Australian marathon swimmer Moesha Johnson, 26, qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and earned gold in the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle relay at the Hancock Prospecting Australian National Championships in 2019.
Australian Swimmer Moesha Johnson secured her place on Paris Olympics 2024
As Chelsea Gubecka watched, she had already secured a spot in the Paris Olympics by winning silver at the World Championships in July. Moesha Johnson and Maddy Gough competed fiercely to finish within the top 13 spots, which would automatically qualify them for the Games.
While the selection still needs official approval, Johnson is likely to take the second and final spot in the women’s 10km race. She finished fourth with a time of 1 hour, 57 minutes, and 30.8 seconds, behind Sharon van Rouwendaal from the Netherlands (1:57:26.8), Maria de Valdes from Spain (1:57:26.9), and Angelica Andrea from Portugal (1:57:28.2). Gough, aged 24, fought back from the 28th position to finish 18th with a time of 1:57:51.
“It just hasn’t sunk in that was such a hectic race, I was getting bashed out there, people on top on top of me and people under me, I just had to hold on towards the end.”
Johnson said
In the world of open water swimming, Johnson and Gough are new competitors compared to gold medalist van Rouwendaal, who stood on the podium at both the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games.
Moesha Johnson’s Early Life
Moesha Johnson was born on September 19, 1997, in Tweed Heads, which she also considers her hometown. She swam for Coopers Burleigh Aquatic as a junior and later joined Griffith Uni SC as a senior swimmer. Johnson went to Tweed River High School and Palm Beach Currumbin High School for her education.
She spent her childhood in northern New South Wales, where her family had a small hobby farm. Growing up, Johnson enjoyed outdoor activities like riding horses, riding motorcycles, and taking care of farm animals. She even had a pet cow named Angus that she raised on the farm. Her early years were filled with experiences close to nature and animals.
Starting of Moesha Johnson Career
In 2019, talented swimmer Moesha Johnson won the silver medal in the women’s 1500m freestyle event at the Summer Universiade competition held in Naples, Italy. The day before the final race, she qualified with the second-fastest time in the heats.
During the first 300 meters of the final, Johnson swam extremely fast before maintaining a steady step to finish with a time of 16 minutes and 20 seconds.
She came second only to Waka Kobori from Japan, who clocked 16:16.33. Moesha finished ahead of Molly Ann Kowal from the United States, who took the bronze medal with a time of 16:20.99. For the health student Moesha, it was a test of endurance as she had to compete in the heats earlier that same morning before the final race later in the day.
Moesha Johnson’s Recent Years and Road to Paris
On January 25, 2020, Moesha Johnson finished second in the 5km race at the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships. The next day, on January 26, 2020, she placed fourth in the 5km time trial race at the same championships held in Brighton Beach, Adelaide, Australia.
In 2022, Johnson took part in the Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Trials 2021, where she recorded these times: Women’s 50m Freestyle – 28.75 seconds, Women’s 400m Freestyle, 4 minutes 6.94 seconds, Women’s 800m Freestyle – 8 minutes 25.40 seconds, and Women’s 1500m Freestyle, 15 minutes 55.75 seconds. Additionally, she competed at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest that year.
Also Read: Meet Australian Swimmer Kyle Lee and His Paris Journey
In 2023, at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Moesha Johnson fought hard to secure fourth place in the 10km race, which earned her a spot in the upcoming Paris Olympics. Her fourth-place finish at the World Championships allowed Johnson to qualify for her first Olympic games in Paris, where she will join her fellow Australian swimmer Chelsea Gubecka.
Moreover, Moesha Johnson was a member of the Australian team that won an exciting victory in the mixed 4x1500m relay event at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Doha. This was Australia’s first-ever world title in an open-water relay competition.
