Moesha Johnson: Won the women's 10km open water gold in 1:55:33 at…

Moesha Johnson won the women’s 10km open water gold at the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships in Long Beach. Her time of 1:55:33 gave Australia its first open water gold since the meet began in 1985.

A break with two turns to go

The race ran over six laps at Long Bay Marine Stadium in water near 25 degrees. Johnson, aged 28, took the lead on the second lap and held it. She made her decisive push with two turns left on the final lap and pulled clear.

Twenty-six seconds and a first for the Dolphins

Airi Ebina of Japan took silver in 1:55:59, finishing 26 seconds behind Johnson. Ichika Kajimoto, also of Japan, finished third a further eight seconds back. The win opened Australia’s medal account at the championships.

Johnson arrived in California as the reigning world champion and Olympic silver medallist. She was undefeated over 10km in 2026 and ranked world number one. The result confirmed her place at the head of the sport.

“I wanted to have a dominant race on American soil leading into LA 2028,” she told reporters afterwards. “It’s a great first step to the Olympic cycle.”

Teammate Jacqueline Davison-McGovern stayed on Johnson’s feet through the race and finished fifth. The afternoon closed a long gap in Australia’s record books with steady, lap-by-lap pressure.

A pioneer’s afternoon in Long Beach ended with one name at the top and a clear path toward the next Olympic horizon.