2025 aQuellé Midmar Mile
- February 6th – February 9th
- KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Open Water
- Meet Site
The 52nd edition of the aQuellé Midmar Mile is headed to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa with a significant competitor signed up for the prestigious 1.6k open water event.
Sharon van Rouwendaal, the two-time Olympic open water swimming champion from the Netherlands, has confirmed her participation at the competition slated for February 6th – February 9th.
31-year-old van Rouwendaal topped the women’s 10k swim at the 2016 Olympic Games, earned silver in the event in Tokyo at the postponed 2020 Games and upgraded to gold once again at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Van Rouwendaal was the Midmar Mile champion in 2023 but opted out last year. She points to her experience 2 years ago as motivation to return to the international race.
“I did the Midmar and I saw what a huge event it was so it made me say: ‘OK, I’m definitely coming back, this is definitely something I want to participate in again and be part of again,” she explained.
“The experience was really special, also because when you run out [at the finish] the vibes were incredible, everybody’s cheering you on.
“I think it feels like a family event… somehow everybody wants to participate and that’s why it’s such a big event because it feels like coming together.”
“Those are the people you will always remember talking to,” she said. “That he’s so positive, he did the Midmar, so I hope to see people like that again… It had a big impact on me that this man was so positive and wanted to swim.”
Van Rouwendaal will also be leading open water swimming clinics where she is excited to pass on the valuable skills which has led to her own success.
“Lately there are a lot of people who want to improve in open water and they ask me about stroke correction, so I try and improve their technique.
“In open water it’s very important to do good buoy turns, and how you do your sighting, where do you look, how do you lift your head up, when do you lift your head up, and then there’s a big part of drafting… so that’s the stuff I teach.”
Quotes courtesy of Midmar Mile organizers.
