Australia's Moesha Johnson claims open water golden double at Aquatics Worlds

SINGAPORE, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Moesha Johnson clinched her second gold medal in the women's 5-kilometer open water swimming just 36 hours after winning the 10-kilometer event at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore here on Friday.

World No. 2 Johnson, who claimed 10km gold at the 2025 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup earlier last month, demonstrated her exceptional form in a fiercely contested final sprint. The 27-year-old recorded a winning time of one hour, two minutes, and 1.3 seconds, narrowly edging Italy's Ginevra Taddeucci, who also finished second behind Johnson in the 10km race. Japan's Ichika Kajimoto claimed bronze 27.6 seconds behind the winner.

China's Tian Muran, making her debut at the World Aquatics Championships, finished 15th with a time of 1:04:10.9. She acknowledged the gap between herself and the world's top contenders.

"I don't even know my final placement; it was too intense," said Tian. "I will focus on upcoming races and begin preparing for the National Games later this year."

China's Cheng Hanyu finished 32nd with a time of 1:06:34.3.

The open water competition is held off Sentosa Island in southern Singapore, with China sending a total of six swimmers. ■