Marcel Schouten

Marcel Schouten, hailing from the Netherlands, is a professional open water swimmer. Throughout his career, he has participated in numerous national and international swimming events. From a young age, Schouten developed his expertise in long-distance freestyle swimming, which led him to compete on prestigious circuits such as the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup and the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix. His commitment to the sport has enabled him to achieve various notable milestones and secure multiple podium finishes.

Schouten’s achievements include a gold medal at the 2014 European Championships in Berlin, Germany, where he competed in the 5 km team pursuit race alongside Ferry Weertman and Sharon van Rouwendaal. In 2017, he finished second in the International Olimpics Swimming Marathon, a 10 km race held in Ohrid Lake, Macedonia. His performance on the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix in 2017 earned him a 24th overall ranking, while on the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup, he ranked 12th overall. Demonstrating his long-distance prowess, Schouten set the overall record for the 22 km IJsselmeer zwemmarathon in the Netherlands in August 2012, completing it in 4 hours 18 minutes 1 second.

Further solidifying his career, Schouten won the 2018 FINA/HOSA Marathon Swim World Series race in Lac St-Jean, Quebec, Canada. He continued his success at Lac St-Jean by winning the 32 km Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean in 2019, finishing in 7 hours 13 minutes. In 2020, he placed 3rd overall and was the top male finisher in the 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli, setting a new men’s record with a time of 6 hours 5 minutes 7 seconds. He also placed 4th in the 25 km FINA UltraMarathon Swim Series in Lake Ohrid in 2021 and was the second-highest point scorer in the series for that year. His ongoing participation and consistent results underscore his position as a prominent figure in professional open water swimming.