Open Water circuits still active

OPEN WATER. On August 24, the 30km-race in the Ohrid Lake (MKD) was the seventh leg of the 2013 FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix, and the winners were Reymond Axel, from France, and Martina Grimaldi, from Italy, respectively in the men’s and women’s competition.

After the race in Ohrid, the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix 2013 will conclude on September 1, with the traditional 36km crossing between Naples and Capri. Going to Italy, Damian Blaum (ARG) leads the men’s overall ranking, while Olga Kozydub (RUS) is the first among women.

The FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup will have its last two (out of eight) events on September 29 in Shantou (CHN) and on October 5 in Hong Kong (HKG)

OWS Grand Prix 2013: Reymond (FRA) and Grimaldi (ITA), the best in Ohrid Lake

Lausanne (SUI), OPEN WATER (August 26, 2013) – Axel Reymond, from France, and Martina Grimaldi, from Italy, won the 30km-race on August 24 in Ohrid Lake (MKD), the seventh leg of the 2013 circuit of the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix.

Reymond, who got his first success of the season, concluded the race in 5h09m54s, almost one minute faster than the runner-up, Italy’s Edoardo Stocchino, silver medallist in 5h10m57s. The bronze went to Ivan Afanevich, from Russia, in a time of 5h11m28s. The top-3 swimmers of the general ranking of the 2013 Grand Prix before the race in Ohrid, also had positive performances: Damian Blaum, from Argentina, the leader of the classification, was sixth; Simone Ercoli, the second so far in the ranking, concluded in ninth, while Tomi Stefanovski, from the Republic of Macedona, also confirmed his good 2013 season (third of the overall series), with a fifth place at home.

In the women’s field, the victory went to Grimaldi, 25km gold medallist at the recent 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona (ESP), who touched home in 5h24m07s25. In a very close finish, Olga Kozydub, from Russia, arrived 0.21 seconds later, reinforcing her lead of the overall ranking of this year’s circuit. The bronze in Ohrid went to Karla Sitic, from Croatia, in 5h24m48s.

After the race in Ohrid, the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix 2013 will conclude on September 1, with the traditional 36km crossing between Naples and Capri, in Italy.

FINA World Championships 2013: Brazil's Okimoto and Cunha finish 1-2 in women's 10km

OPEN WATER INDONESIA-Poliana Okimoto Cintra (BRA) and Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA) signaled Brazil's intentions to be the faces of women's open water swimming in the lead up to the next Olympic Games. Okimoto Cintra (1:58.19.2) touched just three tenths of a second ahead of her teammate (1:58.19.5) in the women's 10km race. Angela Maurer of Germany (1:58.20.2) finished a full second behind the winner to claim a bronze medal. For the Brazilian swimmers it was second medal for each at these World Championships. Okimoto Cintra finished second to Haley Anderson (USA) in Saturday's 5km race, Cunha earned a bronze medal in that race.

"I'm so excited. I have been training for this medal, even in freezing water, I have trained for this race, so this medal is pricelss. I am really happy to have my second medal in these World Championships. I felt strong during the race," said Okimoto Cintra. Okimoto Cintra won two silver medals in 5km and 10km at the 2006 FINA Open Water World Championships in Naples, Italy.

Her teammate said: "It's amazing to win two medals in these World Championships. It shows that Brazil is doing serious work. Two years ago in Shanghai I finished in 11th position and I was unable to compete in the Olympic Games. I watched the Olympics on TV. I went to work and I improved a lot. Today I am the second best open water swimmer in the world, just behind another Brazilian athlete. In the 2015 Kazan World Championships I want to be in the first 10 positions so that I can be at the Olympics in my country. I need to relax for a few days before the 25km on Saturday."

FINA Open Water World Championships:Day 2: Brazil's Okimoto and Cunha finish 1-2 in women's 10km

OPEN WATER, 23 July 2013

OPEN WATER INDONESIA-Poliana Okimoto Cintra (BRA) and Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA) signaled Brazil's intentions to be the faces of women's open water swimming in the lead up to the next Olympic Games. Okimoto Cintra (1:58.19.2) touched just three tenths of a second ahead of her teammate (1:58.19.5) in the women's 10km race. Angela Maurer of Germany (1:58.20.2) finished a full second behind the winner to claim a bronze medal. For the Brazilian swimmers it was second medal for each at these World Championships. Okimoto Cintra finished second to Haley Anderson (USA) in Saturday's 5km race, Cunha earned a bronze medal in that race.

"I'm so excited. I have been training for this medal, even in freezing water, I have trained for this race, so this medal is pricelss. I am really happy to have my second medal in these World Championships. I felt strong during the race," said Okimoto Cintra. Okimoto Cintra won two silver medals in 5km and 10km at the 2006 FINA Open Water World Championships in Naples, Italy.

Her teammate said: "It's amazing to win two medals in these World Championships. It shows that Brazil is doing serious work. Two years ago in Shanghai I finished in 11th position and I was unable to compete in the Olympic Games. I watched the Olympics on TV. I went to work and I improved a lot. Today I am the second best open water swimmer in the world, just behind another Brazilian athlete. In the 2015 Kazan World Championships I want to be in the first 10 positions so that I can be at the Olympics in my country. I need to relax for a few days before the 25km on Saturday."

Cunha won gold in the women's 25km in 2011 and now has two bronze medals in the 5km event, one from the 2010 FINA Open Water World Championships in Roberval, Canada and one from the 5km last Saturday. Today's bronze medal was her first in the 10km distance.

Olympic marathon champion Eva Ristov (HUN) led in a comfortable pace controlling the pace for the first hour and 15 minutes before allowing an assortment of swimmers catch up with her. At the 90 minute mark there were six swimmers at the front of the pack including Maurer, Keri-Anne Payne (GBR), Killiope Araouzou (GRE) and Martina Grimaldi (ITA). Each challenged the Hungarian swimmer for the lead. It was the Brazilians that swam past the group leaving the pack to fight it out for the bronze medal.

Keri-Anne Payne (GBR), the silver medallist in the Beijing Olympics won this race in 2009 and 2011 and dropped back to find clear water before she challenged for the podium. Payne finished in fourth place, outside of the podium in London, and in today's race she fell back to 14th place.

Grimaldi (ITA) who had won a medal in this race at each of the last three FINA World Championships finished in 12th place.

Maurer who looked exhausted from the effort was surprisingly upbeat in her analysis of the race: "I can only say it was great; it's my first medal in the last 10 years." The German swimmer won a silver medal in the same harbour in 2003 swimming a second slower that she did today. Maurer owns two FINA gold medals in the 25km event, mostly recently from the 2009 Rome World Championships.

FINA World Championships 2013: Reigning world champion Gianniotis (GRE) wins men's 10km

OPEN WATER INDONESIA-Reigning world champion Spyridon Gianniotis (GRE) soundly defeated two of his toughest rivals to win today's 10k event in Moll de la Fusta harbour. The Greek athlete is only the second male to successfully defend his world title, and the first since Vladimir Dyatchin (RUS) in 2008.

In second place was Thomas Lurz (GER) was hoping to become the first man to win the event four times. Taking the bronze medal was Oussama Mellouli (TUN) who won the 5km race on Saturday, Lurz finished third. Gianniotis was fresh for today's 10km race as he did not contest the 5km held just 48 hours.

"It was unbelievable today", Gianniotis said. "I wanted to swim three laps comfortably and then get out in front on the final lap. Whenever anyone swam next to me I pushed up the pace. I'm quite good at sprinting. I watched Mellouli race in his 5km and I know that he has more speed than me. I pushed it a bit in the last 300m just to stay ahead of him. In the last 50m I never felt so bad. I almost fainted I was so tired."

Open Water Swimming - Greek Gianniotis remains world champion in 10KM

Open Water Swimming - Greek Gianniotis remains world champion in 10KM

FINA World Championships Barcelona 2013: 25 km more and three kilos less

OPENWATER INDONESIA-The 25 km in open water in one of the toughest events that exists. The swimmers spend an average of 5 hours in the open sea, a maximum effort which can mean the loss of up to 3 kilos in some cases. How do they alleviate the extreme conditions that they subject themselves to?

The temperature of the water, the conditions of the sea, the currents and the wind are all factors that influence the races that take place in open water. However, in the 25 km, the longest of all of them, there is a key element that depends, in many cases, on the success or failure of the competition of each swimmer: the alimentation consumed during the race.

The swimmers lose up to 3,000 calories after more than five hours in the sea, a supreme exertion that needs to be monitored by the physical trainer of every athlete. “The effort carried out is brutal, they can lose up to 3 kilos during the race”, affirmed Mario Lloret, doctor of the Spanish team for open waters.

The correct ingestion of food before jumping into the water is so important as it also has an effect on the digestion during the race. “You have to consider the loss of glucose and maintain and even increase the rates during the race”, explains Lloret. The swimmers also understand this very well. “It´s fundamental to hydrate yourself very well the day before the race and go a little over hydrated the hours before the start of the competition”, comments Kiko Hervás, 4th in Shanghai 2011. But what happens during the race? There are various provision points in all 10 and 25 km circuits so that the water athletes can keep hydrated and nourished.

In Barcelona, there are nearly 20 spots where the swimmers have the chance to recuperate energy. The Moll de la Fusta circuit there are two pontoons situated half way across each stretch. Here the personal trainers can give the athletes the correct quantity of food and drink that they previously calculated using straws and cups. “It depends a lot on the individual. They normally ask for mineral salts and, in the last laps, some like caffeine to boost them for the final sprint”, explains Diego Nogueira, open water swimmer in the Spanish team for the last six years. Regarding solids, energy bars or slices of banana mixed with yogurt are the most common. “They need to be things that can be easily digested while we swim”, commented Hervás.

In the race that will take place in Barcelona there will be 36 swimmers in the men’s event and 22 in the women´s. This means a battle in the water and strategies to get in to the best position for the moment of getting provisions. “It´s a really critical point because you can´t see where your coach is. What we normally do is arrange to meet at a certain point on the pontoon. At this point there are always a lot of crashes which could be critical later”, explains Nogueira. However, there is a solution for the athletes not to have to go to the pontoon and lose the position they have. Some swimmers carry packs of energy gel with them to recharge energy during the event. “We keep the sachets in our swimming trunks to give us a boost during the race”, affirms Diego.

It will be the 27th July when these super athletes face each other in one of the toughest races of the Championships. They will do it in a calm sea and with a temperature of 22/24 degrees, perfect conditions to take on this great aquatic marathon.

FINA World Championship 2013: Anderson and Mellouli capture the first Golds in Open Water

Mellouli

OPEN WATER INDONESIA-Haley Anderson has inaugurated the medal table of Barcelona 2013. The US swimmer created an exciting final in the women´s open water 5 km. Oussama Mellouli, Anderson´s training partner, took the highest spot on the podium in the men´s event. It seems that after winning the last seven World Championships the reign of Thomas Lurz is finally over

Haley Anderson, silver medallist in the 10 km in London 2012, took the lead from the beginning. The relentless pace that she set could only be followed in the first few minutes by compatriot Rebeca Mann and Italian Martina Grimaldi. "I felt very comfortable during the first lap and I decided to set a high pace", explained Anderson minutes after the competition. It wasn´t until the second half that Anderson´s solitary swim was threatened. 30 year old Brazilian swimmer, Poliana Okimoto, made a break for Haley. After a spectacular change of pace, she took the lead and left the US swimmer a few seconds behind. However, in the final sprint the swimmer from the USA managed to overtake Okimoto, who had finished Bronze in Rome 2009. "I knew that if I managed to keep behind her until the last 300 metres, I would be able to overtake her", claimed Anderson in the press conference.

The American stopped the clock at 56:34.2, two tenths of a second before the swimmer from Sao Paulo. The bronze went to a fellow Brazilian, Ana Marcela Cunha who, after a great recovery, finished with a time of 56:44.7.

A few hours later, Oussama Mellouli, was proclaimed winner of the men´s 5 k event and ended the domination of German Thomas Lurz, the winner in the distance for the last seven championships. The victory was not decided until the very end when the Olympic Champion of the 10 km and 1,500 m in London 2012, succeeded in the sprint. The North African swimmer, who dominated the race from the first lap, touched base in 53:30.4. "In 2003 I got my first World Championship medal so to be on the podium again in Barcelona is amazing", he explained in the press conference.

Coming in after Mellouli was the Canadian Eric Hedlin, who clocked 53:31.6 to take second place. "I am really happy because I didn't expect this result", he admitted a few minutes after the race. Bronze was for Lurz, who could not keep up with the pace set by Mellouli, with a time of 53:32.2. "In the final sprint Oussama was so much quicker than me and I couldn't do anything to beat him", he commented.

10KM MARATHON SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013 Grimaldi (ITA) and Fogg (GBR) dominate race in Cozumel (MEX)

OPEN WATER INDONESIA - Martina Grimaldi (ITA) and Daniel Fogg (GBR) emerged victorious at the fourth stop of the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup 2013, held for the first time in Cozumel, Mexico. The event had a record 128 participants (53 women and 75 men) from 24 countries, who swam in the crystal-clear waters of the Mexican Caribbean and enjoyed the naturally stunning scene.

The women's race was very close and featured a high level of competition. The top-five finishers arrived in a mass finish, within split seconds of one another, and only a photo finish decided which one of them was the winner.

Italy's Martina Grimaldi, Olympic bronze medallist at the 2012 London Games, took out the race in 2h09m39s2. Eva Fabian (USA) took second in 2h09m39s40 and Rachele Bruni (ITA) placed third with a time of 2h09m39s7.

It was another tight finish in the men's race and also an unexpected outcome. Cozumel featured swimmers demonstrating new strategies in open waters. Daniel Fogg (GBR) touched home for the win in 1h56m38s1. He was trailed by Thomas Lurz (GER), Olympic silver medallist, runner-up in 1h56m40s2. The minor medal went to Simone Ruffini (ITA), who clocked 1h56m41s7.

The excellent water quality and the natural beauty of the Mexican Caribbean were praised by the competitors.

The countries represented in Cozumel were: Germany, Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Ecuador, Spain, United States, France, Britain, Netherlands, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Macedonia, Mexico, Czech Republic, Russia, Syria and Ukraine.

The event also qualified Mexican swimmers Melissa Villasenor and Miguel Hernandez for the FINA World Championships in Barcelona this summer. 

10KM MARATHON SWIMMING WORLD CUP: Beraud (FRA) and Brunemann (USA) win inaugural race in Santos (BRA)

OPEN WATER INDONESIA - The season of the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup 2013 has started! The city of Santos, in Brazil, staged the first leg of the annual circuit at Aparecida beach. 95 swimmers (49 men and 36 women) from 13 countries contested the event: Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States.
Big names in the world of open water attended the event: Olympic champion Eva Rizstov (the Hungarian was taking part in her first event in Brazil), 2012 Olympic medallists Thomas Lurz (GER), Richard Weinberger (CAN), Martina Grimaldi (ITA) and home heroes Ana Marcela Cunha (reigning World Cup champion) and Poliana Okimoto (overall winner of the 2009 Series).

In the women's field, the American Emily Brunemann took a different strategy than the rest of the swimmers and took the edge in the last lap for a comfortable win. Her compatriot Eva Fabian finished second while Italy's Rachele Bruni took third. 

Frenchman Romain Beraud was the surprising winner of the men's race. He surpassed the rest of the field in the last lap and in the last meters, powered home for the win. Two Italians completed the podium: Federico Vanelli in second and Simone Ruffini in third.

For the Brazilian swimmers, the Santos race was a qualifying event for the 15th FINA World Championship taking place in Barcelona (ESP) this year. The first two swimmers in both categories qualify for the event: Allan do Carmo and Diogo Villarinho among men and Ana Marcela Cunha and Poliana Okimoto among women booked their ticket for Barcelona.

FINA 10KM MARATHON SWIMMING WORLD CUP

This annually staged elite-level competition is organised around seven meets and takes place in some of the world's most amazing natural water bodies, either freshwater (lake, rowing course, river) or saltwater (sea).

In the beginning (between 1997 and 2006), the World Cup included a whole range of long distances. Since 2007, FINA decided to focus the World Cup on the 10km distance only, as a direct consequence of the introduction of the 10km Marathon Swim on the Olympic programme in 2005. The former Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit was therefore “split” in order to create a separate 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup, while races above 10km would then be part of the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix.

The 2013 circuit of the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup kicks off in Santos (BRA) on January 27, will then stop in Viedma (ARG) on February 2, Eilat (ISR) on March 1, Cancun (MEX) on April 13, Lac St-Jean (CAN) on July 25, Lac Megantic (CAN) on August 10, Hong Kong (HKG) on October 6, and concludes in Shantou (CHN) on October 13.

2013 open water swimming circuits kick off this month!

OPEN WATER  INDONESIA. 2013 will be another thrilling year for the open water world with FINA's two international open water swimming circuits kicking off January 27th.

The world's finest marathon swimmers will gather to Santos, Brazil for the first meet of the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup. The remaining seven stages will take place in Viedma (ARG) on February 2, Eilat (ISR) on March 1, Cancun (MEX) on April 13, Lac St-Jean (CAN) on July 25, Lac Megantic (CAN) on August 10, Hong Kong (HKG) on October 6 and Shantou (CHN) on October 13.

Greek Spyridon Gianniotis was the 2012 winner among men while Ana Marcela Cunha from Brazil took top spot in the women's field.

Meanwhile in nearby country Argentina, in Rosario, endurance and strategy will also be on display during the first race of the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix. The event, which provides open water swimmers with an opportunity to compete in some of the world's most spectacular waterways - rivers, lakes, ocean, etc. - features races ranging from 15km to 88km!

Nine stages are on this year's programme: the first three take place in Argentina (Rosario on January 27, Santa Fe-Coronda on February 3 and Hernandarias on February 10) and will be followed by Cancun (MEX) on April 20, Capri-Napoli (ITA) on September 1, Lac St-Jean (CAN) on July 27, Lac Magog (CAN) on August 3, Sabac (SRB) and Ohrid Lake (MKD), whose dates remain to be confirmed.

Last year, Esther Nunez from Spain won the series among women while Australian Trent Grimsey was the best in the men's field.