Alessio Occhipinti (30, Italy, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @alessioocchipinti) and Mayte Ailen Puca (28, Argentina, MSF bio here, @mayte_puca) won the 63rd edition of the Ohrid Swimming Marathon in North Macedonia on September 6th.

The 25 km professional marathon swim is held in Lake Ohrid which is nestled in the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe’s deepest and oldest lakes and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that hosts various cultural and entertainment activities, including concerts, exhibitions and local festivals that surround the pro race that started in 1962.

2026 Ohrid Lake Swimming Marathon Results

1. Alessio Occhipinti Italy 5.03.44
2. Niccolo Ricciaroli, Italy 5.04.16
3. Petar Cekov, North Macedonia 5.07.26
4. Philippe Lacasse, Canada 5.16.17
5. Aleksandar Ilievski, North Macedonia 5.44.10
6. Daniel Ponce Jimenez, Spain 5.47.06
7. Matea Vipovic, Serbia 5.56.12
8. Eneko Saezmiera, Spain 6.02.47
9. Leonid Mishevski, North Macedonia 6.06.37
10. Cristiano Caramelo Santos, Portugal
11. Umit Kemal Cengiz, Turkey DNF

1. Mayte Ailen Puca, Argentina 5.20.44
2. Milica Ljubisavljevic, Serbia 6.25.25
3. Rita Vanesa Garcia, Argentina 6.29.17
4. Elena Lionello, Italy 6.31.04
5. Rosana Goshera, North Macedonia 6.48.24

For more information on the US$15,000 prize event, visit here.

Rita Garcia (42, Argentina, MSF bio here), whose career started in 2009, returned to the professional marathon swimming circuit to earn a podium position.

© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

World Open Water Swimming Federation, an exclusively human-powered project