The marathon swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games was called the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.

But at the 2025 Paris Olympic Games, the event name changed to the Olympic Open Water Swim. In LA28, the event will also be called the Olympic Open Water Swim.

There was no official announcement or reasoning publicly given.

But the implications of changing from marathon swimming to open water swimming can be imagined.

• Marathon swimming distances are getting longer and longer and more well publicized with channel crossings by swimmers like Sarah Thomas with her four-way English Channel swim and Stève Stievenart with his three-way Catalina Channel swim. Perhaps the IOC did not want direct comparisons between these very long-distance solo swimmers and Olympic swimmers who compete (albeit much faster) over significantly shorter distances?
• In comparison to the 10 km distance that was previously defined as a marathon swim distance, the channels of the Oceans Seven and longer lake swims from Lake Memphremagog to Lake Geneva seem absolutely daunting and audacious. The traditional marathon swim distances are so much longer and more difficult in terms of time and conditions. Perhaps the IOC did not want to group flat water, relatively warm 10 km swims around four turn buoys in the same category as crossings in cold water and turbulent seas, teeming with marine life?
• Perhaps the IOC wanted to emphasize the natural environments in lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans by using the term ‘open water’ compared to the more neutral term of marathon swimming?
• Perhaps the IOC wanted to reflect the most common, most generic term used in the sport (i.e., open water swimming) because open water more accurately describes the venue in natural environments and distinguishes it from pool swimming?
• As swimmers get faster, the original assumption that a marathon swim would take roughly 2 hours is becoming outdated. Marathon runners still take over 2+ hours to run a full marathon while the fastest open water swimmers are dipping under the 1 hour 50 minute mark.
• Perhaps, especially in the Seine River at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 10 km open water event required the swimmers to navigate through unpredictable elements like river currents and eddies, therefore making ‘open water’ a more appropriate definition?

• 2008 Female Medalist: Larisa Ilchenko 1:59:27.7, Keri-Anne Payne 1:59:29.2, Cassandra Patten 1:59:31.0
• 2008 Male Medalists: Gold: Maarten van der Weijden 1:51:51.6, David Davies 1:51:53.1, Thomas Lurz 1:51:53.6

2024 Paris Olympic Open Water Swim Male Medalists

Gold: Kristóf Rasovszky, Hungary 1:50:52.7
Silver: Oliver Klemet, Germany 1:50:54.8
Bronze: David Betlehem, Hungary 1:51:09.0

2024 Paris Olympic Open Water Swim Female Medalists

Gold: Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands 2:03:34.2
Silver: Moesha Johnson, Australia 2:03:39.7
Bronze: Ginevra Taddeucci, Italy 2:03:42.8

2020 Tokyo Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Male Medalists

Gold: Florian Wellbrock (Germany, 23) 1:48:33.70
Silver: Kristóf Rasovszky (Hungary, 24) 1:48:59.00
Bronze: Gregorio Paltrinieri (Italy, 26) 1:49:01.10

2020 Tokyo Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Female Medalists

Gold: Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil, 29) 1:59:30.90
Silver: Sharon van Rouwendaal (Netherlands, 27) 1:59:31.70
Bronze: Kareena Lee (Australia, 27) 1:59:32.50

2016 Rio Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Male Medalists

Gold: Ferry Weertman (Netherlands) 1:52:59.8
Silver: Spyridon Gianniotis (Greece) 1:52:59.8
Bronze: Marc-Antoine Daniel Frede Olivier (France) 1:53:02.0

2016 Rio Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Female Medalists

Gold: Sharon van Rouwendaal (Netherlands) 1:56:32.1
Silver: Rachele Bruni (Italy) 1:56:49.5
Bronze: Poliana Okimoto (Brazil) 1:56:51.4

2012 London Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Male Medalists

Gold: Oussama Mellouli (Tunisia) 1:49:55.1
Silver: Thomas Lurz (Germany) 1:49:58.5
Bronze: Richard Weinberger (Canada) 1:50:00.3

2012 London Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Female Medalists

Gold: Eva Risztov (Hungary) 1:57:38.2
Silver: Haley Anderson (USA) 1:57:38.6
Bronze: Martina Grimaldi (Italy) 1:57:41.8

2008 Beijing Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Male Medalists

Gold: Maarten van der Weijden (Netherlands) 1:51:51.6
Silver: David Davies (Great Britain) 1:51:53.1
Bronze: Thomas Lurz (Germany) 1:51:53.6

2008 Beijing Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Female Medalists

Gold: Larisa Ilchenko (Russia) 1:59:27.7
Silver: Keri-Anne Payne (Great Britain) 1:59:29.2
Bronze: Cassandra Patten (Great Britain) 1:59:31.0

© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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