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.