Dutch Van Rouwendaal clinches open water 10km world title

DOHA - Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands showcased her prowess in open water swimming at the World Aquatics Championships, securing the gold medal and a coveted spot for the Paris Olympics in the women's 10km event on Saturday.

The Dutchwoman previously clinched Olympic gold in Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo 2020, finishing ahead of Spain's Maria de Valdes with one hour 57 minutes and 26.80 seconds, while Angelica Andre of Portugal claimed a bronze medal.

Van Rouwendaal finished fourth at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, narrowly missing the podium and automatic Olympic qualification by a mere 0.10 seconds. Despite battling pre-race nerves, the swimmer had the feeling before the final that she could win.

"I had trained well and felt very confident the last few days. I knew I could win, and I certainly didn't come just for that Olympic ticket," said the 30-year-old.

The artistic swimming women's solo technical final witnessed a spectacular performance from Greece's Evangelia Platanioti, who secured the gold medal with 272.9633 points.

Jacqueline Simoneau of Canada claimed silver, finishing 3.6866-point shy of Platanioti. China's Xu Huiyan earned the bronze medal with 262.3700 points.

In the men's diving 1m springboard, Mexico's Osmar Olvera Ibarra won with 431.75 points, Australia's Li Shixin and Ross Haslam of Britain claimed silver and bronze, respectively.