And The Winner Is...

We are now accepting nominations for the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year. We have covered events, trends, athletes (young, not-so-young, Olympic and not-so-fast), coaches, administrators, race promoters, solo swims and relays in over 50 countries in 2009 and the number of worthy individuals are too numerous to count.

But the world of open water swimming is too large and growing too fast for us to cover everything. Therefore, your suggestions are greatly appreciated.

The purpose of the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year award is to recognize individuals who represent all that is good with open water swimming.

Please email your recommendations to headcoach@10Kswim.com.

As voted by our readers, the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year was Edith van Dijk of the Netherlands who edged out Marcia Cleveland of Chicago, USA. Edith did it all: a mother, an Olympian, a six-time world champion, a top pro marathon swimmer and an English Channel swimmer with a doctorate in economics and a movie credit to boot.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

Edith van Dijk, World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year

Thank you very much for voting for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year and the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year. Your participation was greatly appreciated.

The purpose of the poll was to recognize all the nominees who, in turn, represent all that is good with open water swimming and its enthusiasts.

The nominees from 11 countries (America, Australia, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and the U.K.) ranged from world-class teenage swimmers to administrators who have guided the sport for decades.

As voted by our readers, the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year is Edith van Dijk of the Netherlands who edged out Marcia Cleveland of Chicago.




Like a classic 25K race, the two women were always among the leaders from the start. They remained a great pace throughout the polling period and were neck-and-neck week-in and week-out. Towards the end, voters enabled Edith to cap off the Olympic year with a closing surge, just as she has done so many times throughout her athletic career at major international competitions.

Edith van Dijk has done it all: a mother (shown with her daughter and a competitor above), an Olympian, a six-time world champion, a top pro marathon swimmer, a competitive pool swimmer and an English Channel swimmer with a doctorate in economics and a movie credit to boot.

As she announced her retirement at the 2008 European Open Water Swimming Championships, the sport will miss this woman of stature and remarkable abilities.

Congratulations, Edith. The global open water swimming community salutes you and your fellow nominees.

Taking It All In

It is certainly a good year for aquatic athletes. Many know Michael Phelps was recently selected as Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Similar to his fellow Dutch open water swimmer, Edith van Dijk who won the Dutch Female Sporter of the Year in 2005, Maarten van der Weijden has been nominated for the prestigious award Dutch Male Sporter of the Year in 2008. The Netherlands Olympic Committee will give the Jaap Eden Sports Awards in a gala in Amsterdam on December 16th.

After his unbelievably inspirational and courageous efforts at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships in Sevilla, Spain where he won the 25K championships, and his gold medal performance in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, the post-Olympic acclaim has been nearly non-stop for Maarten.

Photo by Pei Qingsheng shows Maarten patiently taking a good long drink during the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim where Maarten's methodical and tactical approach to preparation, hydration, drafting, positioning around the turn buoys and his tremendous final sprint led to the ultimate athletic success.

The Doctor of Open Water Swimming – Edith van Dijk

Edith van Dijk has done it all: a mother, an Olympian, a six-time world champion, a pro marathon swimmer, a competitive pool swimmer and an English Channel swimmer with a doctorate in economics and a movie credit to boot.



She was honored as the World Open Water Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine and received the prestigious Dutch Female Sporter of the Year in 2005 (Jaap Eden Sports Awards) based on an impressive week of work at the 2005 World Swimming Championships in Montreal where she won the bronze in the 5K and a gold in the 10K and 25K races.

Edith’s coach also happens to be her husband and fellow English Channel swimmer, Hans van Goor. Note: Hans not only holds the Dutch record for the English Channel in 8 hours and 2 minutes, but also the family record as Edith swam the Channel in 9 hours and 8 minutes.

Her open water swimming career started at the famous Dutch lake Ijsselmeermarathon and has taken her to Austria, Hawaii, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Perth, Montreal, China and many other places in between.

In 2008, after finishing 14th in at the Olympics as a come-back 35-year-old with child, Edith placed 4th in the 5K, 4th in the 10K (only 3.1 seconds behind champion Larisa Ilchenko) and tied for 4th in the 25K at the European Open Water Swimming Championships. These results are as a testament to her versatility and passion for the sport. As she announced her retirement at the European championships, the sport will miss this woman of stature and remarkable abilities.

Information on the other 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year nominees can be found here. Details on the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year nominees can be found here.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year

The World Open Water Swimming Association will conduct a poll to select the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year and the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year on January 1, 2009. These awards will be based on the poll posted here (to the left) at Open Water Source.

These awards are not necessarily for the best athlete, but are meant to honor the man and woman who (1) best embody the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) have most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2008.

The top vote-getters in each region will also be honored as the 2008 Asia/Oceania Open Water Swimming Person of the Year, the 2008 European Open Water Swimming Person of the Year and the 2008 Americas Open Water Swimming Person of the Year.

You can vote for two athletes: one male and one female.

While all these individuals have enjoyed remarkable careers in the sport of open water swimming as athletes, coaches, promoters, writers, directors and/or administrators, please vote your choice based on their achievements during 2008.

The 11 female nominees, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:

1. Marcia Cleveland (USA), Administrator, Promoter and Coach:

Marcia is the long-time Chair of the US Masters Swimming (USMS) Open Water & Long Distance Committee, a member of the USMS History & Archives Committee, and a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, devoting thousands of hours in 2008 to developing the sport of open water swimming. She is the chief administrator for the annual USMS national championship events, including the 1 Mile Open Water Championships,
2 Mile Open Water Championships, 2-Mile Cable Championships, 5K Mile Open Water Championships, 10K Open Water Championships, 25K Open Water Championships, 1-hour Postal Championships, 5K and 10K Postal Championships, and the 3000/6000 Yard Postal Championships. She also offers coaching and clinics for open water swimmers, many in response to the publication of the second edition of her popular book, Dover Solo: Swimming the English Channel book. She navigated innumerable key issues in the sport during 2008 including the use of wetsuits and high-tech swim suits in USMS competitions. As married mother of two, she also made time to complete an unprecedented 12 hour and 49 minute 40K (25-mile) Chicago Skyline Swim.

2. Natalie du Toit (South Africa), Inspirational Athlete and Spokeswoman:

Natalie deservedly gained global fame when she became the first amputee to qualify for an Olympic final among able-bodied athletes. Despite an admittedly disappointing 16th-place finish in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, she captured the hearts of fans around the world in 2008. She carried the flag for South Africa at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2008 Paralympics and was the feature of touching tributes from the U.S. (by NBC) to South Africa (SuperSport and ESPN Africa) to Japan (Fuji TV). She was fourth in the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships in the 10K marathon swim that served as the pressure-packed Olympic qualification race. Selected as one of the Top 100 Athletes to Watch by Time Magazine, she also spent innumerable hours giving speeches and providing motivation to many, never complaining or making excuses for her disability while smiling and sharing good times with her teammates, competitors and fans.
[Photo by The Rapport]

3. Jennifer Figge (USA), Atlantic Ocean Adventurer:

A 56-year-old gregarious mother training for a 2,100 solo swim odyssey across the Atlantic Ocean is unprecedented. Her remarkable confidence in herself convinced a pilot and his crew to spend over two months at sea and a land-based support team to assist her. Jennifer starts on December 1 and, although she will not be finished within calendar year 2008, her audacity to even attempt a solo swim from the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa to Barbados is worthy of attention and wonder. Throughout the months of December and January, and possibly into February, she will be swimming 6-8 hours per day in a shark cage and then resting on her escort boat that will float as the currents allow. The distance and time swum will be carefully logged and monitored by GPS online for all to see. Whether or not she completes her goal, the extreme nature of her marathon swim requires tremendous guts just to start and head off swimming to another continent.

4. Larisa Ilchenko (Russia), Olympic Champion:

Larisa completely dominated the world of open water swimming and every event she participated in 2008. Her aggressive racing strategy culminated in an exciting come-from-behind victory in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the Beijing Olympics. In addition to her Olympic gold-medal performance, Larisa won the European Open Water Swimming Championships in the 10K and FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup races in Singapore, Hong Kong, Cancun (Mexico) and Santos (Brazil). No matter what the venue, competition or conditions, Larisa comes through at the end with her classic trademark finish. Her dominance as an athlete can be compared to many greats in other eras and in other sports, from Steffi Graf in tennis to Nadia Comaneci in gymnastics.
[Photo by Pei Qingsheng]

5. Britta Kamrau (Germany), Professional Swimmer:

Britta shockingly did not qualify for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in early 2008, but like a true competitor, she came back from that loss. She went on to win the 15K Sumidero Canyon Swimming Marathon (Mexico) FINA Grand Prix and the $10,000 winner-take-all RCP Tiburon Mile, the world’s richest pro race. Britta also finished 2nd in the 32K Traversée Internationale du lac St-Jean (Canada) FINA Grand Prix, 3rd in the 19K Sabac Swim Marathon (Serbia) FINA Grand Prix, 3rd in the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup in Cancun (Mexico), and competed in FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cups in Hong Kong and Shantou (China) and the 36K Marathon Del Golfo Capri-Napoli (Italy) FINA Grand Prix. She also captured a silver in the 5K individual, bronze in the 5K team trial and silver in the 25K races at the European Open Water Swimming Championships in Croatia. A versatile competitor who can swim well in both cold and warm water conditions, Britta continues to represent her sport in a professional manner.

6. Angela Maurer (Germany), Professional Swimmer and Mother:

After retiring and giving birth to her first child, Angela learned that open water swimming was added to the Olympics. Determined to represent her country, Angela began a comeback and finished a remarkable fourth, only 0.9 seconds from a bronze, in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. In a sport dominated by teenagers, Angela won the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup in Lac St-Jean, finished 2nd at the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cups in Cancun (Mexico) and Setubal (Portugal), and finished 3rd at the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cups in Singapore and Shantou (China). Incredibly, after focusing on the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, Angela continued to travel the world and won the overall FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup series at the age of 34.

7. Sandy Neilson-Bell (USA), Race Director and Promoter:

Together with her renowned husband Dr. Keith Bell, Sandy co-developed the very successful and innovative open water swimming events of the American Swimming Association. The races in 2008 included the Money Box Cap 2K, the 12-mile Lake Travis Relay, the Open Water Texas High School State Championships, Volente Beach Open Water Family Gala, Highland Lakes Challenge, Dam 5K, ASA Open Water Collegiate National Championships, Quarries Open Water Festival and the Polar Bear Swim. The 1972 Olympic triple gold medal sprinter made a comeback in the 1980’s by getting re-invigorated with open water training and competitions. Channeling this energy in race creation, promotion and management, Sandy and her long-distance loving husband jumped into open water swimming with a fresh perspective, a deep love of the sport and heartfelt concern for athletes, offering an open water swimming oasis among the rolling hill country of Texas.

8. Penny Palfrey (Australia), Marathon Swimming Adventurer:

A 46-year-old dynamo and a small business owner, Penny had a tremendous year in 2008 starting off with a 3rd in the 19K Rottnest Channel Swim in western Australia only a few months after a major operation. She continued to build strength and won the 39K (24 miles) Tampa Bay Marathon Swim in Florida, only 10 minutes slower than the overall record held by a man. In July, after yet another round-trip to her home in Australia, Penny returned to defend her title at the 48K (28.5 miles) Manhattan Island Marathon Swim where she got 2nd overall as the first woman. Later, she became the first person to swim 45K (24 nautical miles) across the shark-infested Santa Barbara Channel from San Miguel Island to the California mainland, taking 11 hours and 29 minutes to fight against stiff winds and cold water. For good measure and together with her husband Chris, Penny also completed an unprecedented 10K swim in the often rough channel between the islands of Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz way off the California coast. Given the number of air miles required to do these swims and her versatility to swim well in both warm and cold water and in the roughest conditions possible, Penny is the epitome of a great marathon swimmer totally committed to the sport.

9. Shelley Taylor-Smith (Australia), Passionate Promoter and Global Administrator:

2008 was the year that culminated in Shelley’s three-decade dream to bring open water swimming to the Olympics. As the Honorary Secretary of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, Shelley was instrumental in planning and pulling off the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. With attention to detail and a passion characteristic of a seven-time world marathon swimming champion, Shelley traveled the world to plan, promote and oversee the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. In addition, Shelley participated in the 19K Rottnest Channel Swim and the Eco West Coast 1000 as a swimmer. As a FINA representative, she participated in the FINA Extraordinary Congress in the U.K. to review and approve FINA open water swimming rules, the FINA Referees and Officials Clinic in Indonesia, the World Open Water Swimming Championships in Spain and the Olympic 10K Qualification Swim in Beijing, the FINA Referees and Open Water Swimming Clinic in China, the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cups in Hong Kong and Singapore, the Asian Beach Games in Indonesia. As a tribute to all her efforts in 2008 and throughout her career, Shelley was honored by the International Swimming Hall of Fame for achievements in marathon swimming and received the Davids-Wheeler Award for contributions to the sport of marathon swimming.

10. Edith van Dijk (Netherlands), Open Water Swimming Legend:

Based on her remarkable career as multiple world champion in the 10K and 25K distances, expectations were high for Edith in 2008 when she came back from retirement after giving birth to her daughter. Ever gracious with her time and courtly in her demeanor, Edith started her comeback at the 57K Maraton Acuatica Rio Coronda FINA Grand Prix (Argentina) where she got second in 8 hours and 29 minutes. She followed up this valient comeback by qualifying for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim and taking silver in the 25K at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships. After finishing 14th in at the Olympics, Edith placed 4th in the 5K, 4th in the 10K (only 3.1 seconds behind Larisa Ilchenko) and tied for 4th in the 25K at the European Open Water Swimming Championships as a testament to her versatility and passion for the sport. As she announced her retirement after the European championships, the sport will miss this woman of stature and remarkable abilities.

11. Zhang “Vivien” Liang (China), Beijing Olympic Volunteer Extraordinaire:

Vivien was everywhere before, during and after the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing. The amazingly patient and professional bilingual interpreter tirelessly kept the FINA delegation, ambitious athletes from 28 countries, anxious coaches, impatient administrators and high-strung media representatives up-to-date and informed about the Olympic 10K Qualification Swim in June and the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim during the Beijing Olympics. With very little room for error, Vivien had to balance the expectations of the open water swimming community with the needs of the world’s media, Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee executives and the International Olympic Committee members. Her translation skills and disarming smile went a long way in resolving issues to everyone’s satisfaction and making everyone feel the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim was an outstanding event.
[Photo of Vivien with the FINA President Mustapha Larfaoui]

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

European Swimmers of the Meet Honors

Edith van Dijk and Thomas Lurz won Swimmer of the Meet honors at the recently concluded 2008 European Open Water Swimming Championships in Croatia.

It was a fitting tribute to the 35-year-old van Dijk after an illustrious career dating back to 1993. van Dijk and Lurz were given an OMEGA watch. OMEGA is one of LEN's sponsors and suppliers.

van Dijk narrowly missed a medal in all three individual events (5K, 10K and 25K) finishing fourth in all three.

Lurz immeadiately left for Lake Windermere in England to participate in the Great North Swim) after winning to the 10K and 2 bronze medals in the 5K time trial and 5K team event in Croatia.

In the team standings, Italy won with 182 points followed by Russia (176), Germany (154), Spain (132), Netherlands (94) and France (69).

Photos of Edith van Dijk (with daughter) and Italy's victorious open water swimming team taken by Giorgio Scala of Deep Blue Media.

Handing Over the Reins to the Next Generation

After a wonderful week of competition in Croatia, including new 5K time trials, the weather turned on the female 25K swimmers leading the LEN organizers to move the original 25K course in the Bay (see photo on left) to a more sheltered alternative 5K course in Dubrovacka Bay (see course below) on late Saturday evening.

But conditions were still rough.

Britta Kamrau-Corestein of Germany who finished strongly to capture silver in 5:39:00.2 said, "I wanted to give up after two laps because the water was so cold. When the leading group increased the pace at the last turn, I mentally said goodbye to the leaders and thought I missed it. I can’t believe that I did enough for winning silver. That’s a great conclusion of the European Championships for me."

Russia's Anna Uvarova who outsprinted Italy's Martina Grimaldi and the Netherlands' Edith van Dijk for bronze in 5:39:06.6 said, "The water was terribly cold and it was very windy. It was my tactics to swim four laps together with the leading group and then increase the pace. The tactics were right, because I’m not really a 25K swimmer, it’s simply too long for me."

van Dijk's customary position on the awards podium was taken by newcomer Margarita Dominguez of Spain who won in 5:38:35.3sec. "It was my first-ever 25K race. I prefer the circuit-type race course. When I saw the men’s 25K course, I really was a bit scared. At the last turn we were a group of three, Grimaldi, van Dijk and myself. I managed to accelerate about 800 meters from the finish line and kept my lead."

Grimaldi and van Dijk were timed together in 5:39:18.0. As a tribute to her outstanding performances, van Dijk, who was awarded the Best Swimmer of the Competition by LEN. van Dijk finished fourth for the third time in the European Open Water Swimming Championships. In the 5K race, the 10K race and today's 25K race, van Dijk finished fourth each time. A remarkable achievement for a remarkable athlete and mother.

From IJseselmeermarathon to Motherhood and Beijing

Edith van Dijk will officially retire from competitive swimming on Sunday after the 25K race at the European Open Water Swimming Championships in Croatia.

Back in 2005 after the most dominating performance at a FINA world championships where she won a gold in the 25K, a gold in the 10K and a bronze in the 5K, Edith retired for the first time - because she was pregnant. But, after giving birth to her daughter Rosanna and learning that open water swimming was added to the Olympics, Edith returned. "The Olympics hold much attraction for me," she said before finishing a respectible 14th in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing.

After her first marathon swim in the famous IJsselmeermarathon swim in Holland in 1990, she became a force on the professional marathon swimming circuit from 1993 to her dominating performance in the 2005 World Swimming Championships in Montreal.

Along the way, she crossed the English Channel, appeared in an Argentinian documentary where she played herself, obtained a Doctorate in Economy from Erasmus University in Rotterdam and was selected as the Dutch Sport Female of the Year in 2005.

We'll certainly miss this great athlete who has always presented herself with a wonderful mix of elegance, intelligence, respect for the sport and her competitors and a world-class competitive spirit.

Photo of Edith and her daughter on the 25K awards podium at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships in Seville. Photo taken by Javier Blazquez.

European 5K Champion in New Format

Rachele Bruni of Italy handily won the women's 5K in 58:50.7 in the new racing fomat at the European Open Water Championships over Germany's Britta Kamrau-Corestein (59:16.1) and Italy's Alice Franco (59:30.0).

The 17-year-old Bruni is a 2-time European junior bronze medallist (in 2007 and 2008). "I was confident to finish among the top six. We have especially trained for this event. I especially prepared for this time trial event. We trained three times a week in the sea, each swimmer on his own. I was confident that I would finish among the top six."

Silver medalist Britta Kamrau-Corestein was also pleased with the new system where swimmers start one minute apart. "It was a lot of fun. The time trial is still a bit unusual, but it was a lot of fun and finished with a great success for me at my first ever participation in such a racing system. I was positively excited before the race, and the waiting for the others to finish also was nerve-racking. I could hardly see anything swimming against the sun on the first 2.5K to the turning buoy. But by then I had already caught up with Nadine Pastor who then supported me on the last leg to the finish."

The 35-year-old Edith van Dijk finished fourth in 1:00:7.3 and announced her retirement from the elite racing. "These Championships are definitely my last. I’ll retire from high-performance sport after Dubrovnik."

Because the swimmers started separately, aggressive pack swimming was not an issue. "This is a fantastic start to these European Championships for Italy. I like this new time trial format very much, because you are swimming alone and have to do your own race and to decide the correct route by yourself," said bronze medalist Franco.

Upper photo of Alice Franco (left) and Rachele Bruni (right) taken by Giorgio Scala of Deepbluemedia.

Lower photo of Jana Pechanova of the Czech Republic as she dives into the Old Harbor of Dubrovnik taken by Giorgio Scala of Deepbluemedia.

European Open Water Swimming Championships

111 top swimmers from 22 countries (Austria, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine) will compete in this week's 11th European Open Water Championships in Dubrovnik, Croatia from September 9-14.

"It seems as if September is a good time for a European Championship," said LEN Secretary Sven-Egil Folvik at the opening press conference in Dubrovnik’s City Hall on Monday.

The 5K race will be held for the first time as a time trial. As in cycling, the swimmers will start in one minute intervals. "We had to do something to save the 5K event, because both the 5K and the 10K have always been tactical races which were decided in a sprint finish. There can’t be any tactical moves in 5K time trial. You simply have to swim at full speed from start to finish," explained Swiss Flavio Bomio, the Chairman of the LEN Technical Open Water Swimming Committee.

The 5K team event will also make its debut in Dubrovnik. Each of the 18 national teams will consist of three athletes, either two men and one woman or two women and one man. The teams will also start in 1-minute intervals. "The 3rd individual time is valid for the ranking. So the team has to work and to swim together," said Bomio.

The European Open Water Championships include 10K and 25K races with many Olympic 10K swimmers also participating, including gold medalist Larisa Ilchenko and bronze medalists Thomas Lurz of Germany and Cassandra Patten of England, and multiple-time world champion Edith van Dijk.

Thomas Lurz has won 6 world titles and will try to retain his 2006 title in the 10K. Tough competitors will come from Russia's Evgeny Drattsev (5th in the Olympic 10K) and Yuri Koudinov, Italy’s Valerio Cleri (4th in Beijing) and Simone Ercoli, as well as Greece’s Spyridon Giannitios and Bulgaria's Petar Stoychev.

The schedule is as follows:
September 9th: women's 5K (10 am start time) and the men's 10K (4 pm start time).
September 10th: women's 10K and the men's 5K (both start at 10 am).
September 11th: team 5K.
September 12th: open forum for managers, coaches, swimmers, officials and Technical Open Water Swimming Committee members.
September 13th: men's 25K.
September 14th: women's 25K.

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame 2008 Class

The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame welcomed 8 inductees to its 2008 class including Edith van Dijk of the Netherlands (swimmer).

Edith was named Swimming World Magazine’s World Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year five times. Between 1995 and 2005, she won two silver medals at the 25K European Championships and two gold medals at the Potsdam 10K and 25K European Championships. She competed at every FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships from 1998 to 2005, winning the 2000 25K championship in Honolulu, the 2002 25K championship in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the 2003 25K championship in Barcelona and the 2005 25K championships n Montreal. She won silver medals in the 2001 25K championships and the 2004 25K championships in Dubai. She won a total of 14 World Championship medals, including six golds. She won the FINA World Cup Series in 2000, 2001 and 2005 and won professional races of 57K in Argentina, 30K in Macedonia, 32K in Traversee Internationale du Lac St-Jean in Canada and 34K Traversee Internationale du Lac Memphremagog in Canada and 10K races n London and the Suez Canal. Edith is the Dutch national record holder for the 10K and swam the English Channel in 9 hours in 2003.

Numbers of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swimmers

FINA officials conducted a random drawing and assigned the following numbers and start positions of the women'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.


1 - Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
2 - Cassandra Patten, Great Britain
3 - Eva Berglund, Sweden
4 - Yurema Requena, Spain
5 - Antonella Bogarin, Argentina
6 - Andreina Pinto, Venezuela
7 - Kristel Kobrich, Chile
8 - Teja Zupan, Slovenija
9 - Yanqiao Fang, China
10 - Imelda Martinez, Mexico
11 - Aurelie Muller, France
12 - Larisa Ilchenko, Russia
13 - Nataliya Samorodina, Ukraine
14 - Melissa Gorman, Australia
15 - Swann Oberson, Switzerland
16 - Jana Pechanova, Czech Republic
17 - Marianna Lymperia, Greece
18 - Angela Maurer, Germany
19 - Chloe Sutton, USA
20 Poliana Okimoto, Brazil
21 - Keri-Anne Payne, Great Britain
22 - Daniela Inacio, Portugal
23 - Natalie du Toit, South Africa
24 - Martina Grimaldi, Italy
25 - Edith van Dijk of the Netherlands

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Marathon Swim like the Marathon Run?

In Beijing, Constantina Diṭă-Tomescu of Romania won the Marathon Run in 2:26:44, finishing comfortably head of the rest of the field. Constantina made a strong surge before half to create separation between herself and the lead pack. As the race went on, Constantina continued her pace and dominated the field, becoming the oldest marathon run winner in Olympic history, male or female.

Does the 35-year-old Edith van Dijk or the 33-year-old Angela Maurer have the the same potential to pull a "Constantina" or a "Dara Torres" in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim today?

Photo of Edith van Dijk.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Heading to the Competition

An undefeated Russian (Larisa Ilchenko), two mothers out of retirement (Angela Maurer and Edith van Dijk), one of the world's most famous amputees (Natalie du Toit), a British duo who will take it out fast (Cassandra Patten and Keri-Anne Payne), a young American (Chloe Sutton) and several others from Brazil to Spain are waking up now and will soon be heading to breakfast and a warm-up before the most important swim of their lives: the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. The next posting will come just before the competition starts.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Grand Ladies of the Pool and Open Water

The Grand Dame of Swimming, Dara Torres qualified first for the women’s 50-meter freestyle finals today in Beijing to join Germany’s Angela Maurer and Dutch Edith van Dijk as the only unretired-over-30-mother-with-child athletes to qualify for the swimming Olympic finals.

Stay tuned to see how Dara, the amazing 41-year-old heroine, does in the 50-meter freestyle finals tomorrow and how Angela and Edith do in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim finals on August 19th (US time).

Watch the Entire Women's Olympic 10K Race Live on NBC

NBC Olympics will webcast the entire women's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim on NBCOlympics.com at 9:00 pm ET on August 19th. The live webcast will include a pre-race show, running commentary and post-race analysis with comments from the athletes, FINA officials and the coaches on the feeding stations.

Watch Chloe Sutton take on her open water swimming rivals from Russia to Brazil including:

• Larisa Ilchenko
• Cassandra Patten
• Yurema Requena
• Natalie du Toit
• Poliana Okimoto
• Keri-Anne Payne
• Angela Maurer
• Edith van Dijk
• Jana Pechanova

Two mothers, an undefeated Russia, a Paralympian from South Africa, a British duo who are going to take it out fast and several others from Brazil to Spain all with their eyes on the gold...it will be a race to remember.

The Mamas and The Papas

Although several teenagers qualified for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, there are 2 mothers and 3 fathers who also qualified for the historic event. We previously reported incorrectly that there was only one father (Petar Stoychev) and two mothers (Angela Maurer and Edith van Dijk).

However, in addition to Petar, Angela and Edith who are all pulling double-duty as parents and world-class athletes, the top open water swimmer from the Czech Republic Rostislav Vitek (shown on left) and France's Gilles Rondy are also proud fathers of young children.

A French-language interview of Rondy is here.

Photo by Javier Blazquez of Edith with her daughter after winning a bronze medal in the 25K World Open Water Championships in Seville.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Mobile Open Water Swimming Alerts

The Pacific Open Water Challenge organizer offers free Mobile Open Water Swimming Alerts to anyone who signs up at Pacific Open Water Challenge.


The Mobile Open Water Alerts provides interesting insider information on open water swimming delivered daily to your mobile phone via text messages.

Last week, these are a few of the Mobile Open Water Alerts that were delivered:

Open Water Swimming Heroes: The top 10K swimmers are currently training in Asia (Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia) as they prepare for Beijing's heat & humidity.

Open Water Swimming Heroes: Time Magazine had 3 open water swimmers in its Top 100 Athletes to Watch in Beijing with Mark Warkentin, Vladimir Dyatchin, Natalie du Toit.

Beijing Olympics: Pollution is terrible at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim venue according to first-hand reports. One can't see from one end to the other.

Racing Tips: Quote from an open water swimmer: "It's like swimming in a pack of piranhas with all the kicking, elbowing and scratches to prove it"

Beijing Olympics: Many Olympic 10K swimmers are training in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Korea in order to prepare for Beijing's heat and humidity

Open Water Heroes: Of the 25 athletes who will swim the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, there is one father (Petar Stoychev of Bulgaria) who qualified.

Open Water Heroes: Of the 25 athletes in the women's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, there are 2 mothers entered (Edith van Dijk and Angela Maurer).

Open Water Heroes: Of the 50 athletes entered in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, only Petar Stoychev & Edith van Dijk have crossed the English Channel.

Races around the World: 7 Olympians who have collectively won 8 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze medals will compete in the 18K Fiji inter-island relay this week.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Preparations

Other than the $25,000 winner-take-all prize for the 1927 Catalina Channel race, the Canadian National Exhibition swims, or Gertrude Ederle's 1926 crossing of the English Channel when she was given one of the greatest ticker-tape parades ever in New York City, winning the gold medal at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing will arguably have the greatest monetary affect on any open water swimmer to date.

Where are the Olympic 10K athletes training for this epic race?

Natalie du Toit is working out in South Korea with her South African pool teammates.

Poliana Okimoto of Brazil has prepared herself in Flagstaff, Arizona at the Northern Arizona University, specifically for altitude training.

Maarten van der Weijden and Edith van Dijk are working out in Hong Kong with their Dutch teammates.

Australia's Ky Hurst, who just came off of a two-week training camp with Grant Hackett is now in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia training under the heat and humidity that the 10K swimmers expect in Beijing.

Great Britain's David Davies is in Osaka, Japan for the British's pre-Olympic training camp.

Mark Warkentin is in Singapore with his Olympic pool teammates, getting prepared like Hurst under the hot and humid conditions of Singapore.

Russia's Vladimir Dyatchin, Larisa Ilchenko, and Evgeny Drattsev are staying at their home training base close to Moscow. The favored Russians are fine-tuning their preparations with a combination of scientific testing and technique and tactic work until leaving to Beijing on August 13.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Who's Who in the Olympic 10K Swim - The Women

When the world's best female open water swimmers are introduced to the Olympic crowds in Beijing, here are the bios of the stars:

• Larisa Ilchenko: 19 of Russia, has won the last five 5K world championships and the last three 10K world championships. Larisa is considered to be the fastest and best 10K swimmer in the world and is the favorite in the women’s Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. Larisa was chosen as the 2006 and 2007 World Open Water Swimmer of the Year.

• Cassandra Patten: 21 of Great Britain, won a silver medal at both the 2007 and 2008 10K world championships, in very close races with Larisa Ilchenko. Cassandra is also swimming the 800-meter freestyle in the pool in Beijing.

• Yurema Requena: 24 of Spain, qualified third at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships and has been a consistently top finisher at the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup and FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix professional circuits.

• Natalie du Toit: 24 of South Africa, qualified fourth at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships. She is the first ambutee to qualify to compete against able-bodied athletes in an Olympic finals. She won a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle at the 2003 All-Africa Games and a silver medal in the 800-meter freestyle and a bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games.

• Poliana Okimoto: 25 of Brazil, qualified sixth at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships and was ranked third on the 2007 FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit. Poliana won 2 silver medals in the 2006 5K and 10K world championships and a silver medal in the 2007 Pan American Games 10K race.

• Keri-Anne Payne: 18 of Great Britain, qualified eighth and is also swimming the 200-meter individual medley and the 400-meter individual medley at the Beijing Olympics. In 2004, Keri-Anne won the 400-meter freestyle at the European Short-Course Championships.

• Chloe Sutton: 16 of the USA, won a bronze medal in the 2008 5K world championships, a gold medal at the 2007 London FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup and a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games 10K. Chloe won the second Olympic 10K qualification race in Beijing.

• Angela Maurer: 33 of Germany, won the silver medal in the 2003 10K world championships, a bronze medal in the 2001 25K world championships, a bronze medal in the 2003 25K world championships. She has also won the gold medal in the 2006 10K and 25K European championships and the 2007 FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup series. Angela is a mother of one child and came out of retirement to qualify for the Beijing Olympics (a la Dara Torres).

• Edith van Dijk: 35 of the Netherlands, has the most experience of any swimmer in the field. She won 7 gold medals in the 2000 10K world championships, 2000 25K world championships, 2002 25K world championships, 2003 25K world championships, 2003 25K world championships, 2005 10K world championships and 2005 25K world championships. She won 5 silver medals in the 1998 5K world championships, 2001 25K world championships, 2002 5K world championships, 2004 25K world championships and 2008 25K world championships. She also won 4 bronze medals at the 1998 25K world championships, 2001 10K world championships, 2003 10K world championships and 2005 5K world championships. Edith was selected as the 2005 World Open Water Swimmer of the Year. Like Dara Torres and Angela Maurer, Edith is also a mother of a young daughter and came out of retirement to qualify for the Beijing OIympics.

• Jana Pechanova: 27 of the Czech Republic, qualified fifth at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships. Jana has been a top FINA Open Water Swimming World Cup and FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix finisher for several years. She won the bronze in the 2006 5K and 10K European championships. Jana was seventh in the 2007 10K world championships and fifth in the 2007 5K world championships.

Two mothers, an undefeated Russia, a Paralympian from South Africa, a pair of Brits, a young American and several others from Brazil to Spain all with eyes on the gold...it will be a race to remember.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association