The 29.7°C water temperature and the heat of Cancún did not stop Moesha Johnson (28, Australia, World Aquatics bio here, @swimmer_moesha) yesterday in the 10 km race and did not slow her down today at the 3 km Knockout Sprints.
After coming down to sea level from a hard training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist was dominant as usual. Her 2025 season undefeated streak continued at the 3 km Knockout Sprints on the first stop in the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup series in Cancún.
Johnson won all the first-lap hot spots during the 2025 World Cup season and this year was no change. Today, she won Heat 1 at 11:00 am, the semifinals, at 11:30 am and the 500m finals at 11:45 am during today’s 3 km Knockout Sprints in turgid surface chop [see photo above on left].
Finishing in second place was Ichika Kajimoto (22, Japan, World Aquatics bio here, shown above on right in white swim cap) ahead of third-place Lisa Pou (27, Monaco, World Aquatics bio here, @lisaapou_photo shown above on right in black swim cap). Kajimoto said, “I was inspired by my teammate Airi Ebina when she finished second in the 10 km and by my sister who won a silver medal at the World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Argentina. We [Japan] is a close team so we always pull for each other and I am happy that Japan will return home with two silver medals.”
Pou was able to recover from an illness and a DNF in yesterday’s 10 km race. She finished fourth in the 1500m preliminary heat, then fourth again in the 1000m semifinals, and was in the lead pack to capture third in the 500m final.
Start of 500m Knockout Sprint Final
3 km Knockout Sprint Results
- Moesha Johnson, Australia 5:39.20
- Ichika Kajimoto, Japan 5:40.20
- Lisa Pou, Monaco 5:42.20
- Bettina Fabian, Hungary 5:48.00
- Lea Boy, Germany 5:48.30
- Airi Ebina, Japan 5:49.00
- Maria de Valdes, Spain 5:50.30
- Noemi Cesarano, Italy 5:51.60
- Ginevra Taddeucci, Italy 6:01.60
- Jeannette Spiwoks, Germany 6:07.30
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