Van Rouwendaal swam in third place for a long time, with Spain’s María De Valdés Álvarez and Giulia Gabbrielleschi from Italy right in front of him. On the last stretch towards the finish, however, the Dutch took the lead, after which Van Rouwendaal swam to another gold medal. The Rio 2016 Olympic champion held up three fingers as she stepped out of the water to highlight her 5K hat-trick.
Van Rouwendaal takes third European title in a row at 5 kilometers
