The second day of open-water racing at the World Aquatics Championships featured a 14th-place finish by Ivan Puskovitch (West Chester, Pa./TSM Aquatics) in the Men's 10K. The swim qualifies him to swim in the event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Men’s 10K – FINAL 
14 – Ivan Puskovitch (West Chester, Pa./TSM Aquatics), 1:48:54.40 
19 – Michael Brinegar (Columbus, Ohio/The Swim Team), 1:49:18.80 

Puskovitch on his swim: “This was my first World Championships, let alone first Olympic-qualifying event. The biggest thing for me was just trying to stay calm throughout the race. The first feed I reached for got swatted out of my hand, so I just had to keep my cool, put my head down and get back into the (lead) pack. I was making sure to keep my emotions tame so I could put my energy towards taking no soft strokes, racing the person next to me and keeping that mentality for all six laps.” 

Puskovitch on qualifying for the Paris Olympics: “I’m speechless. It’s surreal. I made a change about a year ago to be with coach Mo Khadembashi at TSM. About a year-and-a-half ago, I told him that I wanted to be on the National Team in open water, and he looked at me and said, “if you’re going to do it right now, why don’t you go for the Olympic team?’ On that phone call, when he said that, I couldn’t really believe what he said given how things were going in my career at that time. It’s crazy what speaking things into existence and having people around you who believe in you can do for you. I’m so proud to have achieved this for myself and for Team USA to walk out of here as an Olympic qualifier. I do this for all the people who have sacrificed so much for me, have been with me every step of the way, and never lost faith in me to achieve my dreams.”  

Race Notes: 

Competition in Doha continues February 7 with the Men’s and Women’s 5K. Both races are streaming live in the United States on Peacock. 

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