Florian Wellbrock's sometimes training partner back home in Magdeburg, Moesha Johnson took the women's 10km title, and the German visitor took the men's after claiming three golds in Open Water at the Paris 2024 European Championships in Paris, hopping on a jet and testing the waters out in that part of the world where the 2028 Olympics will unfold two northern summers from now.

Swimming Australia takes up the story. In the men’s 10km race, Germany’s multiple world champion Florian Wellbrock made his last minute flight to Los Angeles worthwhile, claiming gold.

Wellbrock was never not in control, stopping the clock in 1:49.51, seven seconds ahead of the field. Mexico’s Paulo Strelhke Delgado made a solid move with about 300 metres to touch second, Italy’s Dario Verani was third in 1:50.01.

There were few instances where Wellbrock wasn’t in the lead, and he came off the pace briefly on the fourth lap for Dolphin Nick Sloman to take the lead.

Sloman and Brazil’s Matheus Mellechi then skipped the feed zone on Lap 5 to maintain the lead before Wellbrock took over. Wellbrock then remained in control when Sloman took an inside line on the final lap in a bid to introduce chaos.

It was a 12-man group in the lead pack at 400 meters and Wellbrock and Sloman were out front until the German put the foot down coming around the last buoy.

The German put on the afterburners for Sloman to slip to ninth (1:50.10) while rookie Euan Linley (1:52.36) fought his way to 14^th.