Hector Pardoe bags a Bronze and an Olympic spot at the World Aquatic Championships
Marathon swimmer Hector Pardoe has won a Bronze medal and a GB spot at the Paris Olympics after competing in the 10km open water event at the World Aquatic Championships in Doha
Marathon swimmer Hector Pardoe has bagged a Bronze medal and a GB spot at the Paris Olympics 2024 after competing in the 10km open water event at the World Aquatic Championships Doha.
For the event, swimmers had to complete six laps of the 1.6km course in Old Doha Port. Pardoe retained consistent pace in the water then surged in the final few strokes to earn himself a Bronze medal, and qualify for Paris 2024.
Read about Hector Pardoe’s training regime
Read about Hector Pardoe’s record breaking swim in Windermere
There was further good news for Team GB as Tobias Robinson (pictured below right) finished 15th to claim the last Olympic quota spot in the event, while Leah Crisp secured a quota place with her 17th place in the women’s event.
Hector’s speedy rise to the top of British men’s marathon swimming has seen him become a staple in the team since his time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Last September he completed an impressive end to end swim of Windermere, where he broke the 26-year-old-record, swimming the 10.5 miles in 3:40:28.
Speaking at the World Aquatic Championships Doha, Pardoe told British Swimming after his event, “The emotions were quite high, following the path of redemption from Tokyo 2020 with the eye injury.”
“I just wanted to secure the Olympic qualification, so to come out with a medal is even better. I was feeling great throughout the whole race, that last lap, I made it happen and followed my strategy perfectly.”
Congratulations Hector, we’ll be cheering you on at the Olympics this summer!
Read our interview with Hector Pardoe.
Lead photo: Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
Abigail Whyte
Abi writes swimming news stories and features for the Outdoor Swimmer website and manages the social media channels. She loves to swim, run, hike and SUP close to her home in Herefordshire. While she’s a keen wild swimmer, Abi is new to the world of open water events and recently completed her first open water mile. She has previously written for The Guardian, BBC Countryfile Magazine, BBC History Magazine and Ernest Journal.
