Lurz Holds On For World Championship Gold

Thomas Lurz who last won the world 5K championship in 2005, swam solidly to capture another world championship gold medal.

Under near perfect conditions after days of strong winds, Thomas proved why he is one of the most successful open water swimmers today: He sat back in the pack when necessary, he took the lead when the opportunity presented itself, he made a surge to create separation and he closed with a strong sprint on the first day of open water swimming in Ostia, Italy.

Swimming World Magazine's article on the race is here.

The official results are as follows:

GOLD: Thomas Lurz, GER: 56:26.9
SILVER: Spyridon Gianniotis, GRE: 56:27.2
BRONZE: Chad Ho, RSA: 56:41.9
4. Luca Ferritti, ITA: 56:44.3
5. Andrew Gemmell, USA: 56:44.9
6. Loic Branda, FRA: 56:47.0
7. Francis Crippen, USA: 56:47.1
8. Diego Nogueira Montero, ESP: 56:47.2
9. Simone Ruffini, ITA: 56:47.3
10. Francisco Jose Hervas, ESP: 56:47.9
10. Vladimir Dyatchin, RUS: 56:47.9
12. Evgeny Drattsev, RUS: 56:48.5
13. Andrew Beato, AUS: 56:52.4
14. Rodrigo Elorza, MEX: 56:55.3
15. Csaba Gercsak, HUN: 57:07.1
16. Trent Grimsey, AUS: 57:07.2
17. Jan Posmourny, CZE: 57:07.8
18. Julien Sauvage, FRA: 57:09.6
19. Luiz Eduardo Lima, BRA: 57:11.1
20. Jakub Fichtl, CZE: 57:21.1
21. Jan Wolfgarten, GER: 57:31.7
22. David Creel, CAN: 57:37.1
23. Kostiantyn Ukradyga, UKR: 57:48.8
24. Richard Charlesworth, GBR: 57:57.4
25. Igor Snitko, UKR: 57:58.1
26. Luis Rogerio Arapiraca, BRA: 58:04.9
27. Daniel Viegas, POR: 58:05.0
28. Daniel Delgadillo, MEX: 58:17.7
29. Kurt Niehaus, CRC: 58:17.8
30. Esteban Enderica, ECU: 58:17.9
31. Gergely Gyurta, HUN: 58:20.8
32. Daniel Marais, RSA: 59:21.9
33. Alfie Howes, GBR: 59:36.8
34. Ivan Enderica, ECU: 59:40.1
35. Yvan Hernandez, VEN: 1:01:53.9
36. Angel Moreira, VEN: 1:01:57.1
37. Tomas Vachan, SVK: 1:02.06.8
38. Juan Prem Biere, GUA: 1:07:45.2
39. Mohammed Jassim Alghareeb, KSA: 1:07.49.8
Orel Jeffrey, ANT: Over time limit
Kareem Valentine, ANT: Over time limit

Open Water Gladiators Ready To Go

The men's 5K field at the World Swimming Championships was revised for tomorrow's world championships in Ostia, Italy. The 42 competitors' race numbers are noted below for the 11:00 am start time.

Chad Ho, the youngest swimmer in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the age of 17, was typical of the men, "I am ready to go. I'm anxious to start."

His enthusiasm was echoed by one of the pre-race favorities and Olympic 10K Marathon Swim bronze medalist Thomas Lurz, "I feel good. I am ready. [The race course] looks good."

Televised live in Europe via Rai TV and covered live via Twitter with thousands more lining the beach, the attention paid to the open water gladiators will be plentiful.

1. Orei Jeffrey (ANT)
2. Kareem Valentine (ANT)
3. Andrew Beato (AUS)
5. Trent Grimsey (AUS)
10. Luis Rogerio Arapiraca (BRA)
12. Luiz Eduardo Lima (BRA
16. David Creel (CAN)
17. Philippe Dubreuil (CAN)
19. Kurt Niehaus (CRC)
22. Jakub Fichtl (CZE)
23. Jan Posmourny (CZE)
26. Esteban Enderica (ECU)
27. Ivan Enderica (ECU)
30. Francisco Jose Hervas (ESP)
31. Diego Nogueira Montero (ESP)
32. Loic Branda (FRA)
34. Julien Sauvage (FRA)
36. Richard Charlesworth (GBR)
39. Alfie Howes (GBR)
40. Thomas Lurz (GER)
42. Jan Wolfgarten (GER)
43. Antonios Fokaidis (GRE)
44. Spyridon Gianniotis (GRE)
45. Csaba Gercsak (HUN)
46. Gergely Gyurta (HUN)
52. Luca Ferretti (ITA)
53. Simone Ruffini (ITA)
54. Mohammed Jassim Alghareeb (KSA)
56. Daniel Delgadillo (MEX)
60. Andrew McMillan (NZL)
62. Daniel Viegas (POR)
63. Chad Ho (RSA)
64. Daniel Marais (RSA)
67. Evgeny Drattsev (RUS)
68. Vladimir Dyatchin (RUS)
71. Tomas Vachan (SVK)
74. Igor Snitko (UKR)
75. Kostiantyn Ukradyga (UKR)
76. Francis Crippen (USA)
77. Andrew Gemmell (USA)
80. Yvan Hernandez (VEN)
81. Angel Moreira (VEN)
82. Juan Prem Biere (GUA)

85 Years in the River

The Spar Redhouse River Mile has been going strong since 1924 as South Africa‘s oldest open water swim.



Among the entrants during the upcoming 85th edition of the Spar Redhouse River Mile will be Olympic 10K Marathon Swim finalist Chad Ho, South Africa’s dominant 1K and 3K swimmer Abdul Malick Railoun, two-time champion Byron Lockett and 76-year-old Mally Richards (shown on left), holder of the most River Miles, doing his 56th swim after having missed out on only five races since his first appearance in 1948.




More than 5,000 spectators and 1,000 participants are expected in the 85th anniversary of Africa's oldest open water swimming event. Mike Zoetmulder of Zports organizes the Spar Redhouse River Mile and has an outstanding philosophy on why he is supportive of the swim.

"Having spent several years overseas, I have witnessed how sport benefits each and every one of us. I believe that sport strengthens character and contributes to mental and physical well being. Most sports teach the lessons of teamwork, perseverance, patience and discipline. The inherent challenges promote self-confidence and self-esteem. By offering well management sports events to a wider general public, Zports seeks to bring these benefits to individuals and communities across the Eastern Cape."

"Furthermore, Zports exists to encourage and facilitate excellence. We want to provide an avenue for athletes with the talent and desire to achieve their full potential. There are individuals for whom 'full potential' means competing with the best in the world. We must encourage these individuals because they are capable of a level of excellence that can inspire all members of our nation to fulfill their own potential."

"We hope that by encouraging participation, personal challenge and the pursuit of excellence, we will foster healthier and happier individuals, stronger communities and a better country."

Upper photo by Port Elizabeth Beachfront Lodges.

Lower photo of Mally Richards courtesy of Leon Hugo.

Copyright © 2009 by Open Water Source

12 Olympians at the Midmar Mile = Amazing Photo Finish

Both the men's and women's headliner races in the world's biggest open water swim, the 36th Halfway Telkom Midmar Mile came down to the finish as 12 Olympians and 17,000+ swimmers took to open water swimming's most famous dam.




Olympic 10K Marathon Swim silver medalist Keri-Anne Payne won her fourth consecutive Midmar Mile in 18:48, 3 seconds over Nadine Pastor from Germany who swam her fourth race in four days (including a 10K on Thursday and 5K on Friday).

Hungarian Evelyn Verralzto was third, South African Melissa Corfe fourth, Britain's Cassandra Patten fifth, Britain’s Alice McCall sixth, South African Bianca Meyer seventh and Britian's Charlotte Wooliscroft. Nadine Pastor, a first-time Midmar Mile competitor, said after the race, "Honestly, I've never seen anything like it: the number of swimmers, the crowds, the organisation, and the beautiful setting."

The men's race was called only after race officials confirmed with race footage because the top finishers were so close. South African Riaan Schoeman forged ahead over the first 400 meters to forfeit the lead to Chad Ho and Hungarian David Verraszto for the next 800 meters. Defending champion Shaun Dias swam over the wrong course and was not a factor this year.

Germany’s Christian Reichert and Belgium’s Brian Ryckeman tried to surge at the end, but Schoeman and Verraszto sprinted ahead of the stellar field and both stood up to run over the finish line together. Schoeman and Verraszto could not have been closer together if they tried.

After checking and re-checking the videos and film for 45 minutes, the race officials awarded Schoeman the victory over Verraszto in 17:34 with Ho in third a second later, Reichert 2 seconds later and Ryckeman 5 seconds later. Defending champion Shaun Dias finished in seventh spot.

Schoeman summed up the race, "A few of us broke away and it turned out to be a sprint finish, it was really good."

Sam Greetham, a 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year nominee, once described the Midmar Mile in majestic terms, "Nothing I have seen comes anywhere near the Midmar Mile. Both in terms of the number of participants, tip-top organization, security and safety aspects, and the interaction between the participants and the public."

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Taking On Another Challenge

Natalie du Toit of South Africa’s qualification for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim was among the nominations for the Top Ten Open Water Swimming Moments in History.

Similar to her challenging road to Beijing, Natalie encountered obstacles, but eventually achieved success, in her final open water swim of the year in 2008.

Her December 28th victory in the 6K Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge was described as an absolutely blistering performance from an enormously inspiring athlete.

Because the weather was horrendous and ocean swells were dangerous, the event was shifted from its usual ocean location to Central Beach in Plettenberg Bay (previously referred to as ‘Bahia Formosa’ or ‘beautiful bay’ in Portuguese). Because the water was very shallow in place and Natalie can’t simply stand up to walk through the sand patches, it was a real challenge. But, she won the event in 54:35 (second overall to winning Chad Ho’s 53:45).

"Safety considerations forced us to call off the 6K and the 0.6K kid’s race, but Magnetic South pulled the rabbit out of the hat and set new courses on the Keurbooms Lagoon so the day went off without a hitch," said the Sabrina Love Foundation’s Tony Lubner. "What amazed us, though, was the number of entries that poured in: I think it’s well over a thousand - double what we had last year."

Photos by Magnetic South and Martin Hatchuel.

Olympians Meet Expectations in Africa

Chad Ho and Natalie du Toit both won the 5K open water swim at the 2008 African Swimming Championships in Johannesburg, South Africa this weekend.

In a highly anticipated showdown between the top African continental open water swimmers, Chad easily beat Egypt’s Mazen Aziz 58:39 to 1:00.56 in the 5K course in Germiston Lake.

Mazen had performed very well on the FINA World Cup circuit this year, including a win in Traversee Internacionale du Lac St-Jean, but he did not have it yesterday after a very long 2008 season. "It's been a long year of swimming," agreed Chad. "I will take a short break before focusing on my preparations towards next year's FINA World Championships to be held in Rome, Italy."



Fellow Olympian 10K’er Natalie du Toit similarly won the women’s race in 1:04:01 over South African teammate, Dominique Dryding (1:06.43) and Tunisia's Sarra Lajnef (1:10.08).

Natalie said, "The water was warm which made for great swimming conditions and I really enjoyed the swim, considering I hadn't put in the mileage that I would normally have clocked ahead of an event of this nature."

Information provided by Swimming South Africa.

Photo of Natalie at the 2007 Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge.

Both Chad and Natalie are nominees for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year and World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year awards.

Open Water Swimming in the Guinness Book of Records

The 1.2K Lorne Pier to Pub set an official Guinness World Record in the category of "most participants in an open water race" when 3,071 swimmers completed the 1998 Pier to Pub. The event has since gone on to increase its participants, but capped its maximum number at 4,000 starting in 2001.


Today, in western Australia, the inaugural 1K ECU West Coast 1000 World Record Swim will attempt to break that record by getting to the 5,000-participant mark.


Whatever event sets (or keeps) the world record, it will be hard-pressed to keep up with the amazing popularity and growth of the 36th Halfway Telkom Midmar Mile in the picturesque Kwa Zulu Natal Midlands in South Africa in February 2009.

The Midmar Mile has reached unprecedented heights by adding 5K, 10K and 25K races to the traditional 1-mile race in the Midmar Dam.

In addition to South African stars, like Chad Ho, a 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year nominee, a talented group of international stars will head over to the Midmar Mile to win the prestigious event.

Beijing Olympic 10K Marathon Swim bronze medalist and another World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year nominee Thomas Lurz will lead the international charge that will include Beijing Olympic 10K Marathon Swim silver medalist and another World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year nominee David Davies, woman’s Olympic 10K Marathon Swim silver medalist Keri-Anne Payne, Olympic 10K Marathon Swim bronze medalist Cassandra Patten, European 5K champion Spyridon Gianniotis, Hungarian Olympian 10K’er Csaba Gercsak, 2008 FINA World Cup series champion Valerio Cleri, Italian Olympian Martina Grimaldi, Italian pro swimmer Alice Franco, 7th-place finisher in the Olympic 10K Brian Ryckeman, Nika Kozamernik from Slovenia and Darija Pop from Montenegro.

For more information on the Midmar Mile, click here.

Upper photo of Spyridon Gianniotis by Giorgio Scala of Deep Blue Media. Lower photo of Keri-Anne Payne and Olympic 10K Marathon Swim bronze medalist Cassandra Patten.

Developing the Open Water Swimming Future

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

According to Swimming South Africa, over 70% of its population of 47.3 million are not proficient swimmers. Yet, similar to Australia's robust beach culture and abundance of great open water swimming events, South Africa has developed an extraordinarily dynamic and growing open water swimming system.

From the world’s largest open water swimming event, the Midmar Mile to the Swim Challenge Series, South African swimmers have plenty of domestic opportunities to develop the skills and strategies to become fierce competitors on the world’s stage.

Events like the Swim Challenge Series #5 in Ashanti Dam are typical where 400-meter, 1K, 3K, 5K and 10K swims are held.

Swimmers like Chad Ho, the youngest male swimmer in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing and a nominee for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year, can test their mettle against strong competition and then face the world.

Chad called upon the depths of his competitive spirit in 2008. Up with the leaders in the first Olympic 10K Marathon Swim qualifying swim in Spain, he was inadvertently kicked in the eye and got his cornea scratched. Quickly falling from 5th to 34th, but still finishing with a swollen and injured eye, Chad saw his Olympic dreams evaporate. Similarly, in the 2nd Olympic 10K Marathon Swim qualifying swim in Beijing, Chad was down towards the back of a 15-man pack around the last turn buoy. Calling upon reserves reminiscent of Maarten van der Weijden, Chad turned the tables in his favor this time and finished fourth to qualify for the Olympics.

It is the tough, competitive, never-say-never attitude of the South African teenager that is also reminiscent of open water swimmers worldwide. Whether it is swimming across a channel or competing in a 1K race, Chad represents the determination and perseverance that open water swimmers possess in abundance.

More details on Chad and the other nominees for the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year are posted here. Information on the World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year nominees are posted here.

Photos provided by Neville Smith.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Natalie du Toit and Chad Ho Honored

This weekend, Natalie du Toit and Chad Ho were honored at the annual Telkom Annual Aquatics Awards ceremonies.

du Toit was named Swimming South Africa's Personality of the Year through a public vote over the Internet.

17-year-old Chad Ho, the youngest male swimmer in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, was a popular choice as Open Water Swimmer of the Year. Ho came back from a terrible eye injury suffered at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships in May to finish 9th at the Beijing Olympics.

Photo of Chad Ho supplied by Neville Smith, FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee member.

Olympic 10K Marathon Swim - Men's Start List

FINA officials conducted a random drawing and assigned the following numbers and start positions of the men's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.

The lower numbers will start closest to the shore, near the stands. The higher numbers will start towards the middle of the course, away from the stands. The first turn buoy will be 150 meters from the start pontoon which means the start will be fast, furious and will definitely lead to bumping and crashing of bodies around the buoy.

1 – Allan Do Carmo, Brazil
2 - Jose Francisco Hervas, Spain
3 – Valerio Cleri, Italy
4 – Igor Chervynskiy,Ukraine
5 – Chad Ho, South Africa
6 – Thomas Lurz, Germany
7 – Tong Xin, China
8 – Brian Ryckeman, Belgium
9 – Erwin Maldonado, Venezuela
10 - David Davies, Great Britain
11 - Saleh Mohammad, Syria
12 - Arseniy Lavrentyev, Portugal
13 – Mohamed El Zanaty Metwaly Mez, Egypt
14 – Evgeny Drattsev, Russia
15 - Damian Blaum, Argentina
16 - Csaba Gercsak, Hungary
17 - Maarten van der Weijden, Netherlands
18 - Mark Warkentin, USA
19 - Rostislav Vitek, Czech Republic
20 - Vladimir Dyatchin, Russia
21 - Petar Stoychev, Bulgaria
22 - Luis Escobar, Mexico
23 - Ky Hurst, Australia
24 - Gilles Rondy, France
25 - Gianniotis Spyridon, Greece

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association