The 2024 World Aquatics Championships kicked off this morning in Doha, Qatar, with U.S. National Team members Mariah Denigan (Walton, Ky./Indiana Swim Club) and Katie Grimes (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada) posting top-15 finishes in the Women's 10K. With Denigan's sixth-place finish, she qualifies to swim the 10K at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Grimes previously qualified for Paris with her bronze-medal performance at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. 

Women’s 10K – FINAL 
6 – Mariah Denigan (Walton, Ky./Indiana Swim Club), 1:57:31.10 
15 – Katie Grimes (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada), 1:57:39.40 

Denigan on her race: “It was a lot better than I think any other race has gone for me. I feel like I perfected my first lap and put myself in the perfect place for the last lap, so I was really happy with how I swam.” 

Denigan on the final stretch of the race: “That was where I felt most confident because I have been training for that moment, the last 1000, so I was reminding myself to stay calm, be in the moment, drive my stroke, and focus on my stroke technique to get my hand on the wall.”  

Denigan on when she knew she had qualified for Paris: “I knew when I was heading into the finish buoy. I could see what place I was in, and I was like I did it, even before I finished.” 

Race Notes: