The decision made 24 hours before the start of the Olympic 10km Marathon Swim in the River Seine was a telling factor in Gold Coast girl Moesha Johnson’s hard fought silver medal in an open water race like no other in Paris yesterday.
The 26-year-old became Australia’s oldest Olympic swimming debutant to win a medal when she touched the finish pad 5.5 seconds behind her European-based training partner Sharon Van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands with Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci third.
A brave and courageous swim by Johnson who tamed everything the Seine conjured up to win a second medal for Australia in the Olympic marathon event, following its first open water medal, a bronze to Kareena Lee in Tokyo 2020.
A third medal for the experienced Van Rouwendaal, the most by any open water swimmer since the event was first swum in Beijing in 2008, adding to her gold in Rio in 2016 and silver in Tokyo 2020.
And further success for Swimming Queensland clubs and development and for the Griffith University club, boosting the overall Australian swimming team medal tally to eight gold, eight silver and three bronze – every individual medal won by swimmers from Queensland clubs along with the majority of the relay medals as well.
Van Rouwendaal (2:03:34.2) out-foxing Johnson (2:03:39.7) with a quick-thinking tactical move to overtake the Australian girl in the closing stage with Taddeucci (2:03:42.8) close behind for the bronze.
Australia’s two-time Olympian Chelsea Gubecka from Yeronga Park battled on bravely after sitting comfortably during the first half of the race and despite suffering a hand injury early, hanging in to finish 14th.
Johnson later revealing that the decision to brave the Seine for a practice swim the day before competition could well have proved the difference between winning a medal and not.
“We were lucky enough to have a practice swim the day before and interesting enough a lot of the girls chose not to swim it,” said Johnson.
“I’m guessing maybe because of the water quality but I’m not really sure…. but the Australian Olympic Committee provided us with great medical advice and the best care for that.
“So, we were confident to get in and Sharon and myself we were out testing the course and testing the current and that is something that really paid off.
“For her she passed me under the bridge, and I know it was something she was working on and that really paid off for her.
“(Having the practice swim paid off for) myself as well…and we were really able to direct the race how we wanted it to.
“The challenge of the river itself was a huge factor compared to the previous races we’ve done over 18 months - this is the most unique one, which we all saw today.
“Normally we swim in a big group of girls, but this was single file and coming into the last lap we could see the TV screens and we could see we had broken away…I knew then I’d secured a medal…it was then about what colour it was going to be….”
The marathon began at 7:30 am local time, with competitors diving off a pontoon near the iconic Alexandre III bridge. The course, a six x 1.67km loop between the Alexandre III and Pont de l'Alma bridges.
A demanding six gruelling laps, a mixture of upstream and downstream and a huge win for the open water swimming purists who have been waiting since 2008 for such a race.
Johnson took an early lead, setting a fierce pace. By the halfway mark, she had firmly positioned herself at the front, but the seasoned Van Rouwendaal was biding her time.
As the race wore on, Johnson, Van Rouwendaal, and Italy’s Taddeucci broke clear of the pack on the fifth lap, forging a gap of more than 30 seconds. This leading trio knew they were in medal contention, but the battle for gold was far from decided. The down-river segments providing brief respite with the current’s assistance, but the return legs upstream were a true test of endurance.
Johnson held on to the lead downstream during the fourth lap, but Van Rouwendaal struck at the opportune moment, waiting until the final upstream leg. The defining moment coming as she expertly navigated around a pylon at the Pont des Invalides. With a burst of speed, the Dutchwoman surged ahead of Johnson, taking control of the race.
As the race approached its climax, Van Rouwendaal's lead grew more secure, touching a mere 5.5 seconds ahead of Johnson.
“I know my strengths as an athlete and in that race I knew my strengths; I really pushed the pace along at the start and I knew a lot of those girls were struggling to keep up,” said Johnson.
“It was special today and in unusual circumstances because I knew I was going to get a medal but thinking ‘ok the race isn’t done yet’ you have to fight to the finish line.
“We train for this and in training we have practiced this time and time again; come the last 100 metres, you have to fight right till the end.
“And To swim up and down the river Seine with the crowd right there cheering us on was such a good thing for our sport….”
Johnson and Van Rouwendaal share the same coach, German National coach Bernd Berkhahn and the two have trained together extensively, pushing each other through thick and thin.
“Sharon and I are best friends, we’ve gone through a lot together,” Johnson said after the race. “Training is not always easy. We held each other accountable and pushed each other... It’s so special to have a friend like that.”
Moesha Johnson’s Road To Paris
Photos Courtesy Swimming Australia and Wade Brennan
