Velly’s historic gold headlines dominant European display at Golfo Aranci Open Water Swimming World Cup

European athletes produced another commanding weekend of open water racing at the third leg of the 2026 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Golfo Aranci, with France’s Sacha Velly claiming the standout result of the meet by winning his first ever 10km World Cup title.

Building on the momentum generated at the second stop in Ibiza last weekend, where European swimmers had dominated the podium positions, the continent’s athletes arrived in Sardinia in fine form and delivered comprehensively across both days of competition.

The men’s 10km on Friday morning produced one of the weekend’s most memorable moments as Velly finally converted his consistent top-end performances into outright victory on the World Cup circuit. The 21-year-old, who had won silver at the previous stop in Ibiza, timed his race to perfection, resisting the temptation to overcommit early and instead striking decisively in the final kilometre.

He was engaged in an intense three-way battle for the medals alongside compatriot Marc-Antoine Olivier and Italy’s Andrea Filadelli, and they came into the funnel stroke-for-stroke. It came down to timing of the touch, and Velly’s half-stroke proved decisive as he took the victory, much to his visible delight.

Olivier finished just 0.2 seconds behind, with Filadelli half a second further back still.

Olivier, who has 23 World Cup medals to his name, took silver, extending a remarkable record that has kept him among the world’s elite for over a decade. Italy’s Andrea Filadelli, racing in front of his home crowd, matched his bronze medal from Ibiza to take third, with compatriot Ivan Giovannoni achieving his best-ever individual World Cup result in fourth.

Great Britain’s Hector Pardoe delivered a fine fifth-place finish, with France’s Logan Fontaine sixth. Hungary’s reigning Olympic champion in the event Kristof Rasovszky took eighth, and Germany’s Oliver Klemet rounded out the European representation in tenth.

The women’s 10km brought another excellent set of European results, with Spain’s Angela Martinez Guillen claiming silver after a composed and tactically astute performance, finishing 25 seconds behind winner Moesha Johnson of Australia, who herself has emerged as the standout performer in the discipline.

France’s Caroline Laure Jouisse returned to the podium in third, edging out Germany’s Lea Boy in fourth by just 1.4 seconds in a tightly bunched finish that saw a handful of athletes finish within the medals.

Monaco’s Lisa Pou, building on her fourth-place result in Ibiza, crossed in fifth. Hungary’s Bettina Fabian followed in eighth, while Spain’s Maria de Valdes completed the European representation in the top ten in tenth place.

Saturday’s Mixed 4x1500m Relay produced a thrilling opening to the day with Italy edging France by a single second to claim gold. Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy’s most decorated open water swimmer, anchored the winning quartet alongside Giulia Berton, Ginevra Taddeucci, and Filadelli, executing a characteristic surge to pass Olivier on the final lap and hold on for victory.

France were left to settle for silver in a result that nonetheless confirmed their credentials as one of the continent’s strongest relay nations. The line-up of Jouisse, Velly, Clemence Coccordano, and Olivier – almost identical to the side that won this event in 2025 – held their nerve throughout a competitive contest.

A second Italian team, comprising Elena Tortora, Alessia Ossoli, Marcello Guidi, and Giovannoni, finished fourth, with Spain just a split-second behind in fifth.

Hungary’s David Betlehem closed out the weekend in the most fitting fashion possible, winning the Men’s 3km Knockout Sprint to add to his double from Ibiza as he continued to stake his claim as the discipline’s foremost sprint specialist.

It proved to be his fifth World Cup medal in the knockout sprint format since the event’s introduction, and his second win in Golfo Aranci, having claimed victory at the same venue last year.

Paltrinieri, fresh from anchoring Italy to relay gold earlier in the day, continued in Rolls-Royce-like fashion by adding a sprint bronze to his collection. Germany’s Oliver Klemet finished fourth, with Italy providing further finalists through Filadelli in fifth, Guidi in sixth, and Davide Marchello in ninth.

The Women’s 3km Knockout Sprint brought the weekend to a thrilling conclusion and delivered two milestone performances from European athletes.

Germany’s Isabel Gose continued her surge to prominence on the open water circuit as she took her first individual World Cup medal by taking silver, just over a second behind Johnson. The result was especially meaningful for Gose, who has made the transition from pool to open water alongside her training partner Johnson.

Spain’s Paula Otero Fernandez, 22, looked thrilled with her result as she came in for bronze with clear water between her and Boy in fourth. She held firm as Gose and Johnson edged clear on the final lap, swimming with composure and conviction to secure the podium place. Fabian placed seventh, with Guillen eighth and Italy’s Rebecca Rimoldi tenth.

The overall standings heading into the final stop in Setúbal, Portugal (June 20–21) make for compelling reading from a European perspective. In the men’s rankings, Marc-Antoine Olivier and Andrea Filadelli share the lead on 1,700 points, with Velly close behind on 1,660 and Betlehem fourth on 1,630, meaning four European athletes are all in realistic contention for the overall title.

In the women’s standings, Spain’s Angela Martinez Guillen sits second with 1,750 points, while Germany’s Lea Boy is third on 1,550, both firmly in the hunt as the season reaches its climax.

Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics

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