28 men lined up on the starting pontoon that spanned the Seine at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim this morning.
4,000 people crowded the stands on either side of the 1.67 km course, but thousands more stood for hours along the river banks on both sides.
The action however was most interesting on the far end of the course where the athletes had to cross a fast-flowing river (see below).
Kristóf Rasovszky took control of the race from the get-go. While he occasionally relinquished the lead, his four-week training periods of 100,000 meters per week at high-altitude – and focused effort on the 10 km distance after a silver medal performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the personable Hungarian won in 1 hour 50 minutes 52.7 seconds.
Behind him was the battle-hardened Oliver Klemet of Germany who had also paid the hard dues of distance training for years building up to this race. Usually swimming in the shadow of his German teammate, Florian Wellbrock, he proved himself today capturing his first Olympic medal as he finished second in 1 hours 50 minutes 54.8 seconds. Throughout the last lap as the last man close to Rasovszky, Klemet was so close.
Rasovszky was joined on the podium with his Hungarian teammate in a mild upset. 21-year-old David Betlehem finished in 1 hours 51 minutes 9.0 seconds.
The podium finishers never let up; they were flying down the 680 meter backstretch in a little over 5 minutes, and struggling back as they hugged the embankment in a single-file peloton at a much slower pace.
Rasovszky pushed and pushed again, challenging his rivals to keep up the pace – and, if they dared, to pass him. But no one was ahead of him at the end.
How Hard Was The Marathon Swim?
With the water current running at 0.7 meters per second, navigating the far turn was more than difficult. Watch each turn as they navigate two turn buoys against the current:
Lap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Lap 5
Lap 6
Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Results
- Kristóf Rasovszky, Hungary 1:50:52.7
- Oliver Klemet, Germany 1:50:54.8
- Dávid Betlehem, Hungary 1:51:09.0
- Domenico Acerenza, Italy 1:51:09.6
- Logan Fontaine, France 1:51:47.9
- Hector Pardoe, Great Britain 1:51:50.8
- Marc-Antoine Olivier, France 1:51:50.9
- Florian Wellbrock, Germany 1:51:54.4
- Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy 1:51:58.0
- Athanasios Charalampos Kynigakis, Greece 1:52:37.2
- Nick Sloman, Australia 1:56:24.4
- Paulo Strehlke Delgado, Mexico 1:56:28.4
- Kyle Lee, Australia 1:56:42.5
- Tobias Patrick Robinson, Great Britain, 1:56:43.0
- Taishin Minamide, Japan 1:56:57.3
- Matan Roditi, Israel 1:57:02.3
- David Andres Farinango Berru, Ecuador 1:57:08.6
- Daniel Wiffen, Ireland 1:57:20.1
- Ivan Puskovitch, USA 1:57:52.5
- Martin Straka, Czech Republic 1:57:52.9
- Jan Hercog, Austria 2:01:03.8
- Piotr Wozniak, Poland 2:02:38.6
- Kuzey Tunçelli, Turkey 2:02:58.1
- Felix Auboeck, Austria 2:03:00.5
- Henrik Christiansen, Norway 2:03:38.2
- Guilherme Costa, Brazil DNF
- Carlos Garach Benito, Spain DNF
- Phillip Seidler, Namibia DNF
- Emir Batur Albayrak, Turkey DNS
- Victor Johansson, Sweden DNS
- Ahmed Jaouadi, Tunisia DNS
- David Johnston, USA DNS
Kristóf Rasovszky and Dávid Betlehem have made Hungary quite happy and proud.
Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Commentary and Articles
- What Los Angeles 2028 Can Learn from the 2024 Paris Olympic 10K Marathon Swim
- Impressions of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim on the Seine
- Brilliant Swimming. Kristóf Rasovszky Wins Gold in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim
- Brilliant Swimming. A Legend, Sharon van Rouwendaal Wins the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim
- Brian Goodell at the OLY House
- The Sights and Sounds of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim on the Seine
- Technologies Showcased at the OLY House during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
- Finke Achieves The Improbable. His Rivals Head Towards The Seine
- It’s Gonna Be An Incredible Race with Warnings, Whistles, Yellow Cards, and Red Cards in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in the Seine
- How Fast Is The Water Moving in the Seine along the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Course?
- Sixth Time Is A Charm for Kristel Köbrich
- Postscript from Paris
- Ice Swimmer Cometh: Keaton Jones Has Shot To Earn Olympic Gold
- Olympic 10K Marathon Swim – Course Update on August 1st
- 10 Days in Paris: Katie Grimes, Moesha Johnson and Leonie Maertens – Reversal of Fortune on Day 2
- 2024 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Prediction: Swimming in the Seine Will Be Spectacular
- How Fast Are The Olympic Marathon Swimmers? The Women in the Seine
- How Fast Are The Olympic Marathon Swimmers? The Men in the Seine
- Speed and Strategy on the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Course in the Fast-flowing Seine
- What Is The Ambiance of the Paris Olympics?
- Catherine Kase On Preparing For and Coaching at the Olympics
- Growth of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Paris: Pool Specialists versus Open Water Specialists
- Breaking News: Details of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Paris
- Breaking News: Female Swimmers of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Paris
- Breaking News: Male Swimmers of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Paris
- Ignasi Vendrell Gervás Is Running The Show at the 2024 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim
- Plan B For The Olympic 10K Marathon Swim
- Whoa…The Speed of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Will Be Off The Charts…Daniel Wiffen to Compete
- 10 Days in Paris: The Swimming Life of Olympian Katie Grimes
- What Would You Do: Protest or Compete in the Seine at the Paris Olympics?
- Olympic Marathon Swimmers Getting Faster and Faster – like Oliver Klemet
- Goose Poo to Human Poo – Media Focus on Faecal Matter and Marathon Swimming Every Four Years
- Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli – Then and Now
- Olympic Open Water Competition – With a Surfboard
- Woomin Kim and Guilherme Costa Throw Down Some Fast Freestyling in Paris. Will Their Speed, Stamina Be a Factor in the Seine?
- Triathlon Postponed Raises Question of Location of Olympic 10K Marathon Swim
- Daniel Wiffen Captures Gold With A Tactically Tough 800m in the Pool
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