Race Director Robert Strauss promised a good show and he delivered at today’s Nike Swim Miami.

In the women’s 10K race, the outcome was not decided until literally the final steps. Eva Fabian of New Hampshire and 2009 FINA 10K World Cup champion Poliana Okimoto of Brazil were the stars of the drama.

Eva and Poliana broke away from the rest of the top women during the fourth lap and stayed together, sprinting shoulder-to-shoulder into the finish chute.

Poliana stood up first to be first out of the water, but 16-year-old up-and-coming Eva outsprinted her to the finish and won by a tenth of a second (2:00:47). Christine Jennings was third (2:03.10) followed by the University of Michigan’s Emily Brunneman in fourth (2:03.11).

In the men’s 10K, Harvard’s Alex Meyer made a breakaway, skipped his last feeding opportunity going into the last lap and won going away in 1:57:58 (a 19:01 pace per mile). Harry Stevenson (2:01:44), Sean Ryan (2:01:46) and Max Fabian (2:03.13).

“I learned a lot today from the race today. I learned about navigating the finish from Poliana and how she is able to change positions very quickly during the race. It was a very good race and I look forward to doing it again next year,” recalled Eva who finished second overall after being pushed by Poliana.

But the show goes on…

Eva, Christine, Emily Brunemann, Alex and Sean will soon be heading to the West Coast to compete in the 2010 USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships in Long Beach this June. The very best of the rest of the Americans, Canadians, Azerbaijans and Egyptians will be there in what should be unbelievably fast 5K and 10K races.

Race results are posted here.

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