Moesha Johnson & Florian Wellbrock Take The Honours at Open Water World Cup in Somabay
Moesha Johnson and Florian Wellbrock won their respective 10k races at the first stop of the World Aquatics Open Water World Cup in Somabay, Egypt.
A 42-strong field took to the pontoon for the start of the women’s race which followed the men’s event in the turquoise waters of the Red Sea.
While Somabay has previously been contested in choppy water, on Friday low winds made for a flat course.
Johnson last year emerged as the dominant force in women’s open water, clinching the 5/10k double and sharing 3k sprint bronze with Bettina Fabian despite oppressively hot conditions at the Singapore worlds.
With two-time Olympic champion Sharon van Rouwendaal having retired, it appears the Australian has taken the mantle from the Dutchwoman.
She was marginally ahead of Ginevra Taddeucci approaching the latter stages in Somabay before she powered away to deliver a demonstration in open water swimming.
The Australian – who headed the sprint in 18:45.10 and clinched 1,000 USD in the process – hit the board in 1:58:26.10 leaving the field trailing in her wake.
Taddeucci, the 2025 overall champion, came home more than 48 seconds behind the Olympic silver medallist in 1:59:14.70.
Lea Boy of Germany was third in 1:59:23.30 followed by Maria da Valdes of Spain, Hungary’s Fabian and Lisa Pou of Monaco.
Wellbrock Wins Second Straight World Cup Opener
The men’s race had got the action underway as a 53-strong field took to the water. Wellbrock won the corresponding race last year and a little over four months later the German would go on claim an historic quadruple at the World Championships in Singapore.
On Friday, he went through the sprint lap first in 17:36.70 and with it 1,000 USD and a strong final lap saw him clinch victory in 1:50:59.50.
Dávid Betlehem, who won Olympic bronze at Paris 2024, arrived in Egypt on the back of a big block of training. The Hungarian had endured some sickness last week but he was second through the sprint in 17:38.30. He followed Wellbrock home to touch the board in 1:51:04.10.
Domenico Acerenza was 26th in the sprint, 15.5secs behind Wellbrock, but he made his way through the field to take third in 1:51:05.60.
“I had no idea what was possible today, so my coach told me to just finish the first round first, and take the sprint money,” Wellbrock said through World Aquatics. “And then I just tried to follow Kristóf Rasovszky and Sacha Velly because those are pretty strong guys.”
Wellbrock, coached by Bernd Berkhahn at Magdeburg, has just returned from altitude and had little idea of what to expect.
“I’m so happy with my result today because it’s my third time here in Egypt and my third gold,” he said. “It’s always pretty hard to make it on the podium, and especially on the top of the podium, so I’m totally happy.”
Marc-Antoine Olivier, who took time away from the water for two months from October to December last year and recently became a father, was fourth in 1:51:06.10.
Andrea Filadelli was fifth followed by teammates Marcello Guidi, Gregorio Paltrinieri and Dario Verani as Italians filled five of the top eight places.
Logan Fontaine, who won the overall World Cup crown, was one of two men who DNF.
The two-day event concludes on Saturday with the mixed team relay featuring the likes of Italy, Spain and Germany plus a neutral athletes quartet.