Spaniard Carlos Garach is unable to finish the race
MADRID, 9 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky has been crowned Olympic champion in the 10-kilometre open water swimming event at the Paris Olympic Games, which Spaniard Carlos Garach was unable to finish when he retired with three laps to go.
In this way, Rasovszky, the current world champion, was able to improve on the silver medal won in Tokyo 2020 by crossing the finish line in 1:50:52.7 and led a podium on which he was accompanied by the German Oliver Klemet (1:50:54.8), silver, and the also Hungarian David Betlehem (1:51:09.0), bronze.
Meanwhile, the Granada native, who had already competed in the French capital in the pool in the 800-metre freestyle, the 4×200-metre freestyle relay and the 1,500-metre freestyle, was overwhelmed by the difficult conditions and retired after having already completed three and a half laps of the six that make up the event; he was in 27th position, second to last, 5:14 behind the leader.
The 20-year-old had previously completed the first lap in 13th place, 39 seconds behind the men leading the race, but in the second he dropped to 26th, 39 seconds behind Rasovszky, who was already more than four minutes ahead of the Spaniard by the third lap. His problems maintaining contact with his head forced him to retire.
As in the women’s event on Thursday, the strong current of the Seine, which has been in the spotlight throughout the Games for the quality of its water, forced the swimmers to line up along the river’s side wall. From the start, Rasovszky, the Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri, silver in the 1,500 freestyle and bronze in the 800 at Paris 2024, and the German Florian Wellbrock, gold in Tokyo, stood out at the front.
They were joined before the halfway point by fellow Italian Domenico Acerenza, and Betlehem and Klemet also showed their intentions with just over three kilometres to go. With just under two kilometres remaining, Rasovszky delivered the final blow, although he still had to defend himself from Klemet in the final metres.