Abu Dhabi: More than 70 of the world’s finest swimmers from 20 countries competed in the second leg of the Fina Hosa 10-kilometre Marathon Swimming World Cup in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
French swimmer, Axel Reymond, struck gold in a time of 01:57:52, beating Britain’s Jack Burnell and Germany’s Christian Reichert into second and third place, respectively, by just 1.5 seconds.
The 20-year-old said afterwards: “I couldn’t believe I won until I was given the gold medal. It was an extraordinary race and I kept going hard consistently throughout the 10 kilometres until I crossed the finish line. I usually compete in 25-kilometre competitions, so it was great to do this and ace it. This is my first gold medal at a Fina Hosa 10km World Cup and looks like it won’t be my last one.”
The Fina Hosa 10-kilometre Marathon Swimming World Cup is a series of 11 meets, culminating in a finale in Hong Kong in October.
On the women’s side on Friday, Italy’s Rachele Bruni topped the podium with a time of 02:07:31, taking a second gold medal this season after her victory in round one in Viedma, Argentina. China’s Siyu Yan clinched second place, 2.7 seconds behind Bruni, followed by bronze medallist, Britain’s Keri-Anne Payne.
“Today’s race was about trying something new and a different experience. The competition wasn’t a qualification for us; it was an opportunity to get some training, so that’s what I did today,” said Payne, the 2008 Olympics silver medallist and one of the world’s best open-water swimmers.
“The infrastructure here is fantastic, all these tents and the availability of the food and drink is great. The athletes’ section was brilliant. There were places we could actually sit and relax for five minutes before the race. The atmosphere was great and people who were watching could really get involved,” she added.
Organisers the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the UAE Swimming Federation were delighted to have delivered yet another successful milestone in the history of the sport in the UAE’s capital.
“Congratulations to all the swimmers who participated in today’s spectacular race and I hope it was a memorable experience for everyone here on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche. The UAE capital was the perfect stage for round two of the World Cup and we are thrilled to have played a key role in supporting the development of the sport in the UAE,” said ADSC’s General Secretary, Aref Al Awani.
UAE Swimming Federation’s President, Ahmad Al Falasi, enjoyed the closely-fought race and was delighted to see some of the world’s youngest swimmers secure podium finishes.
Al Falasi said: “Today’s champions are the world’s rising stars in long-distance swimming and it is inspirational to see that kind of talent right here in Abu Dhabi. We were also glad to see three of our very own young Emirati talents compete today alongside the fastest swimmers in the world.”
He added: “I would like to thank all our supporters who worked tirelessly to host this fascinating event on the shores of the UAE’s capital. We are happy to welcome back the Fina World Cup to the Emirate and look forward to staging an even bigger and better spectacle next year.”
