028.
  • Public post-race interviews and photo sessions can be held the next day or later in the day at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. The current Olympic press conferences are limited to accredited media representatives. These press conferences are important and have their rightful place. But in Los Angeles 2028, it would be a wonderful opportunity to utilize the beautifical theater at the Aquarium of the Pacific to allow the public and marathon swimming fans to see these Olympic heroes and heroines up close and personal. The Olympians would enjoy the public adulation and appreciation of their Olympic success. The Aquarium of the Pacific would be the ideal location for these post-race interviews, photo sessions, and panel discussions with the public – as well as do the same for the surfers, sailors, triathletes, rowers, water polo players, and canoers in Long Beach, the Aquatic Capital of America.
  • Announce the split times of each 1.67 km loop throughout the race so spectators can appreciate the changing and increasing pace throughout the race in Long Beach.
  • Announce the water temperature and give some context to the distance and pace of the race. For example, “…the swimmers are swimming at the 1:07 pace per 100 meters without a flip turn…” and “…swimming 10 km here in Long Beach is about the same as swimming 100 times back and forth in a soccer pitch…” and “…Ana Marcela Cunha is taking 82 strokes per minute or nearly 10,000 arm strokes during this race…”
  • Similar to the Paris Marathon held immediately after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games where thousands of people who able to run on Olympic course, local organizers should hold 1 km, 5 km and 10 km races open to the public (including masters swimmers and age group swimmers) in the day(s) after the Olympics are over. Since the infrastructure is there, funds from the the local races for amateur swimmers can be used to further develop the sport – and its also presents an opportunity to educate race officials on competitive open water swimming.
  • The issue of poor water quality frequently dominated the news of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in the Seine – as well as at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Copacabana Beach and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Tokyo Bay. The IOC and World Aquatics should prepare its preparations for the same water quality issues to be raised in Alamitos Beach which is located near the mouth of the Los Angeles River. If it rains during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, there must be a Plan B and have some knowledgeable point person to address this issue.
  • The 2024 Paris Paralympics will host 11 medal races in its Para Triathlon event on September 1st and 2nd, with a 750m swim leg in the Seine. However, there will be no marathon swim or open water swim held at the Paris Paralympics. It is a very large organizational task to add events in the Olympics and Paralympics, but it would be wonderful to host the first Paralympic open water swim at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

City of Long Beach

The City of Long Beach will host the marathon swim as well as the team handball, canoe sprint and rowing, sailing, water polo, and triathlon events with surfing to be held in nearby Huntington Beach.

With the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim site course set in Alamitos Beach, near the Long Beach Convention Center, LA28 can learn from the annual Pacific Airshow held in Huntington Beach (where the Olympic surfing competition will be held). During the Pacific Airshow, several hundreds of boats line the shoreline with thousands of spectators providing an absolutely electric atmosphere. The vibes are incredible – and the athletes will respond.

For more information from LA28, visit here.

https://youtu.be/39uD1la895s

2024 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Women’s Results

  1. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands 2:03:34.2
  2. Moesha Johnson, Australia 2:03:39.7
  3. Ginevra Taddeucci, Italy 2:03:42.8
  4. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil 2:04:15.7
  5. Bettina Fabian, Hungary 2:04:16.9
  6. Giulia Gabbrielleschi, Italy 2:04:17.9
  7. Oceane Cassignol, France 2:06:06.9
  8. Caroline Jouisse, France 2:06:11.0
  9. Leonie Beck, Germany 2:06:13.4
  10. Angela Martinez Guillen, Spain 2:06:15.3
  11. Viviane Jungblut, Brazil 2:06:15.8
  12. Angelica Andre, Portugal 2:06:17.0
  13. Airi Ebina, Japan 2:06:17.7
  14. Chelsea Gubecka, Australia 2:06:17.8
  15. Katie Grimes, USA
  16. Mariah Denigan, USA 2:06:42.9
  17. Maria de Valdes Alvarez, Spain 2:07:02.4
  18. Lisa Pou, Monaco 2:07:05.4
  19. Martha Sandoval Ayala, Mexico 2:07:24.9
  20. Leah Phoebe Crisp, Great Britain 2:07:46.7
  21. Maria Alejandra Bramont-Arias, Peru 2:12:44.7
  22. Leonie Maertens, Germany 2:15:57.3
  23. Emma Finlin, Canada 2:22:06.5
  24. Xin Xin, China 2:27:02.9

2024 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Men’s Results

  1. Kristóf Rasovszky, Hungary 1:50:52.7
  2. Oliver Klemet, Germany 1:50:54.8
  3. Dávid Betlehem, Hungary 1:51:09.0
  4. Domenico Acerenza, Italy 1:51:09.6
  5. Logan Fontaine, France 1:51:47.9
  6. Hector Pardoe, Great Britain 1:51:50.8
  7. Marc-Antoine Olivier, France 1:51:50.9
  8. Florian Wellbrock, Germany 1:51:54.4
  9. Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy 1:51:58.0
  10. Athanasios Charalampos Kynigakis, Greece 1:52:37.2
  11. Nick Sloman, Australia 1:56:24.4
  12. Paulo Strehlke Delgado, Mexico 1:56:28.4
  13. Kyle Lee, Australia 1:56:42.5
  14. Tobias Patrick Robinson, Great Britain, 1:56:43.0
  15. Taishin Minamide, Japan 1:56:57.3
  16. Matan Roditi, Israel 1:57:02.3
  17. David Andres Farinango Berru, Ecuador 1:57:08.6
  18. Daniel Wiffen, Ireland 1:57:20.1
  19. Ivan Puskovitch, USA 1:57:52.5
  20. Martin Straka, Czech Republic 1:57:52.9
  21. Jan Hercog, Austria 2:01:03.8
  22. Piotr Wozniak, Poland 2:02:38.6
  23. Kuzey Tunçelli, Turkey 2:02:58.1
  24. Felix Auboeck, Austria 2:03:00.5
  25. Henrik Christiansen, Norway 2:03:38.2
  26. Guilherme Costa, Brazil DNF
  27. Carlos Garach Benito, Spain DNF
  28. Phillip Seidler, Namibia DNF
  29. Emir Batur Albayrak, Turkey DNS
  30. Victor Johansson, Sweden DNS
  31. Ahmed Jaouadi, Tunisia DNS
  32. David Johnston, USA DNS

Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Commentary and Articles

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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