Young Men In Rough Seas

SwimNetwork posted an article about Sean Ryan and Alex Meyer's first-time experiences in a 25K race at the world championship level.

Click here to read about their experiences.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

World Championship Men's 25K Results

Rough seas call for hardy men. The world's best marathon swimmers ventured out at Ostia Beach this Saturday morning in Rome and battled amongst themselves and the windy, wavy elements.

Valerio Cleri, who placed a close fourth in the men's 10K, captured the first swimming gold for Italy with a strong closing sprint over Trent Grimsey of Australia who swam all three events in these championships (the 5K on Tuesday, the 10K on Wednesday and the 25K on Saturday). Vladimir Dyatchin of Russia, a former 5K and 10K world champion, broadened his reportoire to the 25K, taking third.

The final results are as follows:

GOLD: Valerio Cleri (ITA), 5:26:31.6
SILVER: Trent Grimsey (AUS), 5:26:50.7
BRONZE: Vladimir Dyatchin (RUS), 5:29:29.3
4. Brian Ryckeman (BEL), 5:30:18.4
5. Loic Branda (FRA), 5:30:20.9
6. Bertrand Venturi (FRA), 5:30:22.9
7. Brendan Capell (AUS), 5:30:27.5
8. Rostislav Vitek (CZE), 5:32:38.8
9. Simon Tobin Daignault (CAN), 5:34:48.2
10. Libor Smolka (CZE), 5:35:06.4
11. Sean Ryan (USA), 5:36:22.2 - shown above
12. Andrea Volpini (ITA), 5:36:37.9
13. Manual Chiu (MEX), 5:39:12.1
14. Rodrigo Elorza (MEX), 5:43:26.4
15. Danill Serebrennikov (RUS), 5:46:21.7
16. Arseniy Lavrentyev (POR), 5:48:43.0
17. Saleh Mohammad (SYR), 5:49:30.6
18 Adel El-Beharya (EGY), 5:54:00.3
Evgenji Popacev (MKD), OTL
Mohammed Jassim Alghareeb (KSA), DNF
Alex Meyer (USA), DSQ - shown above
Mazen Metwaly (EGY), DNS
Diego Nogueira Montero (ESP), DNS

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

World Championships - A Perspective By Sean Ryan

25K'er Sean Ryan of the USA Swimming national open water swim team provided us with these two first-person accounts of his experiences at the 2009 World Swimming Championships:

"Monday was a little hectic, but nice as well. We slept in this morning because we got back late from our dinner out last night (photo on left). After that, the whole day was about an hour or two off the normal schedule. It didn’t affect us too much, but the pool was a little crowded for our afternoon practice. "

"We also got in the ocean today for the first time since the venue confusion and the waves on Saturday. They did a pretty good job getting the beach ready for us to swim, but the water seemed colder than it was on Friday. "

"We had a great team meeting today and I think that all of our 5K swimmers are ready to go. We will see what the American Dream Team, as one of our Italian friends called us, can do. "

"Today (Tuesday, July 21st) was our first race day. We had Emily Brunemann and Emily Hanson swimming the women’s 5K and Fran Crippen and Andrew Gemmel swimming the men’s 5k. All of our swimmers did well and we are looking good in the team standings. "

"I warmed up on the course this morning before the women’s race and the sea was calm, no big waves or anything else to worry about. The only thing that was distracting was that there were pockets of cold and warm water. The big surprise today was the finish of the women’s race when Larisa Ilchenko of Russia was out-touched by Melissa Gorman from Australia. It was the first World Championship 5K or 10K race that Ilchenko hasn’t won since 2004. "

"The men’s race was also pretty exciting with our male swimmers doing pretty well on the world stage. Our men were in great position, but were just outmaneuvered into the finish. The overall experience was a good one, but it was very hot and when we got back we all pretty much took a well-deserved nap. "

"The rest of the day was pretty relaxed we had a practice in the afternoon then a team meeting, dinner and sleep. During that time, we were trying to get our 10K swimmers ready to swim and everything else ready to go for the race. Anyway, we will see how it goes and hopefully tomorrow we will do as well as we did today."

World Championship Men's 25K Start List

The men's 25K start list (24 individuals total) was announced by FINA for the 2009 World Swimming Championships for the 9:00 am start (Rome time) on Saturday, July 25th in Ostia Beach.

Race number, names and countries are noted below:


4. Brendan Capell (AUS)
5. Trent Grimsey (AUS)
9. Brian Ryckeman (BEL)
15. Petar Stoychev (BUL)
18. Simon Tobin-Daignault (CAN)
24. Libor Smolka (CZE)
25. Rostislav Vitek (CZE)
28. Adel El-Behary (EGY)
29. Mazen Metwaly (EGY)
31. Diego Nogueira Montero (ESP)
32. Loic Branda (FRA)
35. Bertrand Venturi (FRA)
45. Csaba Gercsak (HUN)
48. Daniel Katzir (ISR)
49. Adriano Bei (ITA)
50. Valerio Cleri (ITA)
54. Mohammed Jassim Alghareeb (KSA)
57. Rodrigo Elorza (MEX)
61. Arseniy Lavrentyev (POR)
68. Vladimir Dyatchin (RUS)
69. Danill Serebrennikov (RUS)
72. Saleh Mohammed (SYR)
78. Alex Meyer (USA)
79. Sean Ryan (USA)

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Latest Updates From The World Championships

Reporting from Rome:

1. The technical open water swimming for the 5K race will be held today and will give the swimmers an indication of what to expect on race day as the turn buoys have not yet been anchored on the course.

2. Construction continues frantically at all the World Championship facilities, but FINA and the local organizing committee expect everything to be set by opening ceremonies. Exhibitor booths are being set up, carpet is being laid, signage is being posted and paint is being laid down by hundreds of small crews.

3. Swimsuit manufacturers are nearly as frantic as FINA has mandated that their products are provided for free to all the athletes. Booths are set up to provide access to the athletes. "We will have 11 manufacturers providing swimsuits free of charge," said Cornel Marculescu, FINA's Executive Director. "It's up to the swimmers to choose which suit they want. The important thing is that there is equal conditions and availability. All of the swimsuits will have a FINA label attached to them to show they are approved."

4. Like the Olympics, athletes are coming from all over the world. "It's going to be a fantastic championships. We have the highest participation ever, with 2,600 athletes from 184 countries - plus 2,000 coaches, officials and delegates," said Cornel.

5. The open water events are held along the only public stretch of beach in Ostia, sandwiched between dozens of private beaches along the Tyrrhenian Sea where 12 euros (at a minimum) will get you an umbrella and a spot on the black sand.

6. 30 minutes to the east by train, swimming and diving will be held in permanent pools that were also used for the 1960 Olympics and 1994 World Championships (see photo on left). Two temporary pools will be used for water polo and synchronized swimming.


7. Fran Crippen, the lone veteran of the USA Swimming national open water team (see photo above), will swim the 5K and 10K with newcomers Emily Brunemann (5K and 10K), Eva Fabian (10K and 25K), Emily Hanson (5K and 25K), Andrew Gemmell (5K and 10K), Sean Ryan (25K) and Alex Meyer (25) similarly confident about their prospects at the World Championships. Their first pool workout was held in a 51.5-meter pool (due to a missing bulkhead).

8. Fans, teammates and family can follow the 5K and 10K events in real-time via Twitter - check out http://twitter.com/swimopenwater.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

American TV Coverage of Swimming

Most of the American open water swimming team competing in the 5K, 10K and 25K races in Rome at the World Swimming Championships will also compete in the USA Swimming National Championships and World Championship (pool) Trials this coming week.

NBC and Universal Sports will televise and webcast the championship events between July 7-11 from Indianapolis where Michael Phelps will be showcased in the most important pool swimming meet on American soil this year.

Universal Sports will broadcast live on Tuesday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 8, both beginning at 6:00 pm. NBC will package the remainder of the meet and broacast on Saturday, July 11 from 1–3 pm., and on Sunday, July 12 from 2-3 pm.

All the preliminary and final sessions will also be webcast live on SwimNetwork where American open water swimming stars Emily Brunemann (see above), Emily Hanson, Andrew Gemmell and Sean Ryan will compete. The television schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday, July 7: 6:00 – 8:30 pm live on Universal Sports
• Wednesday, July 8: 6:00 – 7:45 pm live on Universal Sports
• Saturday, July 11: 1:00 to 3:00 pm taped on NBC
• Sunday, July 12: 2:00 to 3:00 pm taped on NBC

Big Bank For An Open Water Buck

Like its counterparts in Australia, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, Spain and many other countries, USA Swimming invests in the development of its open water swimmers.

An effective use of resources is the annual National Open Water Select Camp where America's top distance freestylers are introduced to open water swimming.

Admittedly, after an intensive introduction to the sport, some of the athletes prefer to stick with the pool, but many athletes continue in the sport...and thrive in domestic and international competitions.

After the 2009 open water camp, we did a little analysis of the campers' performance at the 2009 World Swimming Championships Trials.

In the women's 5K race, won by 17-year-old Chloe Sutton of Mission Viejo Nadadores, the swimmers who have attended the camp placed 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th and 21st.

In the men's 5K race, won by Fran Crippen of Germantown Academy, the swimmers who attended the camp placed 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 21st, 24th and 25th. What is remarkable about the athletes' performance is that the 5K race was very tactical under difficult (i.e., wavy and difficult-to-navigate) conditions.

In the women's 10K race, won by University of Michigan's Emily Brunemann, campers placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 11th and 17th.

In the men's 10K race, also won by Fran Crippen, the campers placed 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 14th, 19th, 23rd, 25th, 31st and 33rd.

The windless 10K race was held under vastly different conditions than the rough water 5K race. Under glassy conditions, the campers utilized a variety of racing tactics and drafting methods they just recently learned to hold their own against the rest of America's best open water swimmers.

In the 5K race, 16-year-old Aja Van Hout of the Badger Aquatics Club made a strong move at the 3.5K mark in which she sprinted from the second (trailing) pack up to the first (leading) pack. This move in the middle of the race helped her secure a top 8 finish. "It was really fun. I liked it."

Similarly, Harvard University's senior captain Alex Meyer made a move at the end of the 10K race when he pulled up alongside the lead pack that gradually led to his qualification to the 2009 World Swimming Championships. "I knew that I had to hold on [in order to draft and be in position to qualify]. I am looking forward to swimming the 25K in Rome."

At the upcoming 2009 World Swimming Championships, the 7-member American team will consist of six campers (with Fran as the only non-camper). The team will include the following:

Fran Crippen (Germantown Academy) in the 5K and 10K*
Delaware Swim Team (Delaware Swim Team) in the 5K and 10K
Sean Ryan (Scenic City Aquatic Club) in the 25K
Alex Meyer (Ithaca Aquatics Club) in the 25K
Emily Brunemann (Club Wolverine) in the 5K and 10K
Eva Fabian (Greenwood Memorial Swim Club) in the 10K and 25K
Emily Hanson (Club Wolverine) in the 5K and 25K (shown above together with camp director Dave Thomas)

The USA will field one of the least experienced teams at the world swimming championships, but their speed, endurance and newly learned racing tactics will help make them very competitive. As they all look towards the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the 2012 London Olympics, their first step begins in Rome.

* Swimming World Magazine's Morning Swim Show posted an interview with Fran where he takes a look back at his swims in Florida and his swims in the future.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Good Bang For An Open Water Buck

Like its counterparts in Australia, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, Spain and many other countries, USA Swimming invests in the development of its open water swimmers.

One of its most effective uses of resources is the annual National Open Water Select Camp where America's top young distance freestylers are selected and introduced to open water swimming.

Admittedly, after an intensive introduction to the sport, some of the athletes prefer to stick with the pool, but many athletes continue in the sport...and thrive in domestic and international competitions.

After the 2009 open water camp, we did a little analysis of the campers' performance at the 2009 World Swimming Championships Trials.

In the women's 5K race, won by 17-year-old Chloe Sutton of Mission Viejo Nadadores, the swimmers who have attended the camp placed 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th and 21st.

In the men's 5K race, won by Fran Crippen of Germantown Academy, the swimmers who attended the camp placed 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 21st, 24th and 25th. What is remarkable about the athletes' performance is that the 5K race was very tactical under difficult (i.e., wavy and difficult-to-navigate) conditions.

In the women's 10K race, won by University of Michigan's Emily Brunemann, campers placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 11th and 17th.

In the men's 10K race, also won by Fran Crippen, the campers placed 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 14th, 19th, 23rd, 25th, 31st and 33rd.

The windless 10K race was held under vastly different conditions than the rough water 5K race. Under glassy conditions, the campers utilized a variety of racing tactics and drafting methods they just recently learned to hold their own against the rest of America's best open water swimmers.

In the 5K race, 16-year-old Aja Van Hout of the Badger Aquatics Club made a strong move at the 3.5K mark in which she sprinted from the second (trailing) pack up to the first (leading) pack. This move in the middle of the race helped her secure a top 8 finish. "It was really fun. I liked it."

Similarly, Harvard University's senior captain Alex Meyer made a move at the end of the 10K race when he pulled up alongside the lead pack that gradually led to his qualification to the 2009 World Swimming Championships. "I knew that I had to hold on [in order to draft and be in position to qualify]. I am looking forward to swimming the 25K in Rome."

At the upcoming 2009 World Swimming Championships, the 7-member American team will consist of six campers (with Fran as the only non-camper). The team will include the following:

Fran Crippen (Germantown Academy) in the 5K and 10K*
Delaware Swim Team (Delaware Swim Team) in the 5K and 10K
Sean Ryan (Scenic City Aquatic Club) in the 25K
Alex Meyer (Ithaca Aquatics Club) in the 25K
Emily Brunemann (Club Wolverine) in the 5K and 10K
Eva Fabian (Greenwood Memorial Swim Club) in the 10K and 25K
Emily Hanson (Club Wolverine) in the 5K and 25K (shown above together with camp director Dave Thomas)

The USA will field one of the least experienced teams at the world swimming championships, but their speed, endurance and newly learned racing tactics will help make them very competitive. As they all look towards the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the 2012 London Olympics, their first step begins in Rome.

* Swimming World Magazine's Morning Swim Show posted an interview with Fran where he takes a look back at his swims in Florida and his swims in the future.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Great Canadian and American National 10K Championship Race in Florida

Swimming World Magazine covered the strategic USA Swimming National 10K Open Water Swimming Championship in Ft. Myers this warm Sunday morning in Florida.

As America's most experienced international referee Sid Cassidy summarized the competitive race for the Swimming World Magazine, "This was unlike any other race on American soil. It was much more like an international race. It was strategic, the swimmers were making moves and being physical. It was an incredibly effective race, especially for our young [swimmers]."

Read the Swimming World Magazine article here. The results are as follows:

Top 10 Men's Results
1. Philippe Debreuil (Team Canada/Sherwood, Canada), 1:51:38.74
2. Fran Crippen (Germantown Academy Aquatics), 1:52:41.37
3. Andrew Gemmell (Delaware Swim Team), 1:52:43.14
4. Sean Ryan (Scenic City Aquatic Club), 1:52:45.95
5. Alex Meyer (Unattached), 1:52:46.74
6. Deni Cullom (Mission Viejo Nadadores), 1:52:49.42
7. Joe Kinderwater (WSY Swimming), 1:53:06.83
8. Mark Warkentin (Santa Barbara Aquatics Club), 1:53:23.78
9. Connor Signorin (Peddie Aquatic Association), 1:53:32.32
10. Simon Tobin (UL, Canada), 1:53:36.67

Top 10 Women's Results
1. Emily Brunemann (Club Wolverine), 1:58:11.38
2. Eva Fabian (Greenwood Memorial Swim Club), 1:58:13.24
3. Emily Hanson (Club Wolverine), 1:58:27.57
4. Chloe Sutton (Mission Viejo Nadadores), 1:58:54.00
5. Christine Jennings (Minnesota Aquatics), 1:58:54.30
6. Nicole Vernon (Delaware Swim Team), 2:01:43.29
7. Heidi George (Los Altos & Mountain View), 2:01:48.32
8. Kirsten Groome (First Colony Swim Team), 2:02:11.99
9. Claire Thompson (West Florida Lightning Aquatic), 2:03:42.50
10. Zsofia Balazs (Team Canada, Canada), 2:03:44.37

Photo shows Sid Cassidy giving a yellow flag to a swimmer in the 10K race in Ft. Myers.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

10K Swim To Rome

This morning in Florida, the USA Swimming National 10K Open Water Swimming Championship will be held with spots open for the American and Canadian world championship team up for grabs.

Grab is a relative term.

"The women are actually rougher than the men. The women just get downright dirty out there. It's going to be a great race," said race organizer Gregg Cross who has been hosting this competitive event for years.

The women field will be tough with newcomers like Emily Brunemann and Emily Hanson (shown on left), both of Club Wolverine, trying to stay with and knock off veterans like Olympian Chloe Sutton, Kirsten Groome, Eva Fabian and Dawn Heckman. On the men's side, Olympian Mark Warkentin and Pan American Games champion Fran Crippen will be trying to do the same with a hungry field including Andrew Gemmell, Adam DeJong (shown on left), Alex Meyer, Connor Signorin, Sean Ryan and Henry Stephenson.

"It's like watching a Tour de France bike race," said Gregg. "Those guys are bumping, kicking, drafting. They are world-class athletes, so they know all the tricks."

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Fast Finish For The Future

Belinda Bennett of Australia and Ryan Feeley (picture on left) of the USA won exciting races down the stretch at the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championship 10K race in Guam yesterday (photo of race course shown below).

Just like the pro marathon swimmers on the FINA pro circuit and like it will be at the 2009 World Swimming Championships in Rome and the London 2012 Olympics, both the boy’s and girl’s races came down to the wire in a furious sprint after a lot of tactical racing. The results with their birth year and country were as follows:

1. Belinda Bennett (born 1992) Australia - 2:04:11.66
2. Danielle DeFrancesco (1992) Australia - 2:04:13.03
3. Hiromi Okazawa (1992) Japan - 2:04:15.36
4. Eva Fabian (1993) U.S.A. - 2:04:15.63
5. Zsofia Balazs (1990) Canada - 2:04:53.51
6. Nadine Williams (1993) Canada - 2:10:22.55
7. Mako Kuramatsu (1992) Japan - 2:10:47.76
8. Shiori Ogawa (1992) Japan - 2:11:40.87
9. Kelly Baird (1992) U.S.A. - 2:12:32.82

1. Ryan Feeley (1991) U.S.A. - 1:53:37.65
2. Rhys Mainstone (1990) Australia - 1:53:38.20
3. Kohei Yamada (1990) Japan - 1:53:39.39
4. Andrew Gemmell (1991) U.S.A. - 1:53:40.75
5. Sean Ryan (1992) U.S.A. - 1:53:42.66
6. Radford Kane (1990) New Zealand - 1:53:44.18
7. Christopher Ashwood (1991) Australia - 1:54:06.93
8. Jarrod Killey (1991) Australia - 1:54:26.61
9. Charles Cullom (1991) U.S.A. - 1:54:56.85
10. Yosuke Miyamoto (1990) Japan - 1:54:58.92
11. Harry Stephenson (1992) U.S.A. - 1:55:12.03
12. Matthew Kaminske (1990) U.S.A. - 1:55:12.33
13. Charles Rimkus (1991) U.S.A. - 1:55:43.40
14. George O'Brien (1991) Australia - 1:57:09.11
15. Ramiro Ramirez (1990) Mexico - 2:07:33.11
16. Zack Chetrat (1990) Canada - 2:14:14.95
17. Daijyu Usui (1993) Guam - 2:18:03.14
-- Marco Rivas (1991) Mexico - DNF
-- Craig Dagnall (1990) Canada - DNF

Just like the top British open water swimmers who finaled in pool events before medaling in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing, several open water athletes performed well in the pool just before swimming in the ocean (10K was held in a triangular course in Tumon Bay shown on left).


Belinda Bennett (shown below) finished 4th in the 1500-meter freestyle in 16:36.96 only two days before the 10K. Zsofia Balaza finished 3rd in 16:36.70, Shiori Ogawa was 6th in 16:58.33, Nadine Williams finished 8th in 17:19.40 and Kelly Baird was 10th in 17:12.80.

Andrew Gemmell (11th in the 800-meter in 8:13.82), Sean Ryan (5th in 8:10.93) and Charles Cullom (14th in 8:22.62), all of the U.S.A., also pulled double-duty, swimming the 800 freestyle the day before the 10K in the ocean.

Australia’s national open water swimming coach Greg Towle was excited about Australia’s future talent. "Swimming Australia plans to develop distance swimmers in the pool and in the open water – and to have swimmers coming into open water from the pool and still swimming pool events is very encouraging. Someone like Belinda Bennett, who qualified for the pool team in her own right and then made the open water team is certainly a credit to her and her coach Nick Veliades. Our guys are starting to learn how to swim smarter and that will hold them in good stead for future competitions."

Cross-over athletes…exciting races with furious final sprints…tactical racing…the 2009 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships may have been a preview of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in London 2012.

Photo of Ryan Feeley from the Empire State Games by the Rye Record.

Open Water Preview of London 2012?

Notwithstanding the young and accomplished open water elite like Larisa Ilchenko, Ana Marcela Cunha, Chad Ho and Chip Peterson, Guam will play host to some very fast young guns in the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 10K race on January 12th.

To compete against battle-tested Kane Radford from New Zealand, Australia’s fast Belinda Bennett and a top contingent from Canada including Zsofia Balasz and Craig Dagnall, USA Swimming will send 5 teenagers to Guam.

Eva Fabian of Greenwood Memorial Swim Club (coached by Jack Fabian), Kelly Baird of Winston Salem YMCA Swim Team (coached by Mike Brady), Deni Cullom of Mission Viejo Nadadores (coached by Bill Rose), Sean Ryan of Scenic City Aquatics Club (coached by Stan Corcoran) and Harry Stephenson of Gulf Coast Swim Team (coached by Don Henshaw) will race 4 loops of a 2.5K triangular course in Tumon Bay, Guam's most popular beach.

Going mano-a-mano, goggle-to-goggle and shoulder-to-shoulder around 12 buoy turns will not only be exciting, but also an excellent proving ground for those with dreams of representing their country in London 2012. The winner will undoubtedly balance great aerobic conditioning and fast closing speed with excellent race tactics and a high degree of navigational IQ.

Despite her size, diminutive Eva Fabian, who can be seen in the red cap (towards the left) on the November 2008 cover of of Swimming World Magazine, will be someone to contend with. "I love competing in the open water," said Eva after doing well at the 2008 RCP Tiburon Mile.

Up-and-coming athletes 18 year and under swimmer from Canada, Australia, China, USA, Japan, New Zealand, Bermuda, Mexico, Guam, El Salvador and Costa Rica will compete at the 2009 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in January.