Moesha Johnson’s Rise to the Top of the Open Water World Continues in Hong Kong World Cup

2024 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup – Hong Kong

• October 26-27, 2024
• Repulse Bay, Hong Kong
• Men’s & Women’s 10km Races, Plus 4×1.5km relay
• Results
• Standings After Hong Kong

Under pressure of an incoming typhoon that created very windy conditions in Hong Kong, the start of racing was moved up up an hour, and after about 2 hours and 20 minutes of racing, any remaining competitors (nine in the men’s field, 12 in the women’s field) were pulled in emergency abandonment and were ranked based on their position in the last official checkpoint.

In the women’s race, it was Australian Moesha Johnson who prevailed, while in the men’s race, Italy’s Dario Verani won in a nail-biter finish.

Women’s Race

Top 10:

1. Moesha Johnson, Australia – 2:06:38.10
2. Ginevra Taddeucci, Italy, +2.40
3. Lea Boy, Germany, +19.30
4. Jeanette Spiwoks, Germany, +32.50
5. Katie Grimes, USA, +37.70
6. Jacqueline Davison-McGovern, Australia, +37.80
7. Lisa Pou, Monaco, +38.80
8. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil, +39.10
9. Viviane Jungblut, Brazil, +1:32.20
10. Cibelle Jungblut, Brazil, +1:48.10

At the 2023 World Championships, Moesha Johnson didn’t qualify to represent Australia in the open water 10km race. A move to Germany to train with arguably the world’s best distance coach right now Bernd Berkhahn has netted spectacular results, winning an open water 10km silver medal at last summer’s Olympic Games and now her first career Open Water World Cup gold medal.

Johnson was patient throughout the race, preferring to le Monaco’s Lisa Pou and American teenager Katie Grimes set the pace for most of the race. Johnson sat off their hip for almost the entire race before a late burst pulled her to the win. Italian Ginevra Taddeuci, who also sat among a big lead pack for most of the race, went with her in the rush for the finish, but ultimately it was Johnson who touched the pad first.

American Katie Grimes, who won an Olympic bronze medal at the Paris Games in the pool, finished 5th in this race, fading 37 seconds behind late in the race after holding a two second lead heading into the last lap. She will head to the pool World Cup later this week in Singapore.

Each of the four stops of this year’s series so far have had a different winner. Leonie Beck, who was only 25th in this race, won the opener in Egypt; Ana Marcela Cunha won in Italy; and Lea Boy won in Portugal.

Prize money is given to the top 8 finishers at each meet in the individual races, and top three relays, with $350,000 in overall prize money to be awarded to the top 10 finishers of the whole series, presuming they race in at least 75% of the stops.

In this year’s series, points are also awarded for winning different sprint sections of the race.

Top 5 Standings Women – After Hong Kong

1. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil – 2350 points
2. Lea Boy, Germany – 1948 points
3. Viviane Jungblut, Brazil – 1900 points
4. Caroline Laure Jouisse, France – 1750 points
5. Fabian Bettina, Hungary – 1650 points
6. Ginevra, Italy – 1600 points
7. Leonie Beck, Germany – 1500 points
8. Moesha Johnson, Australia – 1150 points
9. Ines Delacroix, France – 1010 points
10. Jeannette Spiwoks, Germany – 1000 points

Men’s Race

Top 10:

1. Dario Verani, Italy – 1:57:39.20
2. Marcello Guidi, Italy – +0.60
3. Marc-Antoine Olivier, France – +9.50
4. Kyle Lee, Australia – +9.70
5. Andrea Filadelli, Italy – +13.10
6. Thomas Edward Raymond, Australia – +13.40
7. Dylan Gravley, USA – +15.90
8. Paul Niederberger, Switzerland – +25.40
9. Pasquale Sanzullo, Italy – +29.60
10. Paulo Strehlke Delgado, Mexico – +30.50

Thomas Raymond of Australia pushed the pace for most of the early race, leading halfway, but as conditions worsened in the back-half of the race, the lurking veterans in what was a pretty big lead pack made their moves.

That included 29-year-old Dario Verani of Italy, who was 22nd after the first lap, about 15 seconds behind Edwards. By the end of the 3rd lap, he had climbed all the way to 2nd, and ultimately it was he and his countrymate Marcello Guidi who roared to a photo finish.

The win for Verani was his first career individual gold on the circuit and 8th overall medal following bronze medals in Soma Bay and Setubal earlier in this year’s tour.

The win pushed Verani into 2nd in the tour standings ahead of his countrymate Guidi. France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier finished 3rd to maintain his overall series lead.

American 17-year-old Luke Ellis placed 18th, about 2 minutes and 24 seconds behind the leaders. Gabe Manteufel was 28th, about 10 minutes and 43 seconds back, while Josh Brown did not finish the race.

Top 10 Standings Men – After Hong Kong

1. Marc-Antoine Olivier, France – 2500 points
2. Dario Verani, Italy – 2350 points
3. Marcello Guidi, Italy – 2008 points
4. Andrea Filadelli, Italy – 2000 points
5. Kristof Rasovsky, Hungary – 1338 points
6. Pasquale Sanzullo, Italy – 1120 points
7. David Bethlehem, Hungary – 1050 points
8. Martin Straka, Czech Republic – 890 points
9. Domencio Acerenza, Italy – 800 points
10. Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy – 784 points

4×1500 Team Race

Top 10 Finishers:

1. Australian A (Moesha Johnson, Jacqueline Davison-McGovern, Thomas Edward Raymond, Kyle Lee) – 1:10:53.10
2. Brazil A – +9.10
3. USA – +30.80
4. Australia B – +1:19.50
5. China – +2:09.00
6. Brazil B – +4:29.60

Johnson, the women’s 10k champion, opened up an early lead for Australia, and the Dolphins led the race virtually wire-to-wire to pick up the win by a comfortable margin over Brazil and the United States.

Meanwhile, the Americans and Brazilians traded positions a few times in the race, with 17-year-old American Claire Weinstein swimming an 18:26 second leg for Team USA to pull by the legendary Ana Marcela Cunha (18:30).

Brazil’s Luiz Felipe Loureiro slashed that lead in half, and the Brazilians’ youngest, 18-year-old Leonard Brandt De Macedo, dropped a big split of 17:07 on the closing leg to lock up silver for Brazil.