The last time we reported on Yasu Fukuoka (née Hirai, @fortheloveofyasu) in the water, he has in the middle of the lead pack sprinting to the finish of the closest distance freestyle race in history.

What a battle that 2016 Rio Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Copacabana Beach was.

The speed and intensity of the top 12 men was off the charts. The closeness of the race may never be replicated. Between Ferry Weertman who won the gold medal and Ous Mellouli who finished in 12th place (who was coincidentally the 2012 Olympic 10K gold medalist), the gap was less than 7 seconds. Among the top 18 swimmers, less than 18 seconds separated the men.

2016 Rio Olympics 10K Marathon Swim Results

1. Ferry Weertman, Netherlands 1:52:59.8
2. Spyridon Gianniotis, Greece 1:52:59.8
3. Marc-Antoine Daniel Frede Olivier, France 1:53:02.0
4. Lijun Zu, China 1:53:02.0
5. Jordan Wilimovsky, USA 1:53:03.2
6. Simone Ruffini, Italy 1:53:03.5
7. Federico Vanelli, Italy 1:53:03.9
8. Yasunari Hirai, Japan 1:53:04.6
9. Christian Reichert, Germany 1:53:04.7
10. Chad Ho, South Africa 1:53:04.8
11. Evgenii Drattcev, Russia 1:53:04.8
12. Ous Mellouli, Tunisia 1:53:06.1
13. Mark Papp, Hungary 1:53:11.7
14. Ventsislav Aydaski, Bulgaria 1:53:16.1
15. Ivan Enderica Ochoa, Ecuador 1:53:16.2
16. Richard Weinberger, Canada 1:53:16.4
17. Allan Do Carmo, Brazil 1:53:16.4
18. Kane Rae Francis Radford, New Zealand 1:53:18.7
19. Richard Nagy, Slovakia 1:53:35.4
20. Jarrod Poort, Australia 1:53:40.7
21. Erwin Maldonado, Venezuela 1:54:33.6
22. Marwan Ahmed Aly Morsy Elamrawy, Egypt 1:59:17.2
23. DSQ Sean Ryan, USA
24. DSQ Vitaliy Khudyakov, Kazakhstan
25. DSQ Jack Burnell, Great Britain

Dial forward to 2024 and now Fukuoka runs the Yasu’s High Performance Swimming Squad at Sydney University in Australia and serves as a personable and popular ambassador for a number of clothing, wetsuit, and lifestyle brands. Fukuoka was also an invited motivational speaker at the 2024 Paris Olympics and leads discussions at screenings of The Pool (@thepoolfilm) together with fellow 2008 Beijing Olympics marathon swimmer Ky Hurst (@ky_hurst).

Director Ian Darling made this documentary film to “…illuminate unknown pockets of our world, that would open our eyes to the beauty of our own environment…that could highlight our yearning as social creatures for connection and a sense of community.”

The Pool centers around the Bondi Icebergs Baths, a landmark of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia for over 100 years. The 50m pool and club is home to the Bondi Icebergs Club where winter swimming has been taking place since 1929.

https://youtu.be/ApOHVTFF9W0

Darling describes the ambiance and activities of The Pool, “Bondi Icebergs is where generations of children have learnt to swim, where the diehard have braved the frigid waters of one hundred winters, where the young and beautiful have come to bond and bake in the hot sun, and where sightseers from around the world have taken refuge during the scorching heights of endless Australian summers. Icebergs is at once a meeting place, a resting place, a workout place and a place of romance and ritual. We come to understand that for those who seek it out, and return, it is a symbol of inclusivity, healing and resilience.”

Hurst and Fukuoka both profoundly understand that sense of community as they traveled the world, sometimes together, always as rivals in the water and genuine friends outside of it. They were fiercely intense athletes who trained in the pool for countless miles and competed in hundreds of professional marathon swims, ocean races, and surf lifesaving competitions. But they are always respectful and friendly with each other and others who sought Olympic glory.

For the elite athletes both understand that “everyone is equal in their swimsuits” as Darling is able to colorfully capture in The Pool.

The Pool is a film not to be missed by any seriously minded pool or open water swimmer.

For more information on the film, visit thepoolfilm.au.

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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

A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.