Mariah Denigan Nails Down Second U.S. Berth to Olympic Games in Open Water
While Katie Grimes was already qualified to represent the United States in the 10K open-water event at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, Team USA secured its second representative for action in the Seine on Saturday. Racing at the World Championships in Doha, Mariah Denigan finished sixth in the 10K discipline to earn a berth to the French capital.
Dutchwoman Sharon van Rouwendaal claimed the gold medal in a tight finish in Doha, with the silver and bronze medals going to Spain’s Maria de Valdes and Portugal’s Angelica Andre, respectively. Denigan was sixth in the race, which secured her an automatic qualifying slot for the Paris Games. Denigan is a junior at Indiana University.
Denigan was racing in her third World Championships, having placed 15th in the 10K in 2022, followed by an eighth-place showing in the distance at the 2023 edition of the World Champs in Fukuoka. Now, Denigan is bound for her first Olympic Games, Paris serving as the host city for the first time in a century. Denigan will contest the 5K, a non-Olympic event, during Wednesday’s World Championships action.
“It was a lot better than I think any other race has gone for me,” Denigan said. “I feel like I perfected my first lap and put myself in the perfect place for the last lap, so I was really happy with how I swam.
“I knew (I was headed for the Olympics) when I was heading into the finish buoy. I could see what place I was in, and I was like I did it, even before I finished.”
Joining Denigan in Doha was Indiana Associate Head Coach Corey Chitwood, who is serving as the United States’s open-water head coach at Worlds.
Congratulations Mariah! Well done! I know you will do very well in Paris, and I hope you will have some time to enjoy the city as well.
Congratulations Mariah!!