2025 U.S. Open Water National Championships: Women’s 10K Live Recap

2025 Open Water National/Junior National Championships

• April 4-6, 2025
• Sarasota, Florida
• Entry Lists
• Meet Central
• World Championships Selection Criteria
• National Junior Team Selection

The 2025 Open Water National Championships begin this morning in Sarasota, Florida. This event serves as the selection meet for the U.S. team heading to this summer’s World Championships in Singapore.

Today’s schedule features the women’s 10k race, which will take place at Nathan Benderson Park. Swimmers will complete five loops of the course shown below.

Course Layout

USA Swimming’s World Championship Selection Criteria

The maximum allowable team size is set at four men and four women. This means that a maximum of two men and two women will be selected to the team in each event for the World Championships (i.e., two swimmers per gender in the 5K and 10K, respectively). USA Swimming will be using the following priority system when finalizing the roster:

Priority #1: The best two finishing available swimmers from the 10K Open Water Nationals will be selected to compete in the 10K at the World Championships. However, available swimmers selected under Priority #1 must agree to swim the 10K, unless they are additionally selected under Priority #2 and instead agree to swim the 5K at the World Championships. An athlete will no longer be considered an available swimmer if they are offered positions in the 10K or 5K and do not accept at least one of those two events at the Championships. An available swimmer may choose to swim both the 5K and the 10K at the Championships.

Priority #2: The best two finishing available swimmers at the 5K Open Water Nationals will be selected to compete in the 5K at the World Championships. However, available swimmers selected under Priority #2 must agree to swim the 5K, unless they are additionally selected under Priority #1 and agree to swim the 10K at the World Championships. An athlete will no longer be considered an available swimmer if they are offered positions in the 10K or 5K and do not accept at least one of those two events at the World Championships. An available swimmer may choose to swim both the 5K and the 10K at the World Championships.

Race Recap

Live updates to follow.

Through the first of five loops, Australia’s Madeleine Gough held the lead, with Americans Claire Weinstein and Mariah Denigan close behind. Weinstein represents the Sandpipers of Nevada, while Denigan trains at Indiana University.

Weinstein, best known for her speed in the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle events, is no stranger to open water swimming. On the 2023 World Cup circuit, she dominated the Funchal leg, winning by more than a minute and defeating then-defending World Champion Leonie Beck of Germany.

In September of 2023, Weinstein committed to continue her swimming career at Cal. She is expected to join the Bears in the fall of 2025.

Like Weinstein, Gough is primarily known for her pool prowess. She finished 8th in the 1500m freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but also has open water experience, highlighted by her 18th-place finish in the 10km at the 2024 World Championships in Doha.

Towards the middle of the second loop, Tac Titans’ Brooke Travis and Gough created a 5-meter gap between themselves and the rest of the field. Travis had finished 6th in this event at last year’s Nationals.

Travis’ lead was short-lived, as Gough regained the top spot after about two minutes, with Weinstein soon pulling up alongside Travis to take over 2nd place. By the end of the second loop, Weinstein usurped the lead from Gough. Japan’s Ichika Kajimoto jumped from 5th to 2nd at the backstretch of the second leg, about equal with Gough once arriving at the feed station.

Kajimoto was 21st in the 10k at the aforementioned Doha World Championships, and recently swept the 400, 800, and 1500 frees at the Japanese Swimming Trials last month.

Through the third loop, Weinstein maintained her lead with Denigan making a move to secure 2nd. Kajimoto held down 3rd with Travis lurking in 4th.