Black Line Fever

The champions held, but the field underneath them is moving. In warm, choppy, near-cyclonic conditions at Playa Langosta, Moesha Johnson and Florian Wellbrock opened the 2026-27 World Aquatics Open Water World Cup exactly where they finished the last one, on top, and in two completely different ways.On this episode of Black Line Fever, Alice Dearing and I break down every race from Stop 1 in Cancún: the swims, the storylines and the silvers nobody saw coming, as open water’s first race back in Mexico since 2015 kicks off an Olympic qualifying season.From Johnson’s most professional win yet to Wellbrock’s grind-it-out double, the Italian wall in the men’s 10k and two breakthrough medals for Japan, we unpack a weekend of attrition and what it tells us heading toward Budapest 2027.In This Episode:🏊‍♂️ Men’s 10km: Wellbrock edges a street fight by 2.7 seconds, Acerenza storms back from elbow surgery for silver, and five Italians land in the top eight.🏊‍♀️ Women’s 10km: Johnson’s calculated sit-and-strike, Airi Ebina’s gutsy first World Cup podium, and a brutal run of withdrawals in the heat.🥇 3km Knockout: Wellbrock completes the double, Kajimoto pushes Johnson to the touch, and Lisa Pou’s redemption after withdrawing a day earlier.🌊 Conditions: 29-degree water, heavy chop and the attrition that shaped the weekend.🌏 What’s Next: Somabay in March, plus the Australian Open Water Championships and Oceanman on the horizon.🎧 Tune in for inside analysis, broadcast insight and a full look at how the 2026-27 World Aquatics Open Water World Cup kicked off in Cancún.Subscribe to Black Line Fever for all the open water storylines that matter and the voices that bring them to life.

The World Cup season begins somewhere new, and for the first time ever, it begins in November. Cancún, Mexico, hosts the opening stop of the 2026-27 World Aquatics Open Water World Cup, launching an Olympic qualifying year that runs all the way to Budapest 2027, with 50,000 US dollars waiting for the overall champion.On this episode of Black Line Fever, Alice Dearing and I preview the opener: warm, non-wetsuit Caribbean racing, the fields that have made the trip, and the storylines that will shape the season ahead.From Florian Wellbrock chasing the one title that has eluded him to Moesha Johnson’s bid for back-to-back series glory, we break down who is in form, who has stayed home and why, and what a November start really tells us with four months until the next stop.In This Episode:🏊‍♂️ Men’s 10km: Wellbrock hunts a first series title against three of the last four world champions in Betlehem, Olivier and Fontaine, with a stacked Italian pack behind them.🏊‍♀️ Women’s 10km: Johnson headlines and chases history, with Taddeucci, Lea Boy and Ichika Kajimoto all in the mix.🌊 Warm Water, New Tactics: non-wetsuit Caribbean racing, the opening sprint lap and backing up for the knockout.🇲🇽 Home Hero: Paulo Strehlke Delgado carries a nation into the water in Cancún.💰 What’s at Stake: 50,000 dollars, an Olympic qualifying season and the first points on the board toward Budapest 2027.🥇 Podium Picks: our completely unprompted predictions for both races.🎧 Tune in for sharp analysis, broadcast insight and a full look at how the 2026-27 World Aquatics Open Water World Cup kicks off in Cancún.Subscribe to Black Line Fever for all the open water storylines that matter and the voices that bring them to life.

The 2025 World Aquatics Open Water World Cup season ends in style - sunshine, calm seas, and two deserving champions crowned in Golfo Aranci, Italy.On this episode of Black Line Fever, Alice Dearing and I look back on the season finale: the defining races, the title twists, and the stories that shaped the year.From Logan Fontaine’s last-gasp championship win to Ginevra Taddeucci’s emotional home-water triumph, we break down every moment - plus, we revisit our predictions, bring back Sink or Swim, and celebrate the athletes who made 2025 unforgettable.In This Episode:🏊‍♂️ Men’s 10km: Fontaine steals the title, Betlehem dominates, Verani delivers on home water.🏊‍♀️ Women’s 10km: Taddeucci’s control, Johnson’s fight, Martinez Guillen’s consistency.🌍 World Rankings: Betlehem and Johnson finish the year as World No.1s.💬 Prediction Review: Who got it right (and who really didn’t).⚖️ Sink or Swim: One last round for 2025.🎧 Tune in for race analysis, inside commentary, and a full wrap on an unforgettable season of open-water racing.Subscribe to Black Line Fever for the stories, rivalries, and voices that make open-water swimming come alive.

The World Cup season ends where it began, in the Mediterranean. Golfo Aranci, Italy, hosts the 2025 World Aquatics Open Water World Cup finale, and with both overall titles still up for grabs, everything is on the line.On this episode of Black Line Fever, Alice Dearing and I preview the final stop of the year: the course, the contenders, and the championship scenarios that will decide the season.From Marc-Antoine Olivier’s narrow points lead to Ginevra Taddeucci’s home-water advantage, we break down who can still win, how the world rankings have shifted, and what to expect when 120 of the best hit the water for one last 10km.In This Episode:🏊‍♂️ Men’s 10km: France holds the advantage but Italy has home momentum. Olivier, Fontaine and Verani all have something to prove.🏊‍♀️ Women’s 10km: Taddeucci defends on home soil against Moesha Johnson’s surge and Angela Martinez Guillen’s consistency.🌍 World Rankings: Betlehem and Johnson climb to World No. 1, shifting the balance of power in open water swimming.💰 What’s at Stake: $50,000, season titles and a year’s worth of bragging rights.🥇 Podium Picks: Our final predictions for the men’s and women’s races.🎧 Tune in for sharp analysis, broadcast insight and a full look at how the 2025 World Aquatics Open Water World Cup season comes to a close in Golfo Aranci.Subscribe to Black Line Fever for all the open water storylines that matter and the voices that bring them to life.

The World Cup gets cold, tidal, and tactical in Setúbal—where Olympic hopefuls made their final statements before the World Championships.On this episode of Black Line Fever, Alice Dearing and I break down all four races from Stop 3 of the 2025 World Aquatics Open Water World Cup. From Moesha Johnson’s second win of the season to Marc-Antoine Olivier’s masterclass in patience and positioning, Setúbal delivered moments that will shape how we view the race to Singapore.We unpack what mattered most: the breakthroughs, the blow-ups, and the athletes putting it all together at the right time.In This Episode:🏊‍♀️ Women’s 10km: Moesha Johnson dominates again, but the podium tells a bigger story about Europe’s rising depth.🏊‍♂️ Men’s 10km: Olivier times it perfectly. Rasovszky gambles and loses. Klemet flies under the radar—again.⚡ 3km Knockout Sprints: Hungary’s David Betlehem and Japan’s Ichika Kajimoto step into the spotlight.📊 Predictions Check-In: Alice pulls ahead. Will tries to stay relevant. Ibiza haunts us both.🚨 Sink or Swim: The final feed, the French surge, and the form line heading into Worlds.🎧 Tune in for expert analysis, inside-the-booth perspective, and context you won’t find anywhere else.Subscribe to Black Line Fever for all the open water storylines that matter as we build toward Singapore 2025.