Fujairah: It's amazing how fate plays a role to intervene in one's destiny.
For most, the untimely loss of champion American swimmer Francis Crippen cannot be anything less than the touch of fate, going by the spate of events that occurred here during the eighth round of the Fina 10km Marathon World Cup on Saturday.
Normally, Crippen's teammate Alexander Meyer, who hails from Ithaca, New York, participates as the second American swimmer on the long-distance circuit. But Meyer announced late on Friday that he would not swim in the final race here after undergoing abdominal surgery last week.
The women's competition also had two American entries — Eva Fabian and Christine Jennings. Unfortunately, both were also rushed to hospital to be treated for dehydration. Fabian and Jennings were discharged later in the evening after being administered intravenous fluids.
The third swimmer treated in hospital for dehydration was Brazilian Allan Do Carmo, who was third overall going into the Fujairah race. Do Carmo was kept overnight under observation at the Fujairah Hospital and discharged yesterday morning.
"I am feeling perfectly well and rested," Do Carmo told Gulf News. "But it is so sad what happened to Fran," he said.
Top notch
The Crippen family is well-known in the swimming circuit with Francis' three sisters involved at the top level of the sport.
Maddy Crippen swam for Villanova and competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Claire Crippen was an NCAA All-American at Virginia, and Teresa Crippen currently swims for the University of Florida and is a member of the US national team.
"He was our hero," Maddy Crippen said on a website after being reached at her parents' home in Conshohocken. "We loved him very much, and we'll all miss him."
