Open water swimming ace Sharon van Rouwendaal announces retirement
Dutch open water swimming powerhouse Sharon van Rouwendaal has announced her retirement from competition at the age of 31.
A two-time Olympic champion, she lit up the global marathon swimming scene for a whole decade, after making the transition from pool swimming.
One of the most successful athletes in the history of the discipline, she took eight European titles across four individual championships; her efforts culminating in a sensational 5km title at the European Aquatics Championships 2022 in Rome.
Her efforts throughout her career also won her three open water titles at the World Aquatics Championships, as well as a sole pool swimming gold medal in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay at the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Doha.
In total, she retires with 32 medals across both the pool and the open water – with her sprint-finish victory in Paris at the 2024 Olympic Games against a strong Moesha Johnson and Ginevra Taddeucci capping off what is now known to be her final race as a professional.
In a heartfelt social media post announcing her retirement, van Rouwendaal spoke of moving to France at the age of seven, devoting her life to swimming, and competing in her first World Championships in Shanghai in 2011.
Reflecting on that emotional win in Paris, she gave some insight in that post into what the occasion was like.
“On the morning of the Olympic race in Paris, I was sick. I vomited twice. The pressure was enormous.” She said.
“And once I was in the water, there was only one thought: I will, and I must, win. There was no other option. And I did. The most beautiful tribute I could give and the perfect end to my career.”
After initially taking a year out of the sport following that victory, her retirement announcement shed some light on what that time did for her outlook on the sport.
“My family, My Greatest strength. Their health has not always been the best, and that’s why I now choose for them. I choose to stop, so I can be with them every day.”
Looking ahead, she has spoken of her desire to continue in an ambassadorial capacity, and will begin work with European Aquatics to this end. Although out of the water, she will almost certainly stay within the aquatics realm for many years to come.
Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
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