Gold on the long haul – – 2024-03-06 23:36:45

Swimming World Cup

Written by David Garai

Kristóf Rasovszky wins the second world title of his career in the 10 km open water swimming in Doha.

The 26-year-old Hungarian had previously swum gold in the 5 km open water swimming event in Gwangju in 2019. In Doha, 79 athletes fought to qualify for the Olympic Games. Although the temperatures were pleasant, the strong wind caused high waves and made conditions difficult.

After an excellent start, Rasovszky took the lead early on. It was only 2-3 km before the finish that his competitors managed to catch up with him and even leave him behind. In the last kilometer, however, the Hungarian started to sprint and took back the lead.

With the world championship title, Rasovszky replaces the German Florian Wellbrock, who finished 25 seconds faster in Fukuoka in 2021. He also secured Hungary’s first medal at the World Swimming Championships in Doha.

Dávid Bethlehem, six years his junior, also achieved a fantastic performance and secured an Olympic quota with 6th place. He stayed in the top ten over the entire 10 km distance and narrowly missed out on bronze.