Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's marathon 10 kilometre

{{main|Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Qualification}}Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) was permitted to enter a maximum of two qualified athletes in the event. World Aquatics provided a qualification pathway to fulfil their quota of at least 22 competing athletes. Athletes were selected in the following order:{{cite web |title=Qualification System – Games of the XXXIII Olympiad – Marathon Swimming |url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Paris-2024/Paris2024-QS-FINA-MarathonSwimming.pdf |access-date=12 November 2022 |publisher=World Aquatics |archive-date=27 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127220813/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Paris-2024/Paris2024-QS-FINA-MarathonSwimming.pdf |url-status=live }}

• The three medalists in the 10 km races at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships
• The top thirteen swimmers in the 10 km races at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships
• One representative from each World Aquatics continent (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania){{Efn|If a continental place was not used, the slot was reallocated to the fastest unqualified swimmer at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.}}
• One representative from the host nation (France) if not qualified by other means{{Efn|If a French swimmer already qualified, their slot was reallocated to the fastest unqualified swimmer at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.}}

In addition to the athletes invited to fulfil the quota, any athletes who achieved the Olympic Qualification Time in either the 800 or 1500 metres freestyle were invited to compete.

Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil was the defending Olympic champion in the event, and she had won 16 open water swimming medals, including seven gold medals, at the World Championships. Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands was the defending Olympic silver medallist, and she won the event at the 2016 Olympics. Rouwendaal also won this event at the 2022 and 2024 World Championships.{{Cite web |last=Penland |first=Spencer |date=2024-08-07 |title=Paris 2024 Olympics OW Preview: Defending World and Olympic Champs Set for Women's 10k Battle |url=https://swimswam.com/paris-2024-olympics-ow-preview-defending-world-and-olympic-champs-set-for-womens-10k-battle/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240918223252/https://swimswam.com/paris-2024-olympics-ow-preview-defending-world-and-olympic-champs-set-for-womens-10k-battle/ |archive-date=2024-09-18 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}}

Germany's Leonie Beck won silver at the 2022 World Championships and gold at the 2023 World Championships,{{Cite web |title=Leonie Beck |url=https://www.olympics.com/en/athletes/leonie-antonia-beck |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=olympics.com |publisher=International Olympic Committee (IOC) |archive-date=15 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815003755/https://olympics.com/en/athletes/leonie-antonia-beck |url-status=live }} while the US' Katie Grimes won bronze at the 2023 World Championships and was a two time World Junior open water champion.

France spent €1.2–1.6 billion to clean up the Seine for the Olympic triathlons and open water swimming events,{{Efn|Sources give conflicting figures between 1.2 to 1.6 billion euros.{{Cite news |last=Omer |first=Nimo |date=2024-07-31 |title=Wednesday briefing: Where France’s €1.6bn plan to clean up the Seine for the Olympics went wrong |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/31/wednesday-briefing-first-edition-paris-olympics-river-seine |access-date=2025-04-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |last=Paris |first=Vivienne Walt / |date=2023-03-13 |title=Inside the Billion-Dollar Effort to Clean Up the Seine |url=https://time.com/6261729/seine-clean-up-paris-olympics-2024/ |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=TIME |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Lauzun |first=Hélène de |date=2024-07-22 |title=€1.4 Billion Down the Drain: Paris Spends Big To Make Seine Swimmable |url=https://europeanconservative.com/articles/commentary/e1-4-billion-down-the-drain-paris-spends-big-to-make-seine-swimmable/ |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=europeanconservative.com |language=en-US |archive-date=6 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206040146/https://europeanconservative.com/articles/commentary/e1-4-billion-down-the-drain-paris-spends-big-to-make-seine-swimmable/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2024-07-30 |title=France spent £1,200,000,000 to clean up the Seine - but why is it still dirty |url=https://metro.co.uk/2024/07/30/france-spent-1-200-000-000-clean-seine-still-dirty-21325654/ |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=Metro |language=en}}}} but heavy rain in the lead-up to the Olympics caused bacteria levels to increase.{{Cite news |last=Massy-Beresford |first=Helen |date=2024-08-02 |title=No, the Seine Cleanup Wasn’t a Failure |url=https://www.wired.com/story/no-the-seine-cleanup-wasnt-a-failure/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321034058/https://www.wired.com/story/no-the-seine-cleanup-wasnt-a-failure/ |archive-date=2025-03-21 |access-date=2025-04-04 |work=Wired magazine |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Emma |date=2024-08-06 |title=Paris 2024: Marathon swimming goes ahead after Seine concerns |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/c3ejj29exzjo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824144900/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/c3ejj29exzjo |archive-date=24 August 2024 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}} Earlier in the Olympics, two consecutive training sessions for the triathlons were cancelled,{{Cite web |last=Drury |first=Sam |date=2024-07-28 |title=Olympic triathlon: River Seine pollution forces scrapping of training |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/cn05nxv2z9po |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250315162702/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/cn05nxv2z9po |archive-date=2025-03-15 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}} and after the triathlon events took place a few of the competitors reported infections caused by E. coli—a bacteria that was being monitored in the Seine.{{Cite web |last=Keith |first=Braden |date=2024-08-07 |title=Open Water Swimmers Take to the Seine on Wednesday after Tuesday's Training Cancellation |url=https://swimswam.com/open-water-swimmers-take-to-the-seine-on-wednesday-after-tuesdays-training-cancellation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912111842/https://swimswam.com/open-water-swimmers-take-to-the-seine-on-wednesday-after-tuesdays-training-cancellation/ |archive-date=2024-09-12 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}} The Paris 2024 organisers later released a statement saying "Paris 2024 wishes to remind everyone that the health and wellbeing of athletes is our top priority".

A session in the river was scheduled to take place on August 6, when the athletes would practice and acclimatize to the river's conditions. However, it was cancelled hours beforehand due to high enterococci levels.{{Cite web |last=Keith |first=Braden |date=2024-08-06 |title=World Aquatics Cancels Seine Training Session; More Triathletes Register GI Illnesses |url=https://swimswam.com/world-aquatics-cancels-seine-training-session-more-triathletes-register-gi-illnesses/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909083558/https://swimswam.com/world-aquatics-cancels-seine-training-session-more-triathletes-register-gi-illnesses/ |archive-date=9 September 2024 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}} A day after, on August 7, the acclimatization session went ahead, and on August 8 the race took place.

The race consisted of six 1.67 kilometer loops between Pont Alexandre III and Pont de l’Alma. When travelling from Pont Alexandre III to Pont de l’Alma, the athletes were swimming downstream, but on the way back they were swimming upstream.{{Cite web |last=Lepesant |first=Anne |date=2024-08-08 |title=2024 Paris Olympics: Women's Marathon Swimming Live Results |url=https://swimswam.com/2024-paris-olympics-womens-marathon-swimming-live-results/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225165700/https://swimswam.com/2024-paris-olympics-womens-marathon-swimming-live-results/ |archive-date=25 December 2024 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}} After the men's race, Daniel Wiffen stated that he had to swim at a pace faster than approximately 1:12 per 100 metres to be able to swim forward against he current.{{Cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlazjJiAfO0 |title=Olympic Champion Dan Wiffen Breaks Down Epic Win in 800 Free |date=2024-08-15 |type=Video |publisher=SwimSwam |time=8:08.00 |access-date=4 April 2025 |archive-date=23 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240823125454/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlazjJiAfO0 |url-status=live }}

Australia's Moesha Johnson led for the downstream part of the first lap, from Pont Alexandre III to Pont de l’Alma, while the Italians Ginevra Taddeucci and Giulia Gabbrielleschi led upstream on the way back. Rouwendaal led for the entirety of lap two and maintained her position in the leading group that had formed over the third lap. Over the downstream portion of the fourth lap, Johnson, Rouwendaal, Taddeucci, Cunha and Australia's Chelsea Gubecka broke away from the front of the lead group, and during the upstream portion, Rouwendaal, Johnson and Taddeucci broke away from that group. The three leaders maintained their lead over the others for the rest of the race.

Going into the final upstream section on the sixth lap, Johnson led, followed by Rouwendaal and then Taddeucci. Rouwendaal overtook Johnson at the final buoy, and maintained her lead to the finish to win with a time of 2:03:34.2. Johnson finished in second with 2:03:39.7, Taddeucci finished third with 2:03:42.8 and Cunha finished fourth with 2:04:15.7.{{Cite news |last=Futterman |first=Matthew |date=2024-08-08 |title=Netherlands’ Sharon van Rouwendaal wins Olympic swimming marathon, dedicates gold to dead dog |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5688362/2024/08/08/olympic-marathon-swimming-van-rouwendaal/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240831041450/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5688362/2024/08/08/olympic-marathon-swimming-van-rouwendaal/ |archive-date=31 August 2024 |access-date=2025-04-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

The win gave Rouwendaal her second Olympic gold in the event, and she dedicated the win to her pet dog. In a report after the race, the Associated Press called her the greatest female open water swimmer ever. Rouwendaal expressed a lack of concern for the water quality issues, she drank some of it and said it was "cold" and "nice".{{Cite web |date=2024-08-08 |title=Casting aside concerns about the Seine, Sharon van Rouwendaal wins more Olympic gold in open water |url=https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-open-water-seine-51d3b62d2b2c0286fec331c46c898ad1 |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=AP News |language=en}}

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{{Footer Olympic Champions 10 km Marathon Women}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics - Women's marathon}}

Women's 10000 metre marathon

Olympics

Category:Women's events at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Category:2024 in women's swimming