Hector Pardoe Clinches Sixth as Kristof Rasovszky Triumphs in Paris
Great Britain's Hector Pardoe achieved a sixth-place finish in the men's 10km open water swimming marathon held in the River Seine, Swim Wales reported. The race saw Hungary's Kristof Rasovszky secure gold with a time of 1 hour, 50 minutes, and 52 seconds, closely followed by Germany's Oliver Klemet and Hungary's David Betlehem, who took silver and bronze respectively.
Pardoe, a Welsh athlete who won bronze at the World Championships last year, entered the race looking to overcome past challenges. He was previously forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Games after his goggles split during the final lap. Starting amid a crowd of swimmers, Pardoe crossed the first lap in 14th place but worked his way into the top 10 by mid-race. Despite his strong effort, almost a minute behind the leaders, he finished sixth in a photo finish with France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier.
Hungary’s Rasovszky, the runner-up at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, led the race from the beginning, not wavering even when challenged by Germany’s Florian Wellbrock or Oliver Klemet, who remained his closest competitor during the final lap. In a sprint towards the finish, Rasovszky managed to hold off Klemet, while Betlehem ensured two Hungarians stood on the podium.
Elsewhere, the competition saw Tobias Robinson of Great Britain finishing 14th and Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, a two-time medalist in the pool events at these Games, placing 18th in his open water debut. Wiffen, who earned gold in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m freestyle, completed the race within two hours without having undertaken extra open water training, highlighting his flexibility and perseverance.
Reflecting on the race and the cleaned-up Seine as the competition's backdrop, Pardoe commented: "There was a lot of negativity about the Seine before the Olympics, but they have made significant efforts. Spending £1.2 billion on this clean-up project is commendable. This could be Paris 2024’s legacy, setting a precedent for other European nations to clean their rivers, and I hope the UK can follow suit."
This race, the last Olympic event scheduled in the Seine, had its share of concerns due to the river’s water quality. Heavier rain contributed to elevated E.coli levels, resulting in several canceled training sessions and delaying the men's triathlon. Additionally, the Belgian team withdrew from the mixed relay event after illness befell one of their athletes post-competition.
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