Open Water Questions To Be Answered In Rome

The following open water questions are answered on SwimNetwork's Open Water Wednesday with the 5K, 10K and 25K races at the 2009 World Championships just days away.

Most of the athletes are staying at the same hotel, training together in the pool and open water, just a few kilometers where they will soon be battling for medals.

1. Can Larisa Ilchenko continue her six-year streak of winning major championships??
2. What is the open water swimming course going to be like in Rome?
3. What will be the effect of the thousands of vacationers in the water?
4. What swimsuits will be worn?
5. What American men's open water swimming stars will be born in Rome?
6. What American women's open water swimming stars will be born in Rome?
7. How many countries will send teams to Rome?
8. How will the open water events be covered from Rome?
9. What will the atmosphere of the Rome World Championships be like?
10. Will there be any surprises in Rome?

Photo shows FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee member Shelley Taylor-Smith before the open water swimming character in Rome.

Something Very Special In Rome

Shelley Taylor-Smith, the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee Honorary Secretary provided this on-site report of the World Swimming Championships open water venue.

"The World Championships in are going to be very special," was Shelley's succinct assessment of the venue, operations and organization. The details include:

Women's 5K Start at 8:30 am on July 19th
Men's 5K Start at 11:00 am on July 19th
Women's 10K Start at 10:00 am on July 21st
Men's 10K Start at 10:00 am on July 22nd
Women's 25K Start at 8:30 am on July 24th
Men's 25K Start at 8:30 am on July 25th

All races will consist of a 2.5K loop in the counter-clockwise direction with four mandatory turn buoys with corner "sausage" arced buoys (as used in the Beijing Olympic Games and the 2007 Melbourne World Swimming Championships (see photo on left). Yellow buoys will be placed every 200 meters, but they are only directional and swimmers may swim around them on either side.

The start for all the open water races will be from a deep water start (i.e., the dive start rule will not be in effect due to the open sea venue this year).

There will be two feeding stations for 10K and 25K. Accredited Access bracelets will be provided to coaches so they can gain access to the feeding pontoons. There will not be any escort boats for 25K races.

Pontoon #1 will be located at the start and finish area where the coaches can directly access off the beach. Pontoon #2 will be positioned at turn #3. Coaches will be taken by boat to Pontoon #2. The pontoon is a barge which is 24 meters in length and 7 meters wide with toilets and a kitchen.

For the athletes, there will be two 50-meter outdoor pools and one 25-meter pool in addition to the sea competition venue for all pre- and post-race training in Ostia.

Transport shuttle buses will be operating between the hotels and the training pools and competition venue. Accreditation for the national federations including coaches, athletes and team managers will be set up in Ostia.

In a first for FINA competitions, there will be a second call room in order to facilitate the checking of technical swimsuits in accordance with FINA rules between 30-45 minutess before the start of each race.

As we previously reported, Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), the biggest television broadcaster in Italy, will have 5 cameras on land and 2 cameras in the water, providing live coverage throughout Europe, to a large screen on the beach and at the Open Water Swimming Village on the beach at Ostia. A Team Leaders Guide Handbook will be made available on the FINA website.

Photo shows (from left) Andre Saugy of Omega Swiss Timing Ltd., Gianni Minervina, Organzing Committee Rome 09 Associate Director (an Olympic breaststroker from 1984, 1988 and 1992), Sid Cassidy, Chairman of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and Shelley Taylor-Smith.

FINA Open Water Clinic in Sydney

The FINA Open Water Swimming Development Program was a great success, held in conjunction with the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships.

The clinic enables interested individuals to keep up-to-date with many changes and worldwide growth underway. Shelley Taylor-Smith of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee said, "The FINA Congress will be held in Rome in July 2009 at the FINA World Swimming Championships. Many rules have been introduced as a result of inclusion into the Olympic Program. The rule book and open water swimming guidelines will both be updated."

Photo of the Open Water Swimming Clinic participants provided by FINA lecturer Dennis Miller of Fiji.

FINA Open Water Swimming Development Program

The FINA Development Program has been held in numerous countries from Australia to the Cayman Islands. This FINA Development Program also includes a FINA Open Water Swimming Referees and Officials Clinic.

Shelley Taylor-Smith, Honorary Secretary of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee recommends the Program. "It is imperative for the [global] development of open water swimming for coaches, athletes, supports and officials to access the FINA Development Program."

National federations will benefit from the years of experience of a highly qualified FINA Open Water Swimming Lecturer who will conduct the clinic and explain the FINA Open Water Swimming Rules & Guidelines for staging open water swimming competitions. An Open Water Swimming certification is also awarded at the end of the comprehensive clinic.

With the growth of the sport, it is prudent to keep up-to-date with all the changes and trends going. Shelley says, "The FINA Congress will be held in Rome in July 2009 at the FINA World Swimming Championships. Many rules have been introduced as a result of inclusion into the Olympic Program. The rule book and open water swimming guidelines will both be updated."

For more information and applications for the FINA Development Programme and FINA/IOC Olympic Solidarity Programme, go here.

Photos above show FINA Open Water Swimming lecturer Dennis Miller of Fiji, Shelley Taylor-Smith and tecturer Chris Guesdon of Australia.

Copyright © 2009 by Open Water Source

Deciding the Future of Elite Open Water Swimming

The FINA’s Technical Open Water Swimming Committee members are gathering in Kuwait this week to discuss and decide a variety of critical issues to better govern, judge, administer and promote the sport of open water swimming.

Their discussions and decisions will have a significant impact on FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit, the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix and the FINA World Swimming Championship events. The proposed rules changes were previously submitted by various national swimming federations and are now being considered by the Committee through careful deliberation and discussion.

The members include Chairman Sid Cassidy of the USA, Vice Chairman Ronnie Wong Man Chui of Hong Kong, Honorable Secretary Shelley Taylor-Smith of Australia, Valerijus Belovas of Lithuania, Flavio Bomio of Switzerland, Alan Clarkson of Great Britain, Jorge Delgado Panchana of Ecuador, Dr. Mohie Wahid Farid of Egypt, Paulo Frischknecht of Portugal, Tomas Haces German of Cuba, Dennis Miller of Fiji and Vladimir Srb of the Czech Republic. The FINA Bureau Liaison is Nory Kruchten of Luxembourg. The Coaches' Commission Liaison is Osvaldo Arsenio of Argentina and the Athletes' Commission Liaison Daniel Kowalski of Australia.

Photo taken by Giorgio Scalia of Valerio Cleri at the 2008 European Open Water Swimming Championships in Croatia.

You've Got a Point There

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

John Kinsella in the 1970’s, Paul Asmuth in the 1980’s, Shelley Taylor-Smith in the 1990’s and Petar Stoychev most recently dominated the professional marathon swimming circuits in their era.

Each of these athletes was crowned champion based on a point system. The swimmers were awarded points based on their finish at each race. During the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s, the athletes swam under a point system sanctioned by the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation.

The point system used was the brainchild of Edward Nichterlein, a former statistician of the National Football League. Edward worked out a rather complicated method of scoring finishers that analyzed various elements of marathon swim racing.

Several categories of scoring were established. First, finishing positions were rewarded on the basis of 500 points for the winner, 350 for his runner-up, 250 for the third-placer, 150 for fourth position, 125 for fifth, 100 for sixth, 95 for seventh, and five points less for each succeeding slot down to 25th place.

Comparative times were also taken into consideration, and the race winner’s time was rated at 100 (later 300) points, with one point subtracted from the scores of those following him to the finish line for each minute longer they took to arrive there.

Then, since races were held over varying distances, each finisher was awarded five points per mile for the length of the course. For example, finishers in a 20-mile race received 100 points, while those who completed a 10-mile race received 50 points, in addition to their scores for placement and finish times.

A bonus of 100 points was also awarded to swimmers who lowered the established course record.

Men and women were scored separately, but on the same basis. The first woman to finish, even if she was sixth overall, was considered the woman’s winner and received 500 points for “first place’” 100 points for her time and, of course, the distance points. This meant that a man following her to the finish line, although seventh in the overall race standings, was considered sixth in the men’s point standings toward the championship.

Currently, FINA uses two much simpler point systems: one for the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix (for races longer than 10K) and one for the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup.

In each FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix race, points are awarded depending upon overall finishing position. The Grand Prix points are different based on the total prize money offered by the race director.

For FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix races that offer total cash prizes more than US$25,000, the points are as follows:

1st is 25 points
2nd is 19 points
3rd is 16 points
4th is 13 points
5th is 11 points
6th is 9 points
7th is 7 points
8th is 5 points

All other finishers of the race receive 4 points.

For FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix races that offer total cash prizes between US$10,000 and US$24,999, the points are as follows:

1st is 20 points
2nd is 16 points
3rd is 14 points
4th is 12 points
5th is 10 points
6th is 8 points
7th is 6 points
8th is 5 points

All other finishers of the race receive 3 points.

For FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix races that offer total cash prizes between US$10,000 and US$19,999, the points are as follows:

1st is 15 points
2nd is 11 points
3rd is 9 points
4th is 7 points
5th is 6 points
6th is 5 points
7th is 4 points
8th is 3 points

All other finishers of the race receive 2 points.

For the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup races, the points are as follows:

1st is 20 points
2nd is 18 points
3rd is 16 points
4th is 14 points
5th is 12 points
6th is 10 points
7th is 8 points
8th is 6 points
9th is 4 points
10th is 3 points

All other finishers of the race receive 2 points.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

A Champion Mindset

If there was anyone on the move in the open water swimming world during 2008, it was the unflappable Shelley Taylor-Smith. A true global traveler and a nominee for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year, Shelley traveled far and wide passionately promoting the sport to athletes, coaches, administrators, media and national federations.

She participated in the FINA Extraordinary Congress in the U.K., the FINA Referees and Officials Clinic in Indonesia, the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships in Spain, the Olympic 10K Qualification Swim in Beijing, the FINA Referees and Open Water Swimming Clinic in China, FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup events in Hong Kong and Singapore, the Asian Beach Games in Indonesia, the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Nebraska.

2008 was the culmination of 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 in Beijing. Shelley was able to help create a wonderful venue for the athletes because she knows exactly what the swimmers go through every day in training and during races when things get tough.


In her days as an athlete, Shelley was always focused and tough (see photo on left that shows Shelley fighting the incoming tide during the 37K Atlantic City Around-the-Island Marathon Swim). Her versatility as an open water swimmer gave her to a comprehensive appreciation of the sport.


She not only won 7 consecutive professional FINA world titles, a 25K world championship and the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim five times, she also did a 79K solo swim from Sydney to Wollongong, a 1990 English Channel crossing and a relay triple-crossing of the English Channel in 1997. Her athletic exploits were recognized formally in July 2008 by the International Swimming Hall of Fame which inducted her as an Honor Open Water Swimmer..



Despite her open water swimming accolades and FINA responsibilities from Beijing to Sevilla, Shelley continued to keep her hands in local open water swimming events throughout 2008. She participated in a variety of swims, including the world’s largest open water relay, the 19K Rottnest Channel Swim, and was an active patron for the Ecu West Coast 1000).

"When I first met Shelley, her enthusiasm was contagious and her passion mind blowing," said David Sierakowski, the Ecu West Coast 1000 race director. "Marathon swimming is a unique sport that tests both mind and body to its limits, but life is a team sport. It is all about participation, participation, participation,” explained Shelley who in between her FINA duties runs a very successful motivational company called Champion Mindset.

In addition to her efforts to help create world-class open water events, she also understands the nitty-gritty of the sport, ranging from relations with the media to water quality. Back in 1998 prior to winning her fifth consecutive 48K Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, Shelley was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome after prolonged exposure to polluted waters around the world. She fought back from that disease, and retired from competitive swimming to enter the world of business and the administrative side of the sport.


Her motivational speeches touch upon her experiences in the sport and, most importantly, make people laugh, cry, think and act. With an attention to detail and a passion for everything she does, Shelley also continues to explore new ways to further develop the sport. "I am passionately committed to our youth which is the future of Australia."

"I want to teach, train and share: if you have a dream and you believe in that dream and are prepared to do whatever it takes and never quit...you will make it," a common theme that runs through her speeches. Shelley was recently appointed to the Western Australian Open Water Swimming Committee and has plans on hosting a FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup in her hometown of Perth.

Her interest in pushing the envelope was apparent back in 1991 when she and Tammy van Wisse wore a bikini suit for the first time in a FINA competition. Shelley and Tammy had to seek special permission to wear the bikinis. FINA issued an official news release that stated the swim suits were deemed respectable for competition. However, Shelley was more practical in her reasoning. The 1991 World Swimming Championships were held in Perth, Australia and Shelley knew there would be many jellyfish in the 25K course in Swan River.


"I wore this [bikini] suit because of the jellyfish that were everywhere…I wanted to be able to let them out [of my suit]…or get them out with easy access and not disturb my mental focus and mindset which they are renowned for doing," recalled Shelley with a smile. "I won the race and gritted my teeth as I got stung." It is now time for the next chapter in the life of Shelley Taylor-Smith.

For her continuous efforts to develop and promote the sport, we salute Shelley as a nominee for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Great Sports Moves - The Ilchenko

Throughout sports history, great athletes have created great athletic moves. From track-and-field (The Fosbury Flop) and gymnastics (Thomas Flare and the Omelianchik) to boxing (the Rope-a-dope) and wrestling (Karelin Lift), sports fans have associated certain great moves with great athletes.

Even sports announcers have been associated with memorable verbal descriptions of sports events (e.g., the Miracle on Ice, he could…go…all…the…way! and back-back-back-back)

Perhaps open water swimming announcers should be describing the closing kick of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 world champion Larisa Ilchenko of Russia as “The Ilchenko”?

Larisa’s trademark move is a classic to watch and extremely difficult to compete against. She expertly drafts off of the lead swimmers for a majority of the race, aggressively protecting her #2 or #3 position in the pack, which is difficult to consistently do throughout a 2-hour 10K race. Then, around the last turn buoy, she gets ready to make her signature move. With the finish approaching, sometimes with less than 100 meters to go, Larisa picks up her kicking speed and literally swims around her competition, often on the opposite side to which her opponents breathe, to win the race.

Much easily said than done, Larisa puts in tremendous hours and work to be able to pull off The Ilchenko. Recently, she told former world champion Shelley Taylor-Smith that she has not taken a day off in 2008. "I only had 7 days out of the water in 2007. I am looking forward to some time off I hope."

The dominance of Larisa has stymied her competition ever since she first won the 5K world championships in 2004 in Dubai. Year in and year out, at every major race, everyone knows Larisa's blazing finish will come...they just can't seem to do anything about it. Fast pace, slow pace, ocean, lake, Larisa comes through at the end with “The Ilchenko”.

At the Singapore leg of the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup, Shelley asked Larisa's competitors how they plan to dethrone her.

Fourth-place Olympic 10K Marathon Swim finisher Angela Maurer of Germany told Taylor-Smith, "The difference between Larisa and the rest [of us] is not that she is faster, but that she swims smarter than the rest of the competitors."

Brazilian open water swimming coach Igor de Souza said of his swimmer, "…we will now go back and prepare…on becoming a 'smart racer'. She must learn to race. Speed is important, yes. But thinking like a 10K marathon swimmer is what wins. I believe that is what it is going to take to beat Larisa."

Easier said than done.

Larisa is a nominee for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year. Voting continues.

Information on the male nominees are posted here; details on the female nominees for the World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year are posted here.

To equate "The Ilchenko" with a land-based move, I am reminded of the incredible 10K run at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics of Billy Mills which is considered one of the greatest individual efforts in Olympic history. Just as Mills barreled down the runway in the 10,000-meter run in Tokyo to the surprise of everyone, Larisa flies down the straightaway in her 5K and 10K swims...to the surprise of none.

Photos by Pei Qingsheng at the Beijing Olympics.

Copyright © 2014 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

Asia Gearing Up for Marathon Swimming

FINA Honorary Secretary Shelley Taylor-Smith reports from the Asian Beach Games:

Olympians Mohammad Saleh of Syrian and Fang Yanqiao of China are the marathon swimming favorites at the Asian Beach Games after competing in the Beijing Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.

Photo above shows the marathon swimming officials at the Asian Beach Games in Bali.

The FINA Technical Delegate is Dennis Miller. The men's 5K head referee is Chris Guesdon and the women's 5K head referee is Bill Ford. The men's 10K head referee is Richard Verboon and the women's 10K head referee is Taylor-Smith.

There are 19 competitors in the men's 5K, 10 competitors in the women's 5K, 14 competitors in the men's 10K and 11 competitors in the women's 10K from a total of 45 national federations.

The Olympic 10K head referee Miller commented "There is nervous anticipation amongst the 30 national open water swimming officials from Indonesia officiating at their first-ever international marathon swimming competition here in Bali. Conditions are perfect with very warm and humid weather, with water temperature 28°C (82°F)."

The races will be held at Sanur Beach along the southeastern coast of Bali in Indonesia on October 25th and 26th.

In addition to the 5K and 10K marathon swims, the Asian Beach Games will include beach soccer, beach sepak takraw, beach handball, bodybuilding, windsurfing, triathlon, dragon boat, sailing, paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, woodball and beach volleyball.

Photo provided by Shelley Taylor-Smith.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Swimming Smarter Against The Best

The dominance of Larisa Ilchenko has stymied her competitors since she first won the 5K world championships in 2004. Like the anchor leg finish of Jason Lezak, everyone knows Ilchenko's blazing finish will come...they just can't seem to do anything about it. Fast pace, slow pace, ocean, lake, Ilchenko comes through every time.

At the Singapore leg of the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup, former world champion Shelley Taylor-Smith asked Ilchenko's competitors how they plan to dethrone Ilchenko.

Fourth-place Olympic 10K finisher Angela Maurer told Taylor-Smith, "The difference between Larisa and the rest [of us] is not that she is faster, but that she swims smarter than the rest of the competitors."

Brazilian open water swimming coach Igor de Souza said of Ana Marcela Cunha, the youngest swimmer in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, "Anna is young. Not just her age, but in 10K racing, she is young compared to Larisa and many of the experienced marathon swimmers like Angela Maurer, Britta Kamrau and others. So we will now go back and prepare Ana Marcela to focus on becoming a 'smart racer'. She must learn to race. Speed is important, yes. But thinking like a 10K marathon swimmer is what wins. I believe that is what it is going to take to beat Larisa."

Photo by Satiro Sodré/CBDA shows Ana Marcela Cunha at the Olympic 10K.

FINA Website Traffic During the Olympics

FINA, the governing body of water polo, pool swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and open water swimming, announced that 285,282 users visited the FINA.org website almost 10,000 times per day during the month of August. During the peak days, the number of unique visits per day to its website was nearly 21,500.

During the 9 days of the pool swimming events in Beijing, from August 9-17, the FINA website registered 7,712,148 hits (or an average of 856,906 hits per day or 138,367 unique visits) in total.

The peak day for FINA website traffic was August 11, when America's Jason Lezak ran down Alain Bernard of the French team in the epic 400 freestyle relay. 21,000 visitors went to the FINA website.

During the two days of the open water swimming events in Beijing, the FINA website had 742,430 hits on the day Larisa Ilchenko won the women's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim and 738,912 hits when Maarten van der Weijden won the men's Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.

10KSwimmer makes two observations of this FINA website data:

1. The new Olympic sport of open water swimming was only slightly less popular than the glamour sport of pool swimming: 856,906 hits per day vs. 740,671 hits per day on average.

2. Ilchenko wins in a website traffic comparison over the men.

Photo of Ilchenko in Singapore with Valerio Cleri by Shelley Taylor-Smith.

First Couple of Open Water Swimming

Swimming World Magazine ran an interesting article based on an interview with Larisa Ilchenko conducted by Shelley Taylor-Smith.

The first couple of the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup performed very well in the Singapore leg on October 4th.

Larisa Ilchenko won the women's race while her training partner and boyfriend Daniil Serebrennikov tied with Valerio Cleri of Italy in the men's race with an exact time of 2:09.20.25.

Cleri, who got fourth in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, has five FINA World Cup victories and one bronze in the 2008 pro 10K circuit. He looks to lock up the 2008 overall title after he participates in the season-ending Cancun race. The overall World Cup circuit winners, both male and female, receive an additional US$15,000.

In addition to her Olympic 10K Marathon Swim gold medal, Ilchenko has three golds and a silver during the 2008 circuit. She has been training with her boyfriend of three years, Serebrennikov, who has one gold and two silvers during the 2008 season.

In a typically exciting finish, Serebrennikov and Cleri finished a stroke ahead of Egypt's Mazen Mohamed Aziz. Aziz took bronze only one second behind in 2:09.21.08. Less than a second behind Aziz was fourth place Yury Kudinov of Russia with a time of 2:09.21.99.

Aziz has earned a medal of every color during the 2008 World Cup season, making up for his just missing qualification in the Beijing Olympic 10K.

As was expected, Ilchenko outsprinted Brazil's Ana Marcela Cunha and Angela Maurer who took the silver and bronze medals respectively. In addition to her close fourth-place finish at the Olympics, Maurer has one gold, one silver and three bronze medals during the 2008 FINA World Cup season and is leading the current rankings going into the final race in Cancun.

The results are as follows:

MEN
1. Daniil Serebrennikov in 2:09.20.251.
1. Valerio Cleri in 2:09.20.25
3. Mazen Mohamed Aziz in 2:09.21.08

WOMEN
1. Larisa Ilchenko in 2:16.22.00
2. Ana Marcela Cunha in 2:16.25.09
3. Angela Maurer in 2:16.27.32

Upper photo shows Ilchenko (middle) accepting her winner's check from FINA representative Shelley Taylor-Smith (to her right) at the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup in Hong Kong on September 28th. Second-place Kristel Kobrich of Chile and third-place Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil (far left) are also shown in the photo by Shelley Taylor-Smith.

Lower photo by Shelley Taylor-Smith shows Ilchenko at a pre-race clinic in Singapore for the local students.

Big Checks in Hong Kong

Olympic 10K gold medalist Larisa Ilchenko (middle) is shown accepting her winner's check from FINA representative Shelley Taylor-Smith (to her right) at the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup in Hong Kong on September 28th. Second-place Kristel Kobrich of Chile and third-place Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil (far left) are also shown.

A Great Ambassador of the Sport

Before Olympic 10K Marathon Swim gold medalist Larisa Ilchenko appeared on the Nokia Football Crazy Show broadcast on ESPN Sports Star in Singapore, she spoke with FINA representative Shelley Taylor-Smith.

Relaxed and composed during her on-air interview before the Singapore leg of the FINA 10KM Marathon Swim World Cup, Ilchenko smiled and talked frankly about mixing her tough training schedule with her love of chocolate, music and her boyfriend, Daniil Serebrennikov, another top marathon swimming pro and her hometown training partner.

"The first year my coach said OK. The second year not OK and this year OK," said Ilchenko to Taylor-Smith as she referred to her gold medal performance at the Olympic 10K event.

To no surprise to Taylor-Smith who was also renown for an incredible work ethic, Ilchenko Larisa revealed that she has not taken a day off in 2008. "I only had 7 days out of the water in 2007. I am tired. My mind and my body. I am looking forward to some time off I hope."

Similar to Maarten van der Weijden who has faced a non-stop schedule of media interviews and motivational speeches since his Olympic 10K victory, Ilchenko appears comfortable in front of the camera and is a gregariously confident ambassador of the sport.

The sport is well-served by these two fine Olympic champions.

ESPN Sports Star is an Asian-based broadcast transmitting in 5 languages (English, Cantonese, Hindi, Korean and Mandarin) and broadcasting local editions of ESPN SportsCenter for China, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan, Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

1st Asian Beach Games

36 men and 20 women, representing 45 countries, will take part in the 5K and 10K open water swims on Sanur Beach along the southeastern coast of Bali in Indonesia on October 25th and 26th.

Some of the individuals most responsible for the inclusion of the marathon swim in the Olympics will oversee the 5K and 10K races in Bali.

Dennis Miller will serve as the FINA Delegate along with Chris and Sue Guesdon, Shelley Taylor-Smith, Bill and Karen Ford and Melissa Cunningham who will help the local officials put on a good show for the first-year event.

In addition to the 5K and 10K marathon swims, the Asian Beach Games will include beach soccer, beach sepak takraw, beach handball, bodybuilding, windsurfing, triathlon, dragon boat, sailing, paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, woodball and beach volleyball.

Photo of an open water swimmer in a tropical paradise race by Shane Gould.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Think Like a Champion

Shelley Taylor-Smith, founder of Champion Mindset, will report from the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup in Repulse Bay in Hong Kong later today.








Shelley, the Secretary-General of FINA's Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, will interview Larisa Ilchenko, the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim gold medalist, and fourth-place finisher Angela Maurer of Germany. Angela, a 33-year-old mother, is a remarkable story and will share with Shelley how she balances parenting, training, work and competing against the world's best in a grueling sport.

Both Larisa and Angela have said they are a bit tired after the Olympics and do not expect the same aggressiveness in today's Hong Kong race as they faced in Beijing at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim finals. That being said, they both think like a champion and we expect a great post-Olympic race.

Upper photo of Shelley Taylor-Smith and lower photo of Larisa Ilchenko.

The Passion Comes From Within You

Shelley Taylor-Smith, the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee Secretary General, and founder of Champion Mindset, was recently featured at Urbanboheme, a women's portal which acts as an intermediary connecting women to their business or lifestyle needs.

Shelley gives great motivational talks that incorporate her open water swimming experiences. An excerpt below is from her talk, "Your Birthright to Achieve". In her own words, Shelley says...

October 28, 2005. The email from the FINA headquarters (the international governing body for swimming disciplines) in Switzerland read: “Lausanne (SUI), October 27, 2005 – FINA has the great pleasure to announce that the IOC Executive Board today decided to include in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games competition programme the 10km event for men and women in marathon swimming.”

It was one of those moments where time stood still -- with me in it. The subject header sent at 1.38am Sydney time read: “10km event in Open Water Swimming at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games”. I had to re-read it. I had had a restless night’s sleep knowing the IOC announcement -- a Yes in our favour or a Nay against us -- was happening as I tossed. I had requested FINA to call me. I did not care if they woke me. They know me pretty well by now. The crazy Aussie nicknamed ‘Nuts’ in the FINA office due to my unwavering commitment to marathon swimming.

I fell to my knees in tears of joy. Those magic moments that I refer to as ‘Gold Medal Moments’ that rise within you, where the hairs on your arms stand on end, as you remember (and I do remember often) …. Now … still. They are powerful.

It’s 6 am. I scream out with joy “we’re going to Beijing”. I am in shock. It can’t be that easy. Who could I share this joy with at this time of morning? I called the head coach of Swimming Australia, Alan Thompson.

That is all I said, all day. I called Alan Jones after Alan. “Do you want the scoop?” I said to the producer of the 2GB Alan Jones Breakfast show. I was at the Manly Swimming pool now and everybody thought I was coming out of retirement as I screamed out “We’re going to Beijing!”

This was the day thousands of marathon swimmers worldwide had been waiting for with anticipated breath. For many they had not held their breath. They had given up hope. Not me.

The Olympic 10km marathon swim event has the unique distinction of being both the oldest and newest of Olympic Aquatic disciplines. The modern-day Olympics utilised Open Water venues for their first three Olympiads; Athens 1896, Paris 1900 and St. Louis 1904. Finally, after 104 years, open water swimming will return to the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008.

Over the past decade the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (TOWSC) developed a plan with great diligence to ensure that the IOC was presented with an aquatic event that would fit the Olympic ideal and represent the high quality of aquatic excellence that FINA is internationally accredited with.

The 10km distance was decided on because of its duration being similar to both the traditional running marathon and the newer Olympic triathlon. The venue used by rowing was proposed as one that would be useful in accommodating both spectators and television.

There are various terms for our sport since we have developed so fast. It has changed from long distance swimming to open water swimming to what it is now recognised as marathon swimming.

Marathon swimming could easily be considered the fastest growing discipline within the FINA family. In the 6th FINA World Championships in 1991 in Perth, Western Australia, Open Water Swimming was introduced with a 25km swim. It was here that I became the Inaugural FINA Women’s 25km World Champion winning gold for Australia.

The 7th FINA World Swimming Championships in Rome in 1994 was where the 25km was again contested. The 8th FINA World Swimming Championships returned to the favourite city of Perth, Western Australia in 1998 where the 5km event and the introduction of team awards were introduced.

Then in the year 2000, the 10km event was a part of the first FINA World Championship event dedicated exclusively to Open Water Swimming. Since that time FINA has hosted an annual World Championships and the 10km distance quickly became one of the most popular events.

‘The Dream’ appeared to happen so easily. Looking back now since that ‘gold medal moment’ two years ago, everything was in place and the timing was perfect. It began with a meeting in Hong Kong in September 2005 when the FINA Executive Director advised that the IOC were planning to discuss the addition of the 10km men’s and women’s events during their October 2005 program meetings.

The most encouraging news here is that the IOC had called FINA. Cornel Marculescu, Executive Director of FINA and the one who brought us this news, could be described as ‘cautiously optimistic’ that this all may happen for Beijing 2008.

With those two words I was dumbfounded. It can’t be that easy I thought. Cornel is never the type of person who would set us up in false hope. I remember I had Daniel Kowalski, Australian Swimming Olympian and the FINA Athletes Representative seated next to me. I was typing the minutes as Cornel informed us and as I looked at Daniel, he was grinning like me, from ear to ear. I was quietly confident. The TOWSC (FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee) members celebrated that evening in Hong Kong. I had a gut feeling. We all felt that history was in the making.

We (the TOWSC Commission of which I am Honorary Secretary) had hosted the IOC Program Committee members onboard our boat at the FINA World Swimming Championships in July 2005. I clearly remember explaining our sport as quickly as possible and as passionately as possible without jamming too much stuff down their throats. I did not want to appear desperate, regardless of how I was feeling inside, having them leave choking on our sport.

That same day in Hong Kong we created a sub-committee and prepared the Olympic selection proposal. Mr. Marculescu was very pleased with our work on this and sent it onto the IOC that same week. We had several members of the 15-member IOC Executive Board championing our efforts, including Mr. Rogge himself. As it was explained to us, the Olympic television contract commitment was originally structured to include baseball and softball, both now dropped from the program. The IOC was looking to simply add these two swimming events with little or no cost to help fulfil that obligation. The plan to use the Olympic rowing venue and the great television ratings of FINA Swimming in Athens have been major selling points.

Yes we were in the right place at the right time. It is all about timing.

Since the IOC announcement in 2005, we have seen an amazing growth in our sport.
The FINA TOWSC has had to quickly adapt with rule changes to promote the sport. For our sport to be seen as ‘media friendly’, we have introduced the dive start from a floating pontoon. This is the opportunity for spectators, whether at the event or at home, to get up close and personal with our marathon swimming athletes. There has been a 1000 per cent increase in Officials and Referees accreditations. FINA has hosted its inaugural Open Water Swimming Seminar in 2006.

From the pool to the board.

My introduction to marathon swimming began in 1983 as a member of the ‘Lady Razorback Swim Team’ whilst studying at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. I dived into professional marathon swimming in 1985 and retired as 7-time World Marathon Swimming Champion in 1998. Whilst competing, I served as the FINA Athletes representative and Chairman of the committee from 1992 to 2000. Since 2000, I have served as Honorary Secretary for marathon swimming as a member of the
TOWSC.

My role as Honorary Secretary includes administering the sport internationally. Most important matters of late have included rule changes, staging the Open Water Swimming seminar, finalising the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games qualifying selection process, supporting national federations and their athletes’ concerns, training officials and referees in China whilst focusing on our main objective to stage the best ever competition in Beijing.

It reminds me of when Women’s Water Polo was accepted into the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon. The same has been experienced in our sport. Even Grant Hackett is talking about having a go at in the 10km marathon swim in Beijing.

Fast forward to August 2007 and it’s the TOWSC Commission’s first official visit to Beijing to meet with the IOC, BOCOG (Beijing Olympic Committee Olympic Games) and the ICF (International Canoe Federation). Arriving into Beijing you can sense the excitement. There is construction going 24/7. As we head to the hotel our view is saturated by construction cranes

The venue for the Olympic 10km Marathon Swim is the rowing basin at Rowing-Canoe-Marathon Swim Park. A state of the art venue does not do it justice. The water quality is outstanding. The facilities are excellent for athletes, spectators, coaches and federations. It is a 40 minute drive from Beijing to the venue. FINA is co-sharing the facility with two other sports – Rowing and Canoeing.

Staging the best ever competition was now satisfied by expecting the venue.
The meeting agenda highlighted key issues including the schedule of events and meetings, sharing facilities, the course including start and finish, feeding stations, the timing system and availability for on-course training where swimmers familarise themselves with their racing environment.

The meeting was successful. Our outcomes were achieved. All parties agreed this will be the most spectacular Games in the history of the Olympic Games. There is one thing the Chinese do well – they deliver on their promise.

The 10km Marathon swim for women and men will be staged at 9am on August 20 and 21, 2007. I’ll be ‘ringside’ with my fellow TOWSC members and BOCOG delivering my promise for the talented 25 men and 25 women competing in the inaugural 10km Marathon Swim Olympic Event: ‘to enjoy their Olympic experience’.

Go for gold…..it’s your birthright to achieve!

To see Shelley on video, check out the following on YouTube: