The Australians will start as the favourites for the men’s 10km race at the 3rd FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships today, but they will have to watch out for the tough Europeans.

In Saturday’s 5km race at the Dubai Creek, Australia’s Grant Cleland and Josh Santacaterina came up with a strong effort to clinch the first and third spots.

Sandwiched in between them for the second position was Germany’s Christina Hein.

“I wouldn’t exactly say my swimmers are the favourites,” Australia’s swimming head coach Alan Thompson told Gulf News following the technical meeting yesterday afternoon.

“I can only say that they will be entering the race with a lot of confidence and good feeling after that fine performance on Saturday. “Both our swimmers have been training well for this competition,” Thompson added.

“They have recovered and are looking forward to the race.”Leading the European charge is reigning world champion from Bulgaria, Peter Stoychev.

“The 10km race is my favourite. I think I am happy with my result in the 5km race,” Stoychev said after finishing seventh on Saturday.

“The start of the race is very important as it becomes difficult to make up on lost ground after the front pack finds its rhythm.”

Stoychev is no stranger to Dubai or for that matter the Creek. He won the 10km race at last April’s FINA World Cup held at the same venue. But the Bulgarian admits that ‘this is a completely different race.“We have to concentrate,” he said.

The German pair of Thomas Lurz and Hein will also be looking to improve on their performance.

Going by the way they dominated Saturday’s race it appears likely that the Russian women will be the ones to beat today.

Whiole the two 16-year-olds Larisa Ilchenko and Ksenia Popova have not entered for the 10km race, the more-experienced duo of Ekaterina Seliverstova, 20 and Ekaterina Zhdanova, 18, will be hoping to make their mark on the competition.

Germany’s European champion Britta Kamrau, who was fourth on Saturday, and Sara McLarty of the United States, will be relying on their experience today.

Edith Van Dyk of The Netherlands is also tipped to fare well. Van Dyk won the 10km race in the inaugural edition in 2000 and was placed second two years ago in the Sharm Al Shaikh edition.