Double Olympic Champion Sharon van Rouwendaal To Bypass World Championships While Contemplating Her Future
Two-time Olympic 10k champion Sharon van Rouwendaal has opted to bypass the 2025 World Championships as she focuses on delivering swim clinics and contemplating her future.
Van Rouwendaal added gold in Paris to the open water title she claimed at Rio 2016 to become the first marathon swimmer to win two Olympic crowns.
With silver at Tokyo 2021, she also became the first athlete to claim three medals with one more than Thomas Lurz of Germany who won silver at London 2012 and bronze four years earlier in Beijing.
Since Paris, the Netherlands swimmer has delivered swim clinics across the world, most recently in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she also competed in the Midmar Mile.
The 31-year-old has three golds among 10 world medals across 5, 10 and 25k as well as the team open water with her first global medal coming in the 200 back at Shanghai 2011.
However, she won’t be adding to that haul this year but will instead skip the global championships which run in Singapore from 11 July to 3 August.
Instead, she’ll continue with her clinics while ascertaining whether she is ready for a new challenge with LA 2028 three-and-a-half years away.
Van Rouwendaal posted to social media, saying:
“Statement on My Participation in the 2025 World Championships:
“After much consideration, I have decided not to participate in the 2025 World Championships in Singapore. Instead, I am currently focusing on something that brings me great fulfillment: giving back to the sport. Through swimming clinics around the world, I am sharing my experience and inspiring the next generation of swimmers. This feels like a valuable and natural step in my career.
“What the future holds, I don’t know yet. Swimming has been a huge part of my life for so long, and while I am stepping away from the World Championships for now, I remain open to new opportunities. In September, I will take the time to reflect on where my heart lies and whether I am ready for a new challenge.
“For now, I am enjoying this new chapter and am grateful for all the support I receive. Thank you to everyone who continues to follow me on this journey. I look forward to seeing what the future brings!
“Sharon”
