Sharon Van Rouwendaal, Swift Savvy In Swim The Swan
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Like Andrew Gemmell, her male counterpart on top of the podium at Australia’s 10 km Swim the Swan, Sharon van Rouwendaal has been showing her speed, savvy and stamina wherever she competes in the elite open water swimming world.
She made real believers of her rapid rise and future potential at last week’s BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series Open Water Challenge in Perth’s Swan River. She confidently out-sprinted and out-dueled a pair of Olympic silver medalists (British Keri-Anne Payne and American Haley Anderson) and took down the best that America, Australia, France, Britain, and Japan has to offer.
Like Gemmell, van Rouwendaal will be looking to secure her Olympic berth at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim qualifying race in Kazan, Russia this coming July – and to continue onwards to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
And despite the inherent unpredictability of competitive open water swimming among the elite women, the Dutch star seems like a very safe bet to continue to shine.
Results of the women’s 10 km Swim the Swan Elite Open Division:
1. Sharon van Rouwendaal 2:01:28.10 (NED) 12:08 min/km (AUS$17,000)
2. Keri-Anne Payne 2:02:06.50 (GBR) 12:12 min/km (AUS$8,000)
3. Rebecca Mann 2:02:08.30 (USA) 12:12 min/km (AUS$6,000)
4. Haley Anderson 2:02:10.10 (USA) 12:13 min/km (AUS$4,000)
5. Christine Jennings 2:02:11.40 (USA) 12:13 min/km (AUS$2,000)
6. Eva Fabian 2:02:12.00 (USA) 12:13 min/km
7. Melissa Gorman 2:02:13.20 (AUS) 12:13 min/km
8. Aurelie Muller 2:02:20.20 (FRA) 12:14 min/km
9. Chelsea Gubecka 2:02:23.00 (AUS) 12:14 min/km
10. Kareena Lee 2:02:33.30 (AUS) 12:15 min/km
11. Danielle Huskisson 2:02:36.90 (GBR) 12:15 min/km
12. Yumi Kida 2:02:46.00 (JPN) 12:16 min/km
13. Charlotte Webby 2:02:48.40 (NZL) 12:16 min/km
14. Heidi Gan 2:02:52.00 (MAS) 12:17 min/km
15. Sacha Downing 2:04:00.50 (AUS) 12:24 min/km
16. Jessica Walker 2:04:09.50 (AUS) 12:24 min/km
17. Sarah Thompson 2:04:10.10 (AUS) 12:25 min/km
18. Alice Dearing 2:04:47.50 (GBR) 12:28 min/km
19. Tristin Baxter 2:04:49.40 (USA) 12:28 min/km
20. Miki Asayama 2:05:45.80 (JPN) 12:34 min/km
21. Okubo Nao 2:05:45.80 (JPN) 12:34 min/km
22. Yura Taniguchi 2:05:50.00 (JPN) 12:35 min/km
23. Samantha Watts 2:05:59.40 (AUS) 12:35 min/km
24. Zoe Elkerton 2:07:33.60 (AUS) 12:45 min/km
25. Victoria Mock 2:07:39.50 (CAN) 12:45 min/km
26. Lachlan Tassell 2:08:34.20 (AUS) 12:51 min/km
27. Yoshioka Risa 2:08:40.80 (JPN) 12:52 min/km
28. Savannah King 2:09:27.70 (CAN) 12:56 min/km
29. Alessandra Colombini 2:10:18.00 (AUS) 13:01 min/km
30. Penelope Hayes 2:10:46.50 (NZL) 13:04 min/km
31. Kaoru Yamanaka 2:11:47.30 (JPN) 13:10 min/km
32. Alice Whiley 2:13:08.10 (AUS) 13:18 min/km
33. Suzanne Ryan 2:13:34.60 (AUS) 13:21 min/km
34. Bianca Crisp 2:15:27.60 (AUS) 13:32 min/km
35. Miho Nakayama 2:15:27.80 (JPN) 13:32 min/km
36. Bridget Maher 2:15:55.70 (NZL) 13:35 min/km
37. Nerice Smith 2:17:54.80 (AUS) 13:47 min/km
38. Jessica Errington 2:18:56.80 (AUS) 13:53 min/km
39. Caitlyn James 2:25:50.10 (AUS) 14:35 min/km
40. Chloe Gwynne 2:30:37.30 (AUS) 15:03 min/km
Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association 
Like Andrew Gemmell, her male counterpart on top of the podium at Australia’s 10 km Swim the Swan, Sharon van Rouwendaal has been showing her speed, savvy and stamina wherever she competes in the elite open water swimming world.
She made real believers of her rapid rise and future potential at last week’s BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series Open Water Challenge in Perth’s Swan River. She confidently out-sprinted and out-dueled a pair of Olympic silver medalists (British Keri-Anne Payne and American Haley Anderson) and took down the best that America, Australia, France, Britain, and Japan has to offer.
Like Gemmell, van Rouwendaal will be looking to secure her Olympic berth at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim qualifying race in Kazan, Russia this coming July – and to continue onwards to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
And despite the inherent unpredictability of competitive open water swimming among the elite women, the Dutch star seems like a very safe bet to continue to shine.
Results of the women’s 10 km Swim the Swan Elite Open Division:
1. Sharon van Rouwendaal 2:01:28.10 (NED) 12:08 min/km (AUS$17,000)
2. Keri-Anne Payne 2:02:06.50 (GBR) 12:12 min/km (AUS$8,000)
3. Rebecca Mann 2:02:08.30 (USA) 12:12 min/km (AUS$6,000)
4. Haley Anderson 2:02:10.10 (USA) 12:13 min/km (AUS$4,000)
5. Christine Jennings 2:02:11.40 (USA) 12:13 min/km (AUS$2,000)
6. Eva Fabian 2:02:12.00 (USA) 12:13 min/km
7. Melissa Gorman 2:02:13.20 (AUS) 12:13 min/km
8. Aurelie Muller 2:02:20.20 (FRA) 12:14 min/km
9. Chelsea Gubecka 2:02:23.00 (AUS) 12:14 min/km
10. Kareena Lee 2:02:33.30 (AUS) 12:15 min/km
11. Danielle Huskisson 2:02:36.90 (GBR) 12:15 min/km
12. Yumi Kida 2:02:46.00 (JPN) 12:16 min/km
13. Charlotte Webby 2:02:48.40 (NZL) 12:16 min/km
14. Heidi Gan 2:02:52.00 (MAS) 12:17 min/km
15. Sacha Downing 2:04:00.50 (AUS) 12:24 min/km
16. Jessica Walker 2:04:09.50 (AUS) 12:24 min/km
17. Sarah Thompson 2:04:10.10 (AUS) 12:25 min/km
18. Alice Dearing 2:04:47.50 (GBR) 12:28 min/km
19. Tristin Baxter 2:04:49.40 (USA) 12:28 min/km
20. Miki Asayama 2:05:45.80 (JPN) 12:34 min/km
21. Okubo Nao 2:05:45.80 (JPN) 12:34 min/km
22. Yura Taniguchi 2:05:50.00 (JPN) 12:35 min/km
23. Samantha Watts 2:05:59.40 (AUS) 12:35 min/km
24. Zoe Elkerton 2:07:33.60 (AUS) 12:45 min/km
25. Victoria Mock 2:07:39.50 (CAN) 12:45 min/km
26. Lachlan Tassell 2:08:34.20 (AUS) 12:51 min/km
27. Yoshioka Risa 2:08:40.80 (JPN) 12:52 min/km
28. Savannah King 2:09:27.70 (CAN) 12:56 min/km
29. Alessandra Colombini 2:10:18.00 (AUS) 13:01 min/km
30. Penelope Hayes 2:10:46.50 (NZL) 13:04 min/km
31. Kaoru Yamanaka 2:11:47.30 (JPN) 13:10 min/km
32. Alice Whiley 2:13:08.10 (AUS) 13:18 min/km
33. Suzanne Ryan 2:13:34.60 (AUS) 13:21 min/km
34. Bianca Crisp 2:15:27.60 (AUS) 13:32 min/km
35. Miho Nakayama 2:15:27.80 (JPN) 13:32 min/km
36. Bridget Maher 2:15:55.70 (NZL) 13:35 min/km
37. Nerice Smith 2:17:54.80 (AUS) 13:47 min/km
38. Jessica Errington 2:18:56.80 (AUS) 13:53 min/km
39. Caitlyn James 2:25:50.10 (AUS) 14:35 min/km
40. Chloe Gwynne 2:30:37.30 (AUS) 15:03 min/km
Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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