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Olympic open water swimming champion Kristof Rasovszky hungry for more at world championships
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Hungarian open water swimmer Kristof Rasovszky will be looking to retain his 10km world title in Singapore.
SINGAPORE – Kristof Rasovszky's body is a canvas that tells the story of his connection with water – sharks inked on his chest, Olympic rings on his rib, and a fish on his upper right arm.
Each tattoo shows the Hungarian open water swimmer's affinity with aquatics, and it is no surprise that his favourite is the image of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, wielding his trident, on his right forearm.
While Poseidon is known for his volatile temperament and command of the seas, Rasovszky is a steady and powerful force in his sport after navigating its challenging elements to become one of the world's best.
'I like water and being around water, so it's closely tied to who I am,' said Rasovszky of his tattoos in a video interview on European Aquatics' YouTube channel in 2024.
At 28, he boasts a glittering resume that includes an Olympic gold from the 2024 Paris Games – his country's first in the event – and the 10km world title at the 2024 Doha championships.
He earned his first 10km title at the European championships in May, along with golds in the mixed 4x1500m relay and men's 3km knock-out sprint, which is making its world championship debut in Singapore.
As the open water swimming competition at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships gets underway at Sentosa's Palawan Green on July 15, Rasovszky will be among the favourites.
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His success has only deepened his hunger for more. In an interview with World Aquatics in April, Rasovszky said it would be 'amazing' to replicate the Netherland's Sharon van Rouwendaal's feat of winning medals at three consecutive Olympics.
Rasovszky made his debut at the quadrennial event in 2016, where he placed 35th in the 1,500m freestyle.
He clinched the men's marathon swimming silver in Tokyo, before going one better in Paris.
In the interview, he said: 'I feel less pressure because I achieved almost everything I could. But that doesn't mean I'm done. I still want to push myself to my limits ahead of Los Angeles 2028.'
Other contenders in Singapore are France's Marc-Antoine Olivier, the 2023 world silver medallist who leads the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup standings in 2025 after claiming the 10km gold and 3km knockout sprint bronze in Sebutal, Portugal, and bronzes in Ibiza and Egypt.
Olivier, a 2016 Olympics bronze medallist, has yet to win a world title in the 10km. His accolades on the world stage include the 5km and team golds at the world championships in 2017, and the 10km silvers he clinched in 2019 and 2024.
Germany's Florian Wellbrock, world champion in 2019 and 2023 and 2020 Olympic gold medallist, could also be in the mix.
After a disappointing eighth-place finish in Paris, he has had a strong start to the 2025 season with a World Cup victory in Egypt.
In the women's competition, Olympic champion van Rouwendaal, a three-time world championships gold medallist, will not be defending her 5km and 10km titles.
The Dutch swimmer announced in February that she would skip the event as she contemplates her future and focuses on giving back to the sport.
Her absence could pave the way for Australia's Moesha Johnson to claim her first individual world title to add to her team bronze and gold from the 2023 and 2024 editions.
Australia's Moesha Johnson (left) and Italy's Ginevra Taddeucci (right) are among the contenders for the women's 10km title at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.
PHOTO: MIKE LEWIS/WORLD AQUATICS
After the Paris Games, Johnson took a few weeks off before returning to competition, including the Singapore leg of the Swimming World Cup where she took the 800m free silver.
She has been in impressive form in 2025, recording two 10km victories at the Egypt and Portugal World Cup stops.
In April, Johnson told the Australian Broadcast Corporation that her sights are set on the 2028 Olympics.
She said then: 'So (before Paris) I said to myself, I wanted to go to (the 2025 World Championships in) Singapore, because if I just said to myself, Olympics and Olympics only, I think I would have fallen over myself pretty badly.
'So now I really try and have a vague goal in the back of my mind. If I don't, if I chose to stop then, that would have been fine as well.
'But it's definitely something that helps me get myself moving again.'
The 27-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise since she began competing in open water swimming after missing out on Olympic qualification for Tokyo in the pool.
She did not qualify for the 10km at the 2023 World Championships but a move to Germany to train under renowned distance coach Bernd Berkhahn, alongside athletes like Wellbrock, has reaped results.
In Singapore, Johnson will also race in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle as she continues to establish herself as a dual threat in both the pool and open water.
Italy's Ginevra Taddeucci, the bronze medallist from the Paris Olympics and current World Cup leader, is expected to be one of Johnson's toughest challengers, having finished runner-up in both races the Australian won this season.
Spain's Angela Martinez Guillen, winner of the Ibiza World Cup leg is another strong contender for a podium finish in the women's 10km.
