Leonie BECK

Then at the Gwangju 2019 World Championships, she was 10th in the 10km before sharing 5km bronze having touched the wall at the same time as USA's Hannah Moore.

The German hopeful was improving all the time, but the COVID-19 pandemic struck weeks after her first Open Water World Cup triumph in Doha in February 2020.

Despite the 10km, rather than her preferred 5km, being on the Olympic programme, Beck acquitted herself superbly well in Tokyo to finish in fifth place and just over four seconds behind Brazil's gold medallist Ana Marcela Cunha.

The success would come a year later at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest. Having won gold in the mixed 4x1.5km relay, Beck finished fourth in the individual 5km. She was desperately close to gold in the 10km, but Rio Olympic champion Sharon van Rouwendaal touched the wall just in front.

At the European Championships two months later in Italy, Beck clinched her first major title in the 10km race with van Rouwendaal in fourth.

At the Fukuoka 2023, Beck went one better than her world silver from the previous year as she finished four seconds clear of the field in the 10km. Three days later, she beat van Rouwendaal and Cunha to take the 5km and complete a first 5km/10km world title double since Larisa Ilchenko in 2007.

With Ilchenko going on to win gold at Beijing 2008, Beck will hope the omens are good for her as she bids to follow her World Championship double of 2023 with the Olympic title at Paris 2024.