Open water is the one swimming race where the fastest swimmer does not always win.
That is the intrigue heading into this week’s World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup stop in Golfo Aranci, Italy. The 10K can last nearly two hours, but the race can change in a matter of seconds. A swimmer can be perfectly positioned for eight kilometers, miss one feed, get boxed in near a turn buoy, choose the wrong line into the final straightaway and lose the race.
There is no lane protection. Just constant contact. Like a pod of dolphins.
What’s Your Race Strategy?
Drafting matters. Patience matters. Nerve matters.
That is what makes Golfo Aranci compelling. This race is about who can read the water, manage the pack, handle the conditions and still have enough left to break open a sprint to separate from the pack.
The World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup continues May 1-2 in Golfo Aranci, giving aquatics fans another chance to watch one of swimming’s most demanding disciplines through Eurovision Sport on Swimming World.
Eurovision on SW
For readers, that access matters. Open water swimming has always been one of aquatics’ most dramatic disciplines, but too often fans only see the results after the race is over.
Eurovision Sport and Swimming World are giving viewers
a chance to see the race unfold: the pack movement, the physicality, the feeding strategy, the tactical surges and the final sprint.
Watch live or on demand to see whose strategy paid off and how the race was won.
Watch via Eurovision Sport on Swimming World
Event: World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup
Location: Golfo Aranci, Italy
Dates: May 1-2, 2026
Watch: Eurovision Sport on Swimming World
Coverage: Live and On Demand
