Florian Wellbrock & Moesha Johnson Enjoy Victory At World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup
Florian Wellbrock and Moesha Johnson claimed the 10k spoils at the opening leg of the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Somabay, Egypt.
The event in the Red Sea was the first of five stops on the 2025 edition with Marc-Antoine Olivier and Ana Cunha returning to the water after being crowned overall champions following the 2024 cup finale in Neom, Saudi Arabia.
Wellbrock touched the board first for the second time in as many races following victory in Saudi Arabia which had been his first race since finishing eighth in the 10k at Paris 2024, the German returning to fine form in the open water.
The Tokyo Olympic champion battled strong offshore winds at the season-opener to surge home in the final chute in 2:01:33.60 and with that he also confirmed his spot at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore.
He was well ahead of French duo Logan Fontaine (2:01:44.10) and Olivier (2:01:44.40) as the former headed a tight chasing pack.
Nicholas Sloman of Australia missed the podium by 0.90secs in 2:01:45.30 with world and European junior champion Sacha Velly of France rounding out the top five in 2:01:45.60.
Wellbrock said through World Aquatics: “Conditions were tough. Normally, I don’t like the choppy water, but I tried to save a lot of energy in the first half of the race. The French guys, they pushed a lot, especially on the fifth lap. I stayed behind them and just focused on the last lap, where I wanted to push forward to finish first. I’m a little bit excited about my result. I told you it’s not my favourite conditions, so that makes me so happy with my first place today.”
Wellbrock – with six world titles across pool and open water – will next travel to Sierra Nevada in Spain for a training camp, his first in 2025.
Of his return to the type of form that prompted Fontaine to describe him as “unbeatable,” he added: “I had a good rest after the Olympics. I rested for two-and-a-half months, then started with my new season in mid-October. Of course, the Olympics wasn’t the event that I was working for and hoping for. But this is life. It’s not possible to stay on the top level every year, again and again. I’ve been at the top level since 2018. 2024 was my first year without an international title or something. So maybe I’m back; I don’t know. But I’m enjoying Egypt, so I’m really happy.”
Johnson picked up where she left off in 2024 with the Australian now winning three straight races in Hong Kong, Neom and now Somabay.
She has enjoyed a superb 12 months which started with team gold at the 2024 World Championships in Doha before claiming Olympic silver behind Sharon van Rouwendaal in Paris.
The 27-year-old booked her place at the Singapore worlds in July with victory at the Australian Open Water Championships last month.
On Friday, she pulled away from Paris bronze medallist Ginevra Taddeucci down the finishing chute as she touched the panel in 2:06:34.60.
Taddeucci, who was third in the overall standings last year, was exactly three seconds behind in 2:06:37.60 with Chelsea Gubecka making it an Australia 1-3 in 2:06:51.00.
Isabel Gose is best known for competing in the distance events in the pool in which she won Olympic 1500 free bronze, months after a silver and two bronzes at the Doha worlds. In Somabay, she finished just one place off the podium in 2:08:35.90 with Angela Martinez Guillen 0.10 behind in 2:08:36.00.
Ana Cunha, who won the overall women’s title in 2024, was 17th in 2:09:08.70.
