USA Swimming selected Chloe Sutton of Mission Viejo, California and Kirsten Groome of Shreveport, Louisiana to represent the USA at the second and last Olympic 10K qualification race on May 31st in Beijing. This event is formally called the Good Luck Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Marathon Swimming Qualification.
What makes this qualification race so intriguing is the fact that each country can only qualify one athlete. That is, either Chloe or Kirsten will go to the Olympics as the sole American athlete in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.
In head-to-head competitions in 2007, Chloe beat Kirsten by 4 seconds in the 10K National Championships in 2007, but Kirsten beat Chloe by 8 seconds in the 10K Grand Prix and by 4 seconds in the 10K World Championship Trials.
In 2006, Kirsten won the 5K Nationals, but in 2007, Chloe won the 5K Nationals.
Chloe won the 2007 Pan American 10K Championships and 2006 Pan Pacific 10K Championships, but Kirsten won a 2007 10K FINA World Cup in Canada and was touched out by world champion Larisa Ilchenko in a 2008 10K FINA World Cup in Brazil.
It will be an incredible "race-within-a-race". Best wishes to both fine young ladies!
Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association
1 comment:
GOOOOOOOO CHLOE!!!!! I have seen her interviewed she seems so sharp and cute for such a young girl. I think if she makes it this will take Open Water Swimming to a whole new level with the public. She could transend the swimming world with her story.
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