For the first time since the 10-kilometre marathon swimming event was introduced as an Olympic event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Australia will send a full team of four athletes.

The team will see 2016 Olympian Chelsea Gubecka and first-time Olympians Kyle Lee, Nicholas Sloman and Moesha Johnson compete in the iconic River Seine, 124 years after the first Olympic Swimming event was held in the river at the 1900 Paris Olympics.

This Games, Australia matches host nation France as the only two countries to secure all four quota marathon swimming positions.

All four Australian athletes secured their Olympic quota spots at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, with Sloman and Lee finishing fifth and ninth in the men’s event and Johnson finishing fourth in the women’s.

Chelsea Gubecka

Hailing from the Sunshine Coast, Chelsea trains under the guidance of coach Kate Sparkes at the Yeronga Park Swim Club. 

She began her swimming journey at a young age, demonstrating an early affinity for long-distance events. Her dedication and hard work paid off early when she made her international debut at just 14 years old at the 2013 World Championships, where she finished 29th.

Chelsea made her Olympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games in the 10km Open Water three years later. In the rough and tumble conditions of the 10-kilometre marathon swim, she fought hard in the waters of Copacabana, Brazil, finishing 15th.

In recent years, Chelsea has been making waves on the international stage, finishing the 2022 FINA Marathon Swim World Series and winning a gold and silver medal in Eilat, Israel. 

She then wasted no chances in qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics – which will be her second Olympic Games – taking the first opportunity available at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships where she started the 10-kilometre race in the lead pack and stayed there for all six laps in Fukuoka, Japan, to claim her maiden World Championships medal.

This breakthrough moment at her sixth World Championships saw her become one of the first three finishers qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

As Chelsea Gubecka prepares to represent Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, she said “It’s been a long time coming, but I’m just sort of starting to get into my groove now. I feel like I’m a little bit older and getting wiser by the second.” 

“I think over the years, I have learned to embrace the challenge of racing and also how to relax, to keep the heart rate down and stay very calm.”

Moesha Johnson

Moesha Johnson, originally from Tweed Heads in New South Wales, now trains at Griffith University on the Gold Coast.  

Moesha made her professional debut in the Australian Open Water team in 2022 at the World Championships in Budapest, where she finished 9th in the 10-kilometre marathon swim. 

In 2024, at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, the Gold Coast swimmer survived a brutal battle in the 10km race to nail down her place in Paris. She claimed fourth in the frantic finale to the race, which saw her successfully qualify for her Olympic debut in Paris alongside fellow team member Chelsea Gubecka, who had previously qualified the year before.

Later in those championships, Moesha won a gold medal with her fellow Australian team members in the mixed 4x1500m event. 

Initially making her mark as a long-distance pool swimmer, Moesha has successfully transitioned to marathon swimming, making her mark on the international stage. 

After a decade on the fringes of the Australian team, Ms Johnson is looking forward to making her Olympic debut in Paris.

“I’m excited to see how I can pull together all the skills I’m learning from racing in and the different situations to see how I go,” said Moesha. 

“I would not call myself a seasoned open-water swimmer yet, but I’m starting to feel more comfortable playing around with tactics and different things when I’m out on the courses now.

“The Australian open water team is a great team to be part of, and I’m excited to see what happens in Paris.”

Nick Sloman

Nick Sloman is one of Australia’s most accomplished open-water swimmers. He has won six medals at the FINA Marathon Swim World Series over the years. He trains at the Noosa Aquatic Centre with famed coach John Rodgers.

Nick initially broke onto the marathon swimming world stage, debuting on the Australian team in 2018 at the Pan-Pacific Championships in Tokyo, where he won a bronze medal in the highly competitive 10-kilometre open water swim event. 

Since then, he has been a mainstay on the international circuit, winning a gold and a silver medal in the 2019 FINA Marathon Swim World Series and three silver and a bronze in the 2022 FINA Marathon Swim World Series. 

In addition to his success on the open-water swimming circuit, Nick is also a skilled ocean swimmer, having won the Australian Surf Life Saving Ocean Swim five times. 

In 2022, Nick finished at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest in the 10-kilometre open water event. 

At the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Nick booked his ticket for his Olympic debut, finishing fifth in the 10-kilometre open water event. He then contributed to the Australian team’s victory in the mixed 4x1500m relay.

After narrowly missing out on a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Nick looks forward to debuting in the River Seine at the Paris Olympics. 

Kyle Lee

Kyle Lee, originally from Zimbabwe, emigrated to Australia with his parents and sister when he was six years old. He now resides in Western Australia and swims at the North Coast Swim Club with coach Ian Mills. 

In 2020, Kyle finished third in the 19.7km Rottnest Channel Swim at 17. He continued progressing through the open water ranks, eventually winning the Rottnest Channel Swim in 2022. 

In the same year, he placed second in the 5-kilometre and third in the 10-kilometre open water event at the Australian Open Water Championships, which saw his birth onto the international open water circuit. 

Later that year, at the 2022 Marathon Swim World Series, he won silver in the 4×1500 metre open water team relay in Paris, France, and Eilat, Israel. Based on these achievements, he was named on the Australian team for the 2022 Duel in the Pool against the United States, where he anchored the 4×800 metre open water relay to victory at Bondi Beach. He also placed fifth in the 25-kilometre open water swim and eighth in the 5-kilometre open water swim at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships. 

In 2023, Kyle moved up two places from the previous year and won the 5-kilometre open water event at the Australian Open Water Championships. 

In 2024, Kyle participated in the mixed 4x1500m relay at the World Championships in Doha, where the Australian team claimed gold. He also finished ninth in the 10-kilometre open water race, successfully securing his spot on the 2024 Paris Olympic team, making him the fourth member to be named.