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.