Rouwendaal Wins Emotional Marathon With Dedication

Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands achieved gold in the women's 10km marathon swim at the Paris Olympics, dedicating her victory to her late pet dog, Rio, who passed away in May, BBC reported.

Van Rouwendaal, who timed 2 hours 3 minutes 34.2 seconds, expressed deep emotions over her dog's death, describing him as her "little baby" and revealing that she ceased caring about swimming for three weeks following his passing.

Her triumphant performance saw her outpace Australia’s Moesha Johnson in the final lap, erasing the disappointment of narrowly missing gold in Tokyo by 0.9 seconds. Emerging from the River Seine, she honored Rio by pointing and kissing a tattoo of his paw print on her wrist. Van Rouwendaal, a champion in Rio 2016, and a silver medallist in Tokyo, aimed to swim wholeheartedly in Rio's memory and succeeded.

The marathon swim unfolded against the iconic backdrop of the Eiffel Tower after water quality in the River Seine was confirmed safe following earlier pollution concerns. Although pollution caused disruptions to some events, including triathlon training and men’s triathlon, the 10km race preparations eventually proceeded, providing a visually stunning competition setting.

Post-race, Johnson, who finished 5.5 seconds later to take the silver, and Ginevra Taddeucci from Italy who secured bronze, acknowledged the tactical challenges and was ultimately satisfied with her efforts. She described the competitive dynamics under the Pont des Invalides bridge, stressing the strategic nature of the swim.

Despite the initial worries about Seine's pollution levels, Van Rouwendaal's poignant dedication and triumph merged personal resilience with Olympic glory, symbolizing her undeterred passion for swimming, galvanized uniquely by her bond with Rio.

Earlier, SSP reported that Emilio Gay was Set to Join Durham from Northamptonshire.