Moesha Johnson, the 28-year-old Aussie phenom, leaves no question as to who the gold medal favorite is. The #1 ranked swimmer in the world, Johnson is the event’s defending world champion. She also went undefeated in 10ks at the 2026 Open Water World Cup, with most of her closest competition hailing from Europe rather than present Pan-Pac company. LA 2028 seems less susceptible to open water conditions controversy than Paris 2024 or Rio de Janeiro 2016. It was clear through the transition, though, the Moesha Johnson had become the leader.