Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands made a late surge to win gold in the women's 10k marathon swimming at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.

Van Rouwendaal won with a time of 2hr 03min 34.2sec, with Australian Moesha Johnson taking silver 5.5 seconds behind and Italy's Ginevra Taddeucci claiming bronze.

The race took place on the River Seine with the Eiffel Tower in the background after water pollution levels were deemed sufficiently safe for competition.

It was the third straight Olympic medal in the event for Van Rouwendaal, the gold medallist in Rio in 2016 and silver medallist in Tokyo, who made her move past Johnson around a pilon coming under the Pont des Invalides bridge.

The 30-year-old Dutchwoman, who was also world champion in Budapest in 2022, never looked back as she powered her way to the finish.

Speaking to reporters after the marathon,Van Rouwendaal said her victory was dedicated to the memory of her pet dog Rio, who died in May.

It was reported to be a crushing blow for Johnson who had led from the half-way mark onwards and was out front with the top three having broken well clear of the field going into the final lap.