Champion in Tokyo, Brazilian swimmer misses the podium in Paris 2024 and puts her future in doubt

Ana Marcela Cunha, gold medalist in the open water marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which took place in 2021), said she does not know what her future as a swimmer will be like. The athlete commented on her future after finishing fourth in the competition this Thursday (08), at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The case

After 10 km and about 2 hours of racing, Ana Marcela, champion in Tokyo 2021, failed to secure a place on the podium, finishing in fourth place in the competition. The race, which took place in the Seine River, was authorized by swimming's governing body, World Aquatics, despite several problems related to water quality and several athletes becoming ill after being exposed to the water during their competitions, including swimming next to sewage outlets.

The Brazilian, who competed in the waters of the Seine, said that she did not smell or see anything and that she believes the organization's word, although she is waiting for the next few days to see if anything will happen. The gold in the open water marathon went to Dutchwoman Sharon van Rouwendaal, the silver to Moesha Johnson from Australia, and the bronze to Italian Ginevra Taddeucci. After the race, the Brazilian made some statements that put her future for LA 2028 in doubt.

“I'm not promising anything for Los Angeles (2028 Olympics). Now it's time to look ahead, turn the page and see how it goes. I have a lot of experience and I'm going to see what I can do. I reached my limit, I wasn't happy anymore, but thank God I have a family that supports me, they always supported me and believed in me. We are human beings and there comes a time when we get tired.”, commented the swimmer.

_{Ana Marcela was the Olympic champion in the sport in Tokyo 2021 (Photo: reproduction/ Instagram/ @anamarcela92)}

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Olympic cycle

An Olympic cycle corresponds to the athlete's preparation during the four years that separate one edition of the Olympics from the next. The competitions in which the athlete participates and the training for their performances make up the term “Olympic cycle”.

With a shortened Olympic cycle, since the Tokyo Olympics took place in 2021, due to the global Covid-19 pandemic that began in 2020, the last Olympic cycle lasted only three years, unlike the others, which lasted four. Even so, Ana Marcela won medals in the marathon swimming world championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024. However, despite the great results, it was not a smooth Olympic cycle. Ana suffered a serious shoulder injury, which she underwent surgery at the end of 2022, and broke up with her coach during 2023.

The Tokyo 2021 gold medalist, who has competed for Brazil since she was 14, turned 32 in 2024 and, after Thursday's result, is unsure about her future.

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“A year and a half ago, I just called my family and told them I wanted to stop swimming. So having swum two World Championships after that, and being happy again, has been good for me. Of course I really wanted a medal, but I'm very proud of what I did. Fourth place is painful, but I have to look forward.”, the swimmer said.

The athlete knows that nothing will erase her story, but she started crying while she talked about the challenges and how her family was the foundation for her overcoming them.

Featured photo: Ana Marcela came in fourth place in the Paris 2024 open water marathon (Reproduction: Luiza Moraes / COB)

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