World bronze medallist Hector Pardoe secured an impressive sixth-place finish in the men’s 10km marathon swimming at his second Olympics.
On the second day of open water action, Pardoe held a top ten position from the second lap, kicking on in the final two kilometres to move from eighth to sixth and finishing in a time of 1:51:50.8, 58 seconds behind gold medallist Kristof Rasovszky.
The 23-year-old was forced to pull out of competition at Tokyo 2020 after being elbowed by another swimmer and momentarily losing vision in one eye. Out for redemption in Paris, Pardoe finished above Tokyo gold medallist Florian Wellbrock and 1500m European record holder Gregorio Paltrinieri.
“I’m not sure what the initial emotions are, but I’ll dwell on it and see how I feel,” Pardoe said. “I thought there was a medal there but it’s an improvement from Tokyo.
After nearly two hours of racing in the Seine, Hector Pardoe crosses the line in an impressive sixth position in the marathon swimming final!
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 9, 2024
Fellow Brit Toby Robinson finishes in 14th. #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/4ZEkoamHjp
“It felt like I just swam for an hour and 40 minutes into a treadmill – it was a good race and an amazing experience to race on such an iconic course.
“My partner is French so I’ll probably be coming to Paris for the rest of my life, so I will remember this swim. It’s so iconic.”
Team GB compatriot Toby Robinson came 14th after a strong performance in the River Seine that saw him cross the line in 1:56:43.0.
In the women’s race, Leah Crisp finished 20th on Olympic debut with a time of 2:07:46.7 as Rio 2016 champion Sharon van Rouwendaal claimed the top spot four minutes and 12 seconds earlier.
When your French other half's family have their British and Welsh flags up for you in Paris ❤️ @hector_pardoe#BBCOlympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/42gRsmxI5I
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) August 9, 2024
The 22-year-old earned Paris 2024 qualification less than a year after her first senior open water race and is taking the positives from her first Olympic experience.
“It was a really tough race,” Crisp said. “I really gave my all to get to the end there, especially against the current.
“I’m slightly disappointed in the result, I’d like to have placed higher in the race.
“But I’m proud of the journey I’ve taken, being quite new in the open water, just to get to the start line today. So, for me, it’s just the beginning.
“It was a really amazing location. A few times looking up you could see the Eiffel Tower in the background, and I thought, ‘wow this is a really amazing place for a race’.”
Sportsbeat 2024