The Seine hosted one of the final marathon swimming events on 7 August, and it wasn’t the quality of the water that worried competitors, but the strong current. In the presence of Prince Albert II, Princess Alexandra of Hanover and her boyfriend Ben-Sylvester Strautmann, the women’s 10 km swimming marathon was not a smooth ride. Two hours of swimming in the Seine, half of which was against strong currents with a flow rate three times higher than normal. The 1.67 km loop between the Alexandre-III and Alma bridges had to be done six times and proved to be very difficult. The very strong current forced the swimmers to make intense efforts as they headed upstream to reach the buoys on the course. The Olympic athletes tried to stick to the banks to try to avoid the currents.
“A complicated race”
In the end, Sharon van Rouwendaal from the Netherlands won (2h03:34.2) ahead of the Australia’s Moesha Johnson (2h03:39.7) and the Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci (2h03:42.8). Monegasque Lisa Pou finished 18th (2h07:05.4).
“I wasn’t 100% physically, it’s true. But I still felt pretty good. The race did not go well. It was survival, from start to finish. I am very disappointed with my result,” said Lisa Pou, “….Finding myself with such a gap compared to first place is not normal.”
According to Michel Pou, her trainer and father, “The race was complicated. You had to have big arms. We had to not struggle with the current and cope when going upstream. Even the Olympic champion was trapped.”
Coming in 18th place (she came in 9th at the last world championships) has left 25-year-old Lisa Pou with feelings of frustration, but she will continue forward with optimism. “I must move forward again. These Paris Games are not an end in themselves. This will cheer me up for the future. I hope to come back even stronger next year,” she said.
Full results
The six Monegasque athletes experienced frustration, joy and hope during these Paris 2024 Games. Some had their first taste of the Olympics, others had cut their teeth in Tokyo.
Winner of the single scull D final, rower Quentin Antognelli (29 years old) finished 19th. In Tokyo, he finished 15th. In Paris, however, the level of the competition was much higher.
The biggest surprise of these Games was Xiaoxin Yang’s defeat during her first match. 10th in the Olympic ranking and 15th in the world ranking, the table tennis player (36 years old) lost against Hana Matelova (2-4). Silver medalist at the European Games in Krakow in 2023, she will have to quickly turn the page to bounce back as best as possible.
Théo Druenne (19 years old) did his best, after a few difficult weeks, with a time of 8:25.01 in the 800 metre freestyle. Happiness was in the air at the Stade de France for sprinter Marie-Charlotte Gastaud, who beat her personal best in the 100 metre (12.41) coming in 6th in her series. Finally, judoka Marvin Gadeau (23 years old) lost to Cuba’s Granda (5th in the world, 2022 world champion).
“Our athletes have brought honour to the Principality,” – Prince Albert II
“Of course, we would have liked to see other results, not to mention medals. We thought we were going to be ranked a little better, but that’s sport,” said Prince Albert II, five-time Olympian from 1988 to 2002.
“The Olympic Games are a unique competition that goes well beyond sport. It’s quite unique. You must be able and know how to adapt to different racing conditions. We were able to see this for example with Lisa Pou, on the very difficult 10 km swimming marathon….But I am very proud of our participation overall. Our athletes have brought honour to the Principality. This experience will also allow them to better prepare if they want to take part in other major competitions and other Games,” said Prince Albert II.
Now, all eyes are already on Los Angeles 2028.
Prince Albert II signs the peace wall in the Olympic Village
During his visit to the Olympic Village, Prince Albert II had the opportunity to sign the peace wall, as did the members of the Monegasque delegation. This strong act of solidarity which brings together athletes of different nationalities and cultures, including the American-Palestinian swimmer Valérie Tarazi and the Israeli footballer Niv Yehoshua, is a symbolic and hopeful moment.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, highlighted the essential role of athletes as ambassadors of peace. He called for unity and cooperation to promote a message of peace around the world. In these troubled times, marked by tensions and conflicts, the voice of sportspeople resonates as a call for harmony and mutual understanding.
